Support Acts puts the mic in the hands of people who usually spend their days doing the emotional heavy lifting for others. Featuring Chris Pucillo, Iain Pringle, and Thabo Tshuma, it’s a comedy show made by support workers, for support workers – and anyone adjacent enough to get it.

As a new, experimental concept, the show feels less like a polished comedy product and more like a shared exhale. These are performers who likely don’t often get the chance to talk openly about their day jobs on stage, and it gives the show a sense of ease and authenticity. The material is grounded in real-life experiences from disability and aged care, finding humour in moments that are rarely given space, let alone laughs.

Not every joke landed for every audience member, and the styles and stories varied, but that variety is part of the appeal. Even without a background in support work, there’s plenty to enjoy – the humour is rooted in recognisable human situations, not just industry in-jokes. If you have worked in care, you’ll recognise a lot of what’s being talked about, in ways that are funny one minute and unexpectedly affecting the next. Importantly, the comedy never punches down, instead using humour as a way to process all the different parts of the job.

There are plans to bring more support workers and comedians into the mix in future Fringe seasons, and with the right crowd, it’s easy to imagine this becoming a regular hit. If you’re curious about the people behind care work, or just want something a little different, it’s well worth your time.