Humour, hip hop and high jinks on Triangle TV

Humour, hip hop and high jinks on Triangle Television

They are funny, musical and very, very cool – they are the Kila Kokonut Krew and they are making their television debut on Triangle Television at 9.30pm on March 27.

The Krew’s 13 members are packing the half-hour weekly show with live performances, hip hop, comedy skits, arts reviews, give-aways and interviews.

Comprising Pacific Island MCs, actors, dancers, musicians based in South Auckland, Kila Kokonut Krew has grown over the past 10 years from its beginnings as a group of four New Zealand Drama School (NZDS) graduates.

Krew spokesman actor/director Vela Manusaute, one of the original members, says the 13 Krew members – aged between 18 and 34 “and all good looking” – will take turns in presenting the 14 weekly episodes.

“New Zealand has not seen anything like it.”

Manusaute is used to breaking new ground. He was one of the first Nuiean-Samoans to study at NZDS, and he has spent the past five years writing original material for ‘The Brownies’, a comedy duo he is one half of.

He was a finalist in the outstanding new playwright category of the 2004 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for his play ‘Taro King’, which was performed in Wellington and Auckland. And now the KKK cast is working towards presenting ‘Playaz Night’ for Auckland’s international comedy festival later this year.

“Kila in Samoan means ‘it’s the bomb’,” says Manusaute.

The Kila Kokonut Krew has written and pre-recorded some aspects of the new show over the past six months.

“We always watch Triangle Television because it’s truly a community channel – and we approached them with our ideas for the programme.

“It’s an opportunity to do what we want to do.”

Triangle Television is Auckland's only regional, non-commercial television station and has operated as a public broadcaster to Greater Auckland since August 1, 1998. The channel screens a mix of regional-access television with international news and information programmes. It is non-profit making and operates with no funding from NZ on Air. Triangle broadcasts 24 hours daily from UHF channel 41 and, in Remuera and surrounding suburbs, from UHF channel 52.

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