GET DISTRACTED BY COMEDY DUO

goof off after class just as a joke, and those goof offs turned into a career.” opportunity for young twenty-somethings to reconnect with the Umbilical Brothers. position in that second, but that’s part of the fun of it!”

Despite having no relation, the Umbilical Brothers – David Collins and Shane Dundas – have been making waves as one of the most iconic duos in comedy. With so many unique shows under their belts, their newest will be taking it back to where it all started, in more ways than one.

The two first met whilst undertaking Theatre Nepean’s three-year acting course at WSU in Penrith, and immediately hit it off.

“Sometimes you meet someone, and you immediately feel you’re on their wavelength, and that was the case with us,” Dundas said.

“We started to make each other laugh, and

Despite being best known for their stage shows, The Umbilical Brothers also appeared in a children’s series called ‘The Upside Down Show’ which aired in 2006.

“We were doing a stage show in New York in 1999, and the people who make ‘Sesame Street’ are based in New York, and they saw the show. They then asked us to make a TV show with them for kids,” he said.

“It was a fantastic working experience, we had more creative control than you could ever imagine on a TV series. We’re in the consciousness of American young adults, and young adults here, because of that era.”

Now, 17 years later, the series is continuing to inspire their new work, creating the perfect

“It’s really special, and we’re getting it a lot, people in that age group coming to our live shows having grown up on the series,” he said.

“It’s a cool new generation of audience, and this stage show is almost like an extension of ‘The Upside Down Show’. It’s like ‘The Upside Down Show’ for adults.”

‘The Distraction’ is a live green screen show with special effects leaving audiences not entirely sure where to look. As entertaining as it is, it’s not as easy as it may appear.

“It’s a real workout, I have to say,” he said.

“We’re just running, we’re running from camera to camera, getting into exactly the right position. If my head turns into just a head floating around, I’ve got to be in the right

Having performed the show on and off for a few years due to the pandemic, Dundas couldn’t be more excited to kick off a new leg of the tour in Penrith.

Describing the show as an “audio visual wormhole”, Dundas said audiences should expect the unexpected – and may even end up in the show themselves.

“You’re in for something you have never seen before. You will not be able to imagine what you’re seeing, and you won’t be able to explain to your friends afterwards what you’ve just seen. But, that’s normal for us,” he said.

‘The Distraction’ will be on at Panthers on Saturday, May 6. For more information or to book, visit penrith.panthers.com.au.