Christian O'Connell's show trains six listeners for stand-up

The Christian O'Connell Show is launching Stand Up AUSTRALIA, a project that will put six listeners on stage to perform stand-up comedy for the first time. The six will perform on Thursday, December 3, at Sydney's Comedy Store, in front of a packed audience.

The idea came from a listener, Stuart Richardson. He has lived with a stutter his whole life and keeps challenging himself. The project also draws on the themes of O'Connell's book Unscript: The Radical Act of Being Yourself.

O'Connell said he had the idea two weeks ago, after Stuart left him a voice note about the book. "Stuart had read my book Unscript and was so inspired by it, he left me a voice note," he said. Stuart told him he wanted a new challenge as he was "falling back in love with my voice again". O'Connell's answer was that "the biggest form of public speaking is stand-up comedy".

Seven weeks of mentoring

Stand Up AUSTRALIA is meant to celebrate courage, authenticity and the power of saying "yes" to something that frightens you. Stuart and five other listeners from across Australia will take part. Each will be invited to step completely outside their comfort zone and attempt something they have never done before.

Over the next seven weeks, O'Connell will personally mentor every participant. He will help them find their stories, write material, work through nerves and discover a voice they may not have known they had.

Listeners can follow each step on air, online and on social media, up to the night itself.

The audience on the night will be made up of listeners to the show. "The number one rule is there's no heckling," O'Connell said. "Everyone is on your side."

The Christian O'Connell Show airs from 6am to 10am on weekdays on GOLD101.7 in Sydney. It runs from 6am to 9am on GOLD104.3 in Melbourne and on GOLD DAB+ in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. It is also available through the free iHeart app.

Source: Radioinfo