Damian Callinan is an acclaimed comedian, actor & writer. A three-time nominee for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy
Festival, TV & film audiences may recognise him for his roles in Skithouse, Spicks & Specks, The Newsreader, Rosehaven, The Emu War, Backyard Ashes & The Merger, the beloved film adaption of his award-winning solo show of the same name. The dual AACTA nominated film about a rural, Australian Rules football club who recruit refugees to make up the numbers, was awarded Best Film & Screenplay at the Ozflix Independent Film Awards and is now enjoying an acclaimed second life on Netflix. Callinan’s prolific output of theatrical live shows including The Lost WW1 Diary, Swing Man, Mayor for a Day & The Wine Bluffs, has seen him forge a reputation as ‘one of the best character comedians in the country’ (Herald Sun) His new solo show, Double Feature, based on his mother’s 1946 diary, is touring in 2023/24 and recently took out a Weekly Comedy Award at Perth Fringeworld. Callinan’s cult Bodgy Creek Community Podcast also recently received the Silver Medal at the Australian Podcast Awards. A former primary school teacher, Damian completed his Grad Dip in Performing Arts to become a drama teacher and, in the process accidentally became a full-time performer. Since that time, Damian has clocked up hundreds of flying hours performing to students, staff, faculties and was an ambassador for the Premier’s Reading Challenge for 8 years. Antagonised by friend Andy Griffiths, who chided him for not having any books to sign at PRC events, Damian eventually got his act together and his debut children’s fiction book, Weird School, was published by Penguin Random. The book of short stories based at Wally Park Primary School, has received rave reviews and was recently shortlisted for the State Library of NSW Russell Prize – Humour Writing for Young People. Damian’s combined skills as an award-winning comedian, comedian and writer make him a triple threat certainty to enliven any school event. But be warned, he will brazenly co-opt the best coffee mug in the staff room at little lunch.
