‘Chasing the Lollyman’ – Children sewing bags of lollies to a man in a potato sack; then chasing after him. What may seem like a bizarre activity to most was something that bought communities together in the hometown of stand-up comedian Mark Sheppard.
‘Families used to get together at the local sports field with the kids you’d say “on your mark get set go” and Lollyman would take off. It involved lots of food and aunties and uncles and grannies and cousins and not only family but the idea of coming together for something fun.’
Sheppard has encapsulated this tradition into a one man stand-up comedy act, featuring a clown like Lollyman, traditional and contemporary dance and sketches.
As an aboriginal performer, Sheppard is using the Lollyman to break stereotypes – ‘It has been about challenging that norm of what to expect to see particularly in theatre with indigenous content’.
With much of the comedy built off the notion of a ‘backyard yarn’, Sheppard hopes his satirical spin on community will bring people together –
‘What the lolly man did back then was force communities together and what it’s doing now is hopefully creating an Australian community; bringing us all together on the same page, ready to work together’.
Chasing the Lollyman is on at The Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
Nadine Walker
