Comedy Gala for Kids

With over a decade of training in hip-hop, breaking, and acrobatics, Brandon van Oosten delivers performances that fuse strength, musicality, and fearless creativity. His foundation in breaking brings dynamic floorwork and intricate transitions, while his acrobatic background adds power, elevation, and athletic control. Brandon’s style is bold, grounded, and expressive — driven by rhythm and fueled by passion. An international competitor, Brandon represents Kookies N Kream, currently ranked 3rd in the world. Performing on global stages, he thrives on pushing physical limits while staying connected to the culture, discipline, and storytelling behind every movement.

Kay is a Wollongong-raised writer and musician with a remarkably agile, engaging, honest, soul-bearing voice and a wry, dry-ice sense of humour. With a live performance style that is much like being invited into her lounge room, her songs are truly stories set to melody, by turns relatable, humorous and heartbreaking. Creating an intimacy between audience and performer through vulnerability, Kay is likely to leave you wondering whether all of her songs are about you. Kay has been working as a professional musician for over 15 years, branching out into the worlds of theatre performance and festival curation.

Rae is a multi-award-winning actor, clown, improviser, theatre-maker and drag king, with a body of work that spans theatre, performance art, stand-up, improvisation, sketch comedy, therapeutic clowning, roaming performance, and large-scale festival works. She trained at the Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York and the École Philippe Gaulier in Paris and Rae is one half of the performance duo raeandwill. Alongside her practice, Rae works as a part-time hospital clown bringing play, joy, and connection to young people and their families.

Susie Youssef is a comedian, actor, writer, and improviser who has created and performed comedy across stage, radio, and television in Australia and around the world for many years — and somehow still has excellent skin.

She spent six years as a regular co-host and correspondent on The Project for Network Ten and co-hosted The Australian of the Year for three. Susie was a core cast member of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia and has held recurring roles in Rosehaven and Squinters on ABC TV, as well as No Activity on Stan. Her many guest appearances include Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, Thank God You’re Here, Have You Been Paying Attention?, Drunk History, Get Krack!n, How Not To Behave, The Chaser’s Media Circus, and The Checkout. She also co-hosted Making It Australia and most recently narrated Airport 24/7 for Network Ten.

2023 was a standout year, with Susie appearing in the award-winning Deadloch, taking the stage at Sydney Opera House for Slide Night!, and filming the first season of The Office Australia.

She honed her comedy chops as a regular at Sydney Comedy Store and Giant Dwarf Theatre, while also performing at Splendour in the Grass, Secret Garden Festival, and Homebake. Internationally, she has appeared at Improvaganza in Edmonton, Dad’s Garage in Atlanta, and Del Close Marathon in New York. She trained at iO Theater in Chicago and ate quite a lot of the burgers. In 2014, she played the lead in the Hayloft Project’s award-winning play The Boat People.

Following a sold-out Sydney Fringe run, Susie debuted solo at the Melbourne and Sydney Comedy Festivals with Sketchual Chocolate, returning with Owl Eyes On You and later making her Edinburgh and London debut with Check Youssef Before You Wreck Youssef. She continued bravely testing her anxiety limits with Behave Youssef the following year.

On stage, Susie debuted with Sydney Theatre Company at the Opera House in an all-female An Accidental Death of an Anarchist, co-created and performed The Smallest Hour with Phil Spencer for Griffin Theatre Company, starred in the Australian premiere of Home, I’m Darling for Melbourne Theatre Company, and appeared in The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race and The Tempest. Later this year, she reprises her role as MP Ruth Mandour in Housework by Emily Steel for Sydney Theatre Company.