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
Welcome back (for the final time!) to Waterdeep Mountain High, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast set in a below average school in the mystical land of Faerun.
Welcome back to Waterdeep Mountain High, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast set in a below average school in the mystical land of Faerun.
Podcast host, comedian and big-brained Brit Andy Zaltzman will be coming to New Zealand later this year for the comedy festival. He spoke to Alex Braae about politics, satire, and the game he can't get enough of.
Rose Matafeo won the Fred Award last night. It's New Zealand's most prestigious comedy award, along with the Billy T Award (which she has also won). Sam Brooks talks to her about her comedy, life overseas, and their shared passion for musical flop Nine.
On the heels of today's Fred nominee announcements, comedian Jonny Potts digs deep into the non-Fred Dagg work of John Clarke, including a book, a podcast and some handy YouTube clips.
Sam Brooks roars into the third week with two of this year's Billy T nominees, an impressive hour from local comedian Louise Beuvink, and a great one from Australian Joel Creasy.
Just as the biggest annual event in NZ comedy was getting underway, Spinoff Comedy co-editor Natasha Hoyland ended up in hospital. But now she's back and raring to go – in time for the festival to enter the home straight.
Uther Dean is a finalist in tonight's Raw Comedy Quest Grand Final at Q Theatre – and he's terrified. He explains why that is, and why there's a big problem with stand-up comedy that nobody talks about.
Comedy co-editor Sam Brooks starts week three of the festival with a three-show ripper. Alice Snedden kills her first hour, Paul Williams makes a name for himself, and Eli Matthewson only gets better.
The fourth instalment of our video series Comedians Answer Our Questions is here! From mushrooms, to murderers, to farms, to iPads, comedians tell us what they hate more than anything else in the world.
Dialogue: Identity, proudly supported by The Spinoff, is a one-off storytelling event at Q Theatre this Friday, May 19. One of the performers, Sam Brooks (who also happens to be our Comedy co-editor), introduces the show here.
Brendon Green's shows have a tendency to make people laugh, but also make them cry. He explains why that is, and why it's actually okay.
For the third episode of our comedy festival podcast actor, writer and comedy expert Chelsea McEwan Millar is joined by comedy editor Sam Brooks and performer Jess Brien.
Sam Brooks reviews the two recipients of the Creative Comedy Project Grant - Laura Daniel and Joseph Moore's Two Hearts and Sarah Harpur's Dead Dad's Club - and dishes out our third Spinoff Comedy Badge of Honour.
Stand-Up For Kids is the only show in the Comedy Festival aimed at one very specific and special audience: children. Sam Brooks talks to performers Tessa Waters and Chris Parker about performing for kids, and why young audiences love comedy.
Duncan Greive watches Joseph Moore and Laura Daniel weave sketch comedy songs and new material into a choreographed, heavily produced pop powerhouse.
