One is a CSIRO scientist noted for her work with fruit bats. The other is a former Filipino TV celebrity, now employed at QUT. Together, they’re creating comedy gold.
Himali Ratnayake and Janette McBride are the Asian Aunties, a burgeoning Brisbane improv duo whose chemistry was so palpable during their first on-stage appearance in 2025, audiences were urging them to team up.
“We were a Big Fork Theatre Cage Match team, which means the audience votes for who they want to come back the next week, and we won 12 weeks in a row,” McBride says.
“We just became the aunties. We felt the chemistry, and the audience also felt it,” Ratnayake recalls.
The Asian Aunties both celebrate and eviscerate the figure of the “older female mentor” prominent in many Asian cultures.
In their shows, Aunty Maria from the Philippines (McBride) and Aunty Rani from Sri Lanka (Ratnayake) ask the audience to write their problems on scraps of paper that go into a rice cooker to be plucked out at random.
“We then give advice as the aunties,” McBride says.
“It’s not always good advice,” Ratnayake adds, noting the characters are drawn from life.
“When I go to Sri Lanka, aunties will ask me those annoying questions. There’s generally love at the core, but it does come across as very direct, and toxic.”
McBride’s character is based on her mother, who immigrated to Queensland in 1981. “She was a very sassy, funny lady and brutally honest.
“This is therapeutic for us,” she laughs.
Ratnayake got her PhD at the University of Melbourne and is noted for developing the Flying Fox Heat Stress Forecaster as part of her CSIRO research into biosecurity. She discovered improv at a point in her life when she needed a change and was “saying yes to everything”.
McBride left Brisbane as a teenager seeking fame in the Philippines. She was swiftly cast in films, TV productions including Tabing-Ilog (a Filipino answer to teen drama Dawson’s Creek), and was co-host of a talk show, Talk TV, that was cancelled after a year.
Back in Brisbane, she has produced the BrisAsia Comedy Gala for the last five years at Big Fork Theatre in the Valley.
The show is transferring to the larger stage at the Brisbane Powerhouse for the first time on Saturday, February 14, with a line-up of local and interstate acts. Michael Hing (The Project) is hosting, and stand-ups include Urvi Majumdar, He Huang, Ting Lim, Jo Gowda and Ashwin Segkar.
Run by the Brisbane City Council, BrisAsia (February 13-22) marks Lunar New Year across town with food, music, art and performances.
McBride says Brisbane is a more welcoming and diverse city now than when she was growing up.
“There weren’t too many mixed-race kids at that time, and so me and my brother were bullied, and asked if we were Chinese or Japanese – there could just be two.
“Now it is more multicultural, and we embrace who we are.”
BrisAsia Festival 2026: 10 more highlights
Southside by Night
Car culture fans bring their hot rods to this mix of hip hop and street food. Unidus Community Centre, Willawong, Friday, February 13, 5-9pm.
BrisAsia Sk8 Zone
Asian-Australian skateboarders showcase kickflips and tricks, and hold a workshop for rising skaters. Bracken Ridge Skate Plaza, Fitzgibbon, Saturday, February 14, 9am-12pm.
ON:STAGE K-pop Showcase
Talented dance crews present original choreography and creative stage concepts showcasing the growing influence of Korean pop culture across Australia. Thomas Dixon Centre, West End, Saturday, February 14, 4pm & 6.30pm.
Vietnamese Lunar New Year Festival
The festival features Vietnamese cuisine, lion dances, fireworks, a traditional costume parade, martial arts, calligraphy, folk games and children’s rides. C.J. Greenfield Complex Park, Richlands, Saturday, February 14 5.30-9.30pm.
Hyoshi in Counterpoint
A free all-ages concert by this South Australia all-female Asian fusion band. Queensland Multicultural Centre, Kangaroo Point, Saturday, February 14, 7.30-9pm.
Lunar New Year in the Gardens
A kaleidoscope of traditional music, dance and theatre from across Asia presented by Kelly Higgins Devine and Ashwin Segkar. Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha, Sunday, February 15, 4-6pm.
Lunar Soul Party
This party on the Kite Terrace has performances from Neo Soul DJ Saie, hip-hop artist Chong Ali, and Chinese opera singer Zi Wang, as well as food and drinks. Thomas Dixon Centre, West End, Tuesday, February 17, 6-10pm.
Lunar New Year
Watch the lion and dragon dances in the mall, and ring in the Year of the Horse. Chinatown Mall, Fortitude Valley, Saturday, February 21, 2-9pm.
Discover Improv Comedy Workshop
Janette McBride leads you through the fun of unscripted acting in this introduction to improv comedy workshop. Big Fork Theatre, Fortitude Valley, Sunday, February 22, 1.30-4.30pm.
Sunnybank Lunar New Year Rooftop Party
Brisbane’s biggest Lunar New Year fireworks display happens alongside lion and dragon dance performances and activities for the kids. Sunnybank Plaza, Saturday, February 28, 5-8.30pm.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
