Docklands resident Todd Pierce brings solo show to Comedy Festival

Docklands resident Todd Pierce will swap software code for punchlines later this month when he takes the stage at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with his solo show Born Annoying.

By day, Pierce works as a software engineer. By night, he has been building a reputation in Melbourne’s comedy scene as a writer and performer, recently taking his work from fringe venues to one of the city’s biggest comedy stages.

Born Annoying follows a successful run at the 2025 Melbourne Fringe and is described as a minimalist solo sketch monologue show that blends clever wordplay with irreverent humour.

The show explores a range of offbeat characters and scenarios, with Pierce presenting a series of “toxic characters” at the moment of their undoing. The result, according to early audiences, is a mix of sharp observations, dark humour and unexpected poignancy.

“Annoyingly clever,” one audience member wrote, while another described the show as “a veritable grab bag of comedic and dark creations.”

Pierce honed his performance skills through Melbourne’s improv scene, performing regularly with The Improv Conspiracy and contributing to the monthly sketch show CHURN. He has also created and produced improv shows including The Deconstruction and The Seance, which sold out during Melbourne’s Defrost Festival and Summer Series events.

Alongside comedy, Pierce has another unusual claim to fame: he is an avid trivia enthusiast and has appeared on several Australian television quiz shows, including The Chase, Million Dollar Minute, Mastermind and Millionaire Hot Seat.

That love of obscure knowledge often finds its way into his comedy, with the show weaving in strange facts and unexpected tangents alongside the jokes.

Pierce’s Comedy Festival run will be brief, with just four performances scheduled at Storyville Melbourne across two weekends.

The shows will take place on March 28 and 29, and April 4 and 5, with performances beginning at 2pm.

For Pierce, performing at the festival represents an exciting milestone for a comedian who has been quietly developing his craft while balancing a career in tech.

And for Docklands and inner-city residents, it offers the chance to support a local performer bringing his unique brand of humour to one of Melbourne’s biggest cultural events.

Tickets for Born Annoying are available through the Melbourne International Comedy Festival website.