Every comedian has at least one horror story. We asked some our favourite funny people for their festival nightmares, and we got back stories ranging from lost luggage to accidental hypnotisation. I just arrived in Melbourne to find out my venue is double booked and now I have to do my show at another time … Read more
Melbourne Comedy Festival: lots of shows, lots of cool people, fewer audiences. Auckland comedian Donna Brookbanks shares the second installment of her Melbourne festival diary. Read Donna’s first diary entry here. Dear Diary, Today I woke up. Last night, Alice [Snedden] and I did our show to eight people! That’s 58 spare seats! I had … Read more
Comedians Hamish Parkinson and Ryan Richards have formed a new act for this year’s comedy festival. Spinoff Comedy co-editor Natasha Hoyland has a chat with the Fuq Boiz over Facebook Messenger. Hamish Parkinson: Oh, we’ve already lost Ryan. Maybe something awful has happened to him. Is he still alive? We better call the cops and … Read more
Australian troupe Aunty Donna have been taking the internet world by storm with their insanely hilarious sketch comedy. Natasha Hoyland talks to member Broden Kelly about how Aunty Donna came to be and their plans for their upcoming New Zealand shows. I’m so excited to talk to you because I really love Aunty Donna. … Read more
Sometimes you don’t know what to do when you go to comedy shows. Is it okay to heckle? What do you do when you get thirsty? What if I hate it? Luckily for you, our comedy co-editors have got the answers to these hypothetical questions. What if I arrive late? Be a better person. Really? … Read more
James Roque has been causing a stir recently with the title of his upcoming comedy festival show James Roque Wants To Show You Something. But what exactly is that ‘something’? Kia ora, James Roque here, you’re favourite grammatically inconsistent New Zealand comedian. It’s two weeks out from the NZ International Comedy Festival and I’ve had a … Read more
You’d be surprised how much being a successful comedian comes down to admin. Spinoff Comedy co-editor Sam Brooks sat down with Wellington’s Jerome Chandrahasen to chat about the intricacies of running comedy shows and why people love trivia. Sam Brooks: So, the most basic question: how did you get into comedy? Jerome Chandrahasen: I started back at … Read more
Some of New Zealand’s top comedians share the most offensive, obnoxious and flat-out sexist comments they’ve received over the course of their careers. “I don’t want to be kissed by you, you stubbly, smelly, fuckwit with a beard in an unhappy marriage, go kiss Ben Hurley” was Justine Smith’s response to a guy who ran … Read more
Spinoff Comedy editors Sam Brooks and Natasha Hoyland have a pretty good handle on the local comedy scene but were stumped by a few unfamiliar faces in the comedy festival programme. So they did some self-directed research and ended up finding a handful of new favourites. Sam’s I-Watched-The-Helpful-Comedy-Festival-YouTube-Links List Rhys Nicholson Rhys Nicholson is a … Read more
Dead Dads Club is not a title you’d expect for a Comedy Festival show, but then Sarah Harpur specialises in unexpected comedy. Sam Brooks talks with her about black comedy, the hilarity of grief and the repressed Western approach to death. Content warning: this interview discusses suicide and the experience of grief. Sam Brooks: So why … Read more
Melbourne: better public transport than Auckland, better laneways, better bars. But here’s one thing the two cities do have in common: a comedy festival. We enlisted Auckland comedian Donna Brookbanks to report back on her Melbourne festival experience. Dear Diary, Today I woke up. It’s so much fun sleeping in a single bed again! Sometimes … Read more
Spinoff Comedy co-editor Sam Brooks had never done stand-up before last night. This is his story of how he told jokes on stage at the Classic’s Raw Comedy night – and lived to tell the tale. To say I’ve always wanted to do stand-up would be a flat-out lie. I’ve never wanted to do stand-up. … Read more
Comedy co-editor Natasha Hoyland talks to Andi Crown about how she creates some of the most loved marketing images of the festival. You may have flicked through the Comedy Festival programme and spotted an array of beautiful faces and stunning imagery. You may have even spotted some posters starting to pop up around town and … Read more
Is Cosmic Shambles a ‘mind-blowing night of laughter, discoveries, mystery guests, and live tunes’, as the publicity has it – or something even weirder? British comedy star Josie Long tells Sam Brooks what New Zealand audiences should expect. Sam Brooks: So, hi! I guess the most obvious question to start with is what book are … Read more
