This year’s International Comedy Festival was a roaring success, but some comedians have turned the spotlight on audiences. Are they too timid? Do our hecklers suck? Josie Adams sizes things up. When Netflix star James Acaster closed his last show of the Auckland International Comedy Festival, he ended with a confession: “This is only the … Read more
Sam Brooks explains his decision to cut all men out of his comedy festival diet. Yeah, that’s a clickbaity headline. The fact is, this year I saw a fraction of the comedy festival shows I usually see. Last year, when I was the comedy editor here at The Spinoff, I saw 42 and reviewed almost … Read more
The 2018 Billy T Award Nominees were announced today. Sam Brooks goes deep on who they are, and why this slate is so great. Remember comedy? It exists! And outside of the Comedy Festival. What a concept! Last night, applicants for the Billy T Award, the most famous award in New Zealand comedy, did their … Read more
Sam Brooks marks the halfway point of the comedy festival with two slam-dunk shows from Billy T Award winner Guy Montgomery and Snort regular Donna Brookbanks. Guy Montgomery: Let’s All Get In A Room Together It’s hard to sum up why Guy Montgomery is special as a comedian. He mixes the affability of the popular … Read more
Spinoff Comedy co-editor Sam Brooks talks to the Williams siblings about family dynamics , what lead them into comedy, and who’s the funniest (spoiler: it’s dad). The Williams siblings are fast becoming a New Zealand entertainment dynasty. Guy, the eldest, is a Billy T Award winner and a regular on Jono and Ben; Paul, the … 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
Sam Brooks flicks through the programme for this year’s Comedy Fest, powered by Flick Electric Co, and rounds up this year’s incredibly relevant and important festival statistics. Amount of shows on in Auckland: 117 Amount of shows on in Wellington: 68 Amount of shows involving women: 24 (20%) Amount of shows with photos of men … Read more
Natasha Hoyland gets to know the Billy T nominees ahead of their showcase at Q Theatre tonight. To be in the running for the biggest and most prestigious prize in New Zealand comedy, budding comedians are required to pitch their show ideas to a panel of industry judges and perform in an applicants showcase. The … Read more
Spinoff Comedy editors Natasha Hoyland and Sam Brooks flick through the hot-off-the-presses NZ International Comedy Festival programme and give their expert kneejerk opinions on what you should go to this year. Natasha’s top picks: Aunty Donna – Big Boys The infamous Australian sketch group that do weird, insane, things. There’s basically nothing much else to … Read more
Starting today, and running until the close of the NZ International Comedy Festival, The Spinoff’s comedy pop-up section will be your daily guide to the festival and all that leaks out of it. Co-editors Sam Brooks and Natasha Hoyland explain what they think they’re doing here. What is this? We’re Sam Brooks and Natasha Hoyland, … Read more