Hannah Gadsby: Body of Work

From the comic who famously quit standup mid-way through a set, comes her second show since then, Body of Work – a new live act written during the pandemic.

Lockdown has been a productive time for Hannah Gadsby: she’s discovered her preference for Zoom over real-life encounters, and taken up gardening, which she describes as a ‘hobby for people who don’t experience boredom.’ She’s also drafted her memoir Ten Steps to Nanette, due out later this year, and written her much-anticipated new standup show Body of Work.

Little is known about Gadsby’s new standup project but it’s safe to say you can expect the unexpected. Gadsby has a reputation for making shows that don’t fit within the usual definitions of comedy: her show Nanette (2018) combined serious monologue with standup, whilst her follow-up show Douglas (2020) involved slides and an art history lecture.

Gadsby became an international sensation following the success of her Netflix smash-hit Nanette, which earned her an Emmy and a Peabody Award. The ground-breaking show recounted her experiences of homophobia and assault whilst growing up in Tasmania. Since then, her work has included more light-hearted topics such as the dog park and American parlance – although there was usually still an intellectual argument behind even her most throw-away one-liners.