Like many industries, live entertainment has suffered considerably over recent months with the Covid lockdown situation.
Fortunately, live performances are returning, including live comedy.
Christchurch comedian Joanna Prendergast was disappointed that her New Zealand International Comedy Festival show was
cancelled for 2020. She managed to find a silver lining to the situation by spending lockdown finishing writing her
debut solo show “The Cool Mum”. With Level 1, Joanna is excited to bring “The Cool Mum” to South Island audiences over
the next few months.
“The Cool Mum” is a parody of a celebrity parenting seminar. Joanna’s persona, Jo Ghastly, developed from how she thinks
her teenage children see her: embarrassing, trying to be cool and failing miserably. The show parodies how people
believe all sorts of rubbish, just because it’s delivered by a charismatic celebrity.
In 2018, Joanna placed third in the South Island Raw Comedy Quest, a nationwide quest for new comedy talent. She has
also twice been comedy Roast Battle Champion. She has performed in pro shows at New Zealand’s premier comedy club, The
Classic in Auckland. Joanna won 3 awards at the 2019 Christchurch Comedy carnival.
Joanna started as a stand-up comedian at 48 years old and has found the comedy scene supportive as a middle-aged, female
comedian. She sees her gender and age as advantages as she brings diversity to comedy line-ups and a different voice to
comedy. Joanna’s material is enjoyed by a wide age group as she references content that is very relatable to young
people as well as people her own age. .
Joanna is a psychiatrist and has included some real messages about parenting and its challenges in her solo show. The
material from “The Cool Mum” derives from her own parenting experience with her two teenage children. Joanna’s show is
suitable for audience members a wide range of ages and is particularly enjoyed by teenagers and their parents.
Joanna’s debut of her solo show “The Cool Mum” will be at Little Andromeda Theatre in Oxford Terrace on Friday 3 July.
Little Andromeda is the brainchild of Michael Bell and Holly Chappell- Eason. The fringe theatre is situated upstairs in
Oxford Terrace and has hosted many exciting performances over the last year. Little Andromeda has been fortunate to
receive Creative New Zealand funding to help support artists put on shows during the Covid situation.
The show will take place at Little Andromeda Theatre Level 1/130 Oxford Terrace Christchurch Friday 3 July 7.30-8.30pm.Tickets are $20 - $5 for students and not working. 25% sales to Women’s Refuge.
Tickets at https://littleandromeda.co.nz/
“Fabulous…..A stellar show”- Backstage Christchurch
“A quick and lively improviser” – Theatreview Dunedin Fringe
“I wish you were my mum” – most comedians
“I wish you weren’t my mum” – Joanna’s kids
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