Aotearoa, Prepare To Laugh: Over 140 Shows Announced For The Giant 2020 NZ Comedy Fest
The season of
side-splitting is almost here – get ready for the 28th
iteration of the NZ International Comedy
Festival with Best Foods Mayo!
With a huge 25 days of snorts, chuckles, and
giggles from April 30 – May 24, the full programme for the
2020 Comedy Fest has landed and goes on sale at midday on
Thursday 27 February. With Paul Sinha, Josie
Long, and Felicity Ward leading
the charge with shows in Auckland and Wellington, the Fest
are delighted to welcome a host of comedic superstars from
around the globe in 2020. Hitting both cities this Fest is
returning Finnish delight Ismo Leikola,
along with some unique new acts on the comedy scene,
including Japanese comedy export Takashi
Wakasugi, science-comedy fusion act and beekeeper
Alanta Colley, and Australia’s rowdy
Pub Choir (where the audience gets to
sing!). Plus Heath Franklin’s Chopper can
be seen in 15 centres on his massive New Zealand tour
kicking off this May! They join a sumptuous feast of
international wunderkinds who make their way to Tāmaki
Makaurau for the 2020 programme, including Saturday Night
Live and 30 Rock sensation Tracy Morgan,
USA’s Josh Wolf; Brits
Ben Elton, Dane Baptiste, Jamali Maddix, Laura Lexx,
Tom Deacon, and David Baddiel, who
has recently been seen in TVNZ’s Taskmaster; and a stellar
bunch of talented comics from across the ditch, including
Becky Lucas, Cassie Workman, Gen Fricker, Matt
Okine, Fiona O’Loughlin, Aaron Chen and
Sam Campbell, alongside the NZ debut of four-piece
Aboriginal Comedy Allstars who bring their
exceptional indigenous comedy to our shores.
Local
heroes are also set to shine in Auckland and Wellington this
Comedy Fest, with homegrown comedy on a meteoric rise. 2019
Festival Director’s Award winner Eli
Matthewson, 2019 Billy T nominee Donna
Brookbanks, Frickin Dangerous Bro’s
Jamaine Ross, the mastermind behind
Aunty Johanna Cosgrove, 2018 Billy T
nominee Li’i Alaimoana, and local
legend Ben Hurley are all back with
brand-new hours, along with the globe-trotting surreal
circus act Laser Kiwi who come home to
debut their new show. They join the masterful Tape
Face who is also returning to Aotearoa after wowing
audiences the world over, and sell-out
Festival faves Two Hearts (Laura Daniel
& Joseph Moore) and The Fan Brigade,
who all perform their full hour shows in both cities after
what we’re sure will be star spots on the Best Foods
Comedy Gala line-up! The Best Foods
Comedy Gala is just one of eight annual
delights from the NZ Comedy Trust, with proceeds all helping
the not-for-profit charity continue to grow the booming
comedy industry in Aotearoa. Returning bigger and better for
2020, these special shows have been produced by the Trust to
ensure there’s truly something for everyone in this
year’s programme: the Basement Theatre Preview
Show whets the comedic whistle with a tease of
their programme before the Fest officially
launches; Stand Up For Kids offers a
chance for our smallest comedy fans to giggle in a show
tailored to 4-8 year olds; the next generation of comedy
legends get their turn at the mic in the Class
Comedians Showcase; treat mum on Mother’s Day
with the story-telling show
Dialogue, this year hosted by 2019
Billy T Award winner Kura Forrester for a
bit of comedy done different; directly before the
Best Comedy Show on Earth which
promises another huge line-up; Wellingtonians get their own
curated line-up of Festival excellence with the blockbuster
Late Laughs; and the Festival closes
with a bang as the 2020 Fred and Billy T awards are handed
out after live performances at Electric Kiwi Last
Laughs, hosted by Michele
A’Court! Plus the Best Foods Comedy Gala
kicks everything off in true style, hosted by the
incredible Felicity Ward. If April
seems too far away to sink your teeth into some comedic
treats, the Electric Kiwi Billy T Jams on Friday 28
February offers the first chance to preview some world-class
talent on offer in the 2020 Comedy Fest programme.
Recognising and supporting NZ comedians with outstanding
potential and commitment to their comedy career, five
up-and-coming comics are in the running for the Billy T
Award this year: Brynley Stent, James Mustapic, Josh
Davies, Lana Walters, and Ray
O’Leary. Previous winners have been Taika Waititi
and Jamaine Clement (as The Humourbeasts) and Rose Matafeo
– so you know these folks are going places! The nominees
all perform in the showcase hosted by Kura
Forrester with a guest appearance from Tom
Sainsbury, before taking their solo shows to
Auckland and Wellington during the Fest, and wrapping up
with a final performance at the Electric Kiwi Last
Laughs. The full 2020 NZ
International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo
programme goes live and on-sale through comedyfestival.co.nz
at midday Thursday 27
February.
2020 NZ
International Comedy Festival with Best Foods
Mayo
April 30 – May 24
Auckland and
Wellington, various venues
Full programme live and
on-sale from midday, Thursday 27 February at comedyfestival.co.nz