Mandy Nolan Is The Candidate | Trial Show

Ever wonder what it’s like to run for politics, come breathtakingly close..and lose? Mandy Nolan does. And she wants to tell her story.

In her gonzo inspired stand-up show, The Candidate, Mandy Nolan gives the inside story on the agonising decision to run for politics. The impossible struggle to look neat for election photos, the fear of what probity might uncover. The 20 plus years of opinion pieces, the video blogs that could be dug into… and were. Find out how close she came to being publicly humiliated, but how cricket legend Shane Warne saved her arse.

Find out what it’s like to back science in an electorate that's home ground to Pete Evans and tribes of conspiracists. How do you reason with people who post stuff like "I’ve had a funny feeling in my gut. I’ve been informed the meat section in Woolies has been putting tracking devices in their product… anyone know any cleansing diets to get trackers out of my system?"

Find out what it’s like to have your very own stalker who thinks you want to kill him…. and find out what it’s like to live though one of the worst floods in Australia’s history, where Mandy’s campaign manager lost her home, and so many of the community lost everything they had. Suddenly climate change wasn’t abstract anymore. It had arrived. And it wasn’t an accountant or a cop, it was the comedian who was making sense!

The Candidate is about hope. It’s about what it means to be a woman in the male-dominated world of politics. It’s about daring to believe that after years cleaning up, you could be a voice at the table. Inspired by the courage of young women like Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins, Mandy Nolan stepped forward into a world that she found both exhilarating and terrifying. How do you maintain your authenticity and be taken seriously? Should a middle aged woman wear short shorts and thongs on her corflute? Why can nothing be done without a jacket? What is candidate syndrome? How do you answer questions confidently, when you don’t know the answer? And what do you do when you find out your friends drew dick and balls on your election signage?

This is the story of a stand-up comedian and mother of five who steps into the political arena to push for action on climate change and housing. From doorknocking a Jehovah, to not wearing glasses and accidentally posting a dick pic from Byron’s naked bike ride just a week before the election, Mandy Nolan shares an insight into what it's like to run for parliament. She shares unseen bloopers from her documentary that screened on Compass, to the election pics that never made it and the headline that could have ended everything.

Mandy believes "Nothing can prepare you for the insane adrenaline sport of campaigning. Not even three decades as a stand-up comic."

And nothing can prepare you for what it’s like to lose.

At the end of 14 months on the campaign trail, Mandy found herself in Sydney in a COVID ward, and she didn’t have COVID!

How could things have gone this wrong?

It’s all in… The Candidate.

Book now as tickets are very limited!

Please familiarise yourself with SDCC Terms & Conditions of Sale prior to purchasing your tickets by visiting the SDCC T&Cs link listed above.

*Groupon/Scoopon/Cudo/Deals vouchers are not valid for this performance*

Online ticketing will close at 3:00PM on the day of the event. After this time, tickets will be available for purchase on the door unless sold out prior. The Sit Down Comedy Club is licensed - strictly no admittance to people under 18 years of age. Performer line up is correct at time of publication, however is subject to change without prior notification and at the discretion of management. Filming may be occurring in the venue for this performance. Seating allocated by SDCC depending on booking group sizes and chronological order of bookings. PLEASE NOTE: You may be seated at a table with other booking groups.