Host Chelsea McEwan Millar is joined by Spinoff Comedy co-editors Sam Brooks and Natasha Hoyland to talk about the kick-off of the NZ International Comedy Festival. The first episode of our comedy festival podcast sees actor, writer and comedy expert Chelsea McEwan Millar joined around the oval table by Sam and Natasha to talk about … Read more
“As she’s going over, her pants just split right up the middle.” Welcome to the second instalment in our video series Comedians Answer Our Questions, featuring a number of faces in this year’s NZ International Comedy Festival. This time we asked comedians to tell us about the funniest thing they’ve ever seen, from unexpected peeing, … Read more
Sam Brooks caught up with David Ladderman and Lizzie Tollemache, husband and wife creators of circus-magic-sideshow-theatre hybrid Mr. and Mrs Alexander, currently at Wellington’s Circa Theatre as part of the Comedy Festival. How did you get into circus? David Ladderman: So, all those years ago at uni which I went to go to learn to be a … Read more
Sam Brooks’ take on two NZ International Comedy Festival shows that debuted in Auckland over the weekend: Ubiquitous funnyman Guy Williams and Wellington newcomer and 2016 RAW Comedy Quest winner Lucy Roche. Lucy Roche: Dollars and Sex One of the highlights of Last Laughs last year was watching an audience of eight hundred people react to … Read more
Sam Brooks kicks off the Comedy Festival with reviews of four shows: NZ favourite Rose Matafeo, international Daniel Sloss, rapping grandpa John Carr and Wellington circus trio Laser Kiwi. Plus – our first Spinoff Comedy Badge of Honour is awarded. John Carr: Down With The Young Ones “Is he for real?” That’s what I asked … Read more
Natasha Hoyland caught up with Australian comedian and actor Nazeem Hussain backstage at the Flick Electric Co. Comedy Gala to talk about his experiences in comedy, living in the jungle, and talking to strangers. Natasha Hoyland: You were on the latest season of the Australian version of I’m a Celebrity…Get me Out of Here!, … Read more
Spinoff Comedy co-editor Natasha Hoyland shares her highlights from the Flick Electric Co. Comedy Gala, New Zealand’s biggest night in comedy. Boy, oh, boy, last night was incredible! I think, in fact, that it was probably the best comedy gala I’ve ever been to. Although it was three hours long, the programmers balanced the acts … Read more
Alex Casey talks to comedian Ed Gamble about his time impersonating a prince on Almost Royal, and how to catch a catfish. The BBC America series Almost Royal follows the aristocratic sibling duo Georgie and Poppy Carlton – supposed descendants of the royal family – as they travel to the United States to meet the … Read more
Spinoff Comedy co-editor Natasha Hoyland heads to the Basement Preview Show for a first look at the acts performing there over the course of the comedy festival. The Flick Electric Co. Comedy Gala is happening tonight in Auckland, which means it’s officially time for the NZ International Comedy Festival! To celebrate, I went out to … Read more
James Nokise is known for his political comedy and theatre, but his show this year pivots to focus on a subject largely untouched by New Zealand stand-up comedy: sports. Sam Brooks talks to Nokise about the reasons for the change, and what’s so funny about sport. Sam Brooks: So you’re known for doing a lot … Read more
You might know Guy Montgomery from winning the Billy T Award a few years ago, from his smash-hit podcast The Worst Idea of All Time, or from TV3’s Fail Army. Sam Brooks talks to Guy about his career in comedy and what he plans to do in New York. Sam Brooks: Are you ready to be … Read more
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
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
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
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