Full Of Laughter And Fresh Talent, The Comedy Mixtape Hits Play On Auckland And Wellington

The Comedy Mixtape is back for the ultimate showcase of blazing-hot comedic talent as part of the NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo, and this time Pōneke gets in on the action too. Snag tickets now for a night of fresh talent that’ll have you laughing out loud, in Tāmaki Makaurau on 19 April at Te Pou Theatre, and in Te Whanganui-a-Tara on 21 May at Te Auaha, Tapere Nui.

Auckland’s night of comedy out West will be MC’d by rising comedy superstar Courtney Dawson. After kicking off her comedy career and winning 2019’s Raw Comedy Quest and Best Newcomer, she’s gone on to star in Have You Been Paying Attention? NZ, Paddy Gower Has Issues, and battled it out in the final three in Celebrity Treasure Island.

Joining Courtney is 2017’s Billy T Award winner Angella Dravid, best known from Taskmaster NZ and 7 Days. Janaye Henry has been making waves in the comedy scene since 2017, most notably as a 2023 Billy T nominee and for Basement Theatre’s Christmas show Jingle Bellethon Telethon. Part of Frickin Dangerous Bro, and nominated for the Fred Award for Best NZ show last year, he’s also released a podcast and series’ with TVNZ and Whakaata Māori, Jamaine Ross is hitting The Comedy Mixtape stage.

In addition, Auckland is also treated to 2019’s Wellington Raw Comedy Quest and Best Newcomer (Wellington Comedy Awards) winner Opeti Vaka, and engineer, The Bachelorette NZ contestant, 7 Days writer and stand-up comedian Itay Dom. Sharing more than just a last name, Courtney’s dad Heta Dawson rounds out the Tāmaki line-up. 2019 Raw Comedy Quest finalist, Heta shares his unique blend of South Auckland style and Māori perspective.

For the first time Wellington will also be treated to The Comedy Mixtape, curated and hosted by Naenae’s favourite raconteur, Jerome Chandrahasen. As seen on Wellington Paranormal, Jerome has been performing around Aotearoa for more than 20 years. In 2005 he won Best Newcomer and in 2005 was nominated for the Billy T Award, and is starring in this year’s Best Foods Comedy Gala.

2016 Billy T Award winner David Correos is back with his unique brand of hectic, boundary pushing style which has seen him make Aotearoa laugh on 7 Days and Taskmaster NZ.

Joining the line-up from the UK is comedian, actor and writer Aurie Styla. Winner of Spirit of the Fringe Award at Edinburgh Fringe, Aurie has been seen on the likes of Jonathan Ross and Comedy Central Live. Hailing from Ethiopia via New Zealand and now based in Australia, multi-award winning comic Samuel Gebreselassie is a quickly rising star.

2020 Cartel Comedy’s Best Female Comedian Sowmya Hiremath is set to be cracking us up with her own funny stories about family, dating, race, and life in NZ in general. Rounding out the Wellington line-up is NZ Comedy School graduate Chen Wang, with tales of her journey from China to Aotearoa, and plenty of laughs along the way.

The 2024 NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo runs from 3 – 26 May. The full programme is available now at: www.comedyfestival.co.nz

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