Comedians Go Head To Head In The Great Comedy Debate… Is It Time To Turn Off The Internet?!

The New Zealand Comedy Trust & PKF Withers Tsang Chartered Accountants Present
THE GREAT COMEDY DEBATE
Moderated by Josh Thomson

Some of Aotearoa’s funniest comedians and television personalities are set to battle it out IRL at this year’s The Great Comedy Debate, a night of lively debate over one mighty topic – the Internet. This year, the New Zealand Comedy Trust are honoured to present the show in a new partnership with chartered accountants and longtime Kiwi comedy supporters PKF Withers Tsang Chartered Accountants during the 30th annual NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo. Six comedians will put it all on the line at SkyCity Theatre on Friday 19 May at 7.30pm.

The Great Comedy Debate has been a hit over the past two years, and taking on the very serious and very important role of Moderator is one of last year’s competitors, the hilarious and much-loved Josh Thomson. A previous Taskmaster NZ winner, a regular on The Project, 7 Days and Have You Been Paying Attention?, and star of the likes of Young Rock, Wellington Paranormal and The New Legend of Monkey, Josh will wrangle the two teams as they wrestle the moot.

Audiences should come prepared for good points and dirty tactics, hot takes and wild yarns, a fight to the debatable death over this year’s moot: Is it Time to Turn Off the Internet?

Armed with only their comedic genius, impeccable wit, and intellectual nous, two teams of comedians will battle it out in The Great Comedy Debate of 2023. On the Affirmative team is host of The Project and RNZ’s Afternoons Jesse Mulligan, star of Creamerie and Celebrity Treasure Island Perlina Lau and regular on 7 Days and 2022 host of Lego Masters NZ, Dai Henwood. On the Opposing team is one of Aotearoa’s best award-winning comedians and MCs Michele A’Court, host of Whakaata Māori’s Rags are Riches and 2019 Raw Comedy Quest winner Courtney Dawson and 2021 Fred Award winner and Dancing With The Stars contestant Eli Matthewson.

It’s fast, factual (?) and funny as – with the audience deciding who’ll take the win on the night!

This show is supported by PKF Withers Tsang Chartered Accountants, a vibrant, innovative, forward-focussed team, backed by an international collaborative network of resources, who have supported the NZ International Comedy Festival and the NZ Comedy Trust for over 20 years. Their focus on providing a Foundation For Growth for their clients is exactly what they have done in their support working with the Festival to develop a thriving comedy industry in Aotearoa and championing the artists and practitioners the NZ Comedy Trust works with across the globe.

The Great Comedy Debate will be filmed for Discovery’s THREE month of comedy, giving all of Aotearoa the chance to have their two cents.

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