Can’t wait until the festival starts to get your comedy fix? There’s plenty of live comedy and exciting events on in the lead up to the festival. Spinoff Comedy co-editor Natasha Hoyland picks the cream of the crop. At The Classic: The Classic is Auckland’s non-official home of comedy and produces weekly line ups of … Read more
The politicking and partisanship around how to solve society’s problems can start to look a bit like a comedy show at times. The Green Effect Comedy Show flips this on its head and lets comedians apply their unique approach to finding solutions for the world’s ills. Kirstie MacDiarmid threw a few questions at Brendon Green, creator … Read more
Sam Brooks sat down with NZ-based American-Cambodian comedian Molly Sokhom to talk about travelling to Cambodia, her experiences with local audiences, and her new show Sokhom Syndrome. Sam Brooks: So, straight up: Other than the A+ play on words, why the name Sokhom Syndrome for your show? Molly Sokhom: Sokhom Syndrome was always funny to me because I’ve … Read more
Ever wanted to try out comedy? Ever wanted to be scared off doing comedy forever? We asked a few comedians for their tips on doing stand-up comedy for the first time. “Don’t bother trying hard, because you will just get your period in the finals and lose to someone from Wellington.” – Billy T winner Rose … Read more
The internet has been buzzing over the fact that a guy made a toad some hats. Natasha Hoyland needed to know more. More than more, she needed to know why. So she tracked him down in Alabama and asked. You may have seen some images circulating around the net lately. Specifically, some images of a toad wearing … Read more
Over three nights from Friday 31 March, Auckland’s Classic Comedy Bar will host an exceptional line up of comedians donating their time and talent to raise money for three worthy causes. Sam Brooks sat down with organiser and MC Ben Hurley to talk about it. Ben Hurley (7 Days) has gathered a posse of like-minded … Read more
For what felt like a clean decade Strassman was the most popular comic in New Zealand, despite being very, very bad. How? Why? And all other relevant questions answered by Sam Brooks. His most popular puppet is called Ted E Bare. In our editorial meeting a few weeks ago, I brought up casually, as a … Read more
Noted funny man Nic Sampson (Jono and Ben, Funny Girls) writes us a short story about a dad, his time-travelling son and the dangers of learning about maths. Paul was just getting started on the dishes when he heard his son say the one thing every dad waits his whole life to hear… “Hey Dad I … Read more
Tour producer (and Spinoff Comedy co-editor) Natasha Hoyland joins Guy Williams on his mini tour of New Zealand in the lead up to his Comedy Fest show Why Am I Like This?. Organising Guy’s North Island-plus-Nelson tour hasn’t been easy. It was fun to start with, but quickly got hellish. Anyone who knows me knows … Read more
Natasha Hoyland sat down with Brynley Stent (Funny Girls, Snort Comedy) over some delicious pie at Federal Deli to discuss Gloriavale, cults, and Stent’s new NZ International Comedy Festival show. Natasha Hoyland: Can you tell us a bit about your comedy festival show? Brynley Stent: It’s called Escape From Gloriavale and it’s about a young girl … Read more
In the first of our new series, Comedians in Conversation, Alice Snedden and Justine Smith discuss the shift in comedy over the years, their worst performances and their mutual dislike for late nights. Alice Snedden: So you were saying you were one of four women when you started on the New Zealand comedy scene? Justine Smith: Pretty much. … Read more
When Sam Brooks put out a list of his five best comedy specials ever many of you weren’t happy with his choices. Here he responds to the criticism. Comedy fans get angry when you question the established canon. Let me rephrase, and widen that: Fans of any artform get angry when you question their established canon. … Read more
Ashton Brown talks telephone terrors, mental health, and why anxiety doesn’t necessarily hinder his performance in a phone-avoiding messenger chat with Natasha Hoyland. Natasha Hoyland: The first thing I wanted to ask you about is phone calls, because I hate them with a passion. Ashton Brown: Holy crap, I got three missed calls from a … Read more
We asked Twitter culinary genius David Parker to create some delicious drinks inspired by shows in the upcoming NZ International Comedy Festival. I made these drinks partly because someone left a bottle of rosé at my house and partly because I can’t resist a good pun. I rarely drink cocktails and almost never make them, but I … Read more
You’ve heard our comedy co-editors picks, and no doubt you’ll be hearing what your favourite Bachelor runner-up’s comedy festival picks are in the coming months. But what about the normal people? What do they want to see? We know what it’s like. You see that 50 page Comedy Fest brochure while you’re waiting for your coffee, … Read more