Rock and rolling into Mama Does Derby

Virgina Gay and Clare Watson discuss the comic horror of adolescence and a mother who redefines herself through roller derby.
A woman in a bright roller derby uniform and protective gear, including pads and helmets, skates out of a cloud of theatrical smoke. Mama Does Derby

Given her enviable gift for comic timing, it’s worth listening when Calamity Jane star Virginia Gay suggests that authenticity is at the heart of making folks laugh.

‘I’m a huge believer in the power of comedy,’ she says. ‘When you hear people talking in comic shorthand, you believe that connection.’

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Stephen A Russell is a Melbourne-based arts writer. His writing regularly appears in Fairfax publications, SBS online, Flicks, Time Out, The Saturday Paper, The Big Issue and Metro magazine. You can hear him on Joy FM.