Simon Hall

As one third of award-winning musical comedy group, Tripod, Simon Hall has been working as a composer, arranger, singer, actor, comedian and writer for over 20years. With Tripod, Simon has performed in concert all over Australia as well as New York, Los Angeles, London, Montreal, and Edinburgh. Awards include Spirit of the Fringe (Edinburgh), a Green Room Award for Best Original Songs and an ARIA for Best Comedy Release. In 2010 Tripod were Artists in Residence at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art for Tripod versus the Dragon. In 2013, Tripod worked as actors and composers for an adaptation of Evgeny Schwartz’s The Dragon at the Malthouse Theatre.

On television, Tripod were core cast members on Skithouse (Network Ten) and The Sideshow (ABC1). Tripod have performed many times on the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala, Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Gala and countless Australian TV programs. Tripod have written songs for Exchange Student Zero and Monster Beach, aired on the Cartoon Network. Their commission for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, an all-original symphonic love letter to gaming entitled This Gaming Life (in collaboration with BAFTA-winning composer Austin Wintory), opened at Hamer Hall to rave reviews, then toured with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Tasmania Symphony Orchestra.

Tripod wrote 6 murder ballads for Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Syndicate which, as part of Wintory’s score, picked up multiple Original Soundtrack of the Year awards. Tripod celebrated their 20th year in 2016, releasing a book 101 Tripod Hits and touring the country to sellout audiences. In 2018 Tripod again teamed up with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to deliver Humour In Music, inspired by the famous Leonard Bernstein TV lectures, conducted by Benjamin Northey. Tripod continue to tour all over Australia. 2023 marks their 25th Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

As an actor, Simon has appeared on television programs Hamish and Andy's True Stories, Working Dog's Utopia and Get Krakkin’. As a solo artist, Simon was nominated as Best Artiste for the Green Room Awards in 2012 for his original work Mandaddy, which was described by the Age as “Very funny...(Hall’s) grouchy catharsis is also ours” Simon toured his Adelaide Cabaret Festival-commissioned Second Wedding Singer in 2017, which, according to InDaily “Features songs that traverse the life cycle of love, marriage, divorce and back again...deliberately uncomfortable at times, but always hilarious.” The tour culminated with performances at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

Simon co-write original songs for Dragon Lady, starring Fiona Choi in 2019 performed at the Adelaide Festival Centre. In 2021-23 Simon wrote interactive songs with Austin Wintory on Stray Gods (Summerfall Studios), a video game musical released in August 2023. Simon wrote Your Flat, My Flat as part of Casey Bennetto’s Musical Fictions, for the Sydney Writers’ Festival in 2022, based on Helen Garner’s diaries, performed by Virgina Gay and Mike McLeish. 2023 sees the release of Simon’s six-episode podcast series: Minuscule Musical. Each episode features a 10-15-minute self-contained story - a musical radio play - written and performed with a guest collaborator. Guests include Sammy J, Gillian Cosgriff and Jude Perl.