Comedy Gladiators: Laugh to the Death

sj — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:14:18 +0000

Comedy Gladiators – Laugh to the death!

Thursday Night Comedy at The Drake
2 September – 30 September 8pm

Adults $22 (no booking fees!)
Tickets available from www.eventfinder.co.nz

After the hot and sexy success of ‘Sex, Lies & Improvise’, Auckland’s premier entertainment company ConArtists present their 2010 season of ‘Comedy Gladiators’ at The Drake as part of their Thursday Night Comedy season.

This time ConArtists travel back in time…back to a more manly age…before cell phones, OSH, metrosexuality…back to the basics, mono on mono…back to the essence of raw sweaty entertainment…back to Roman times…to a time ruled by the gladiatorial struggle for life and death in the mighty Colosseum!

What could be more primal, more exciting, more thunderously entertaining than Comedy Gladiators!

See these well trained warrior actors battle one another fearlessly in a ‘laugh to the death’ tournament of improvised hilarity.

Watch as the mighty Caesar toys with the gladiators rewarding or punishing those he sees fit.

Will it be thumbs up or thumbs down?

Who will succeed as they battle it out to be the awarded the prize of supreme champion?

Only one comedy gladiator can be awarded their freedom!

As the audience your input will determine the fierceness of the fight, as you jeer or cheer the racy rip-roaring rollicking rollercoaster of improvised fisty-cuffs before you in this colossal clash of the titans.

Don’t miss out, book your tickets now!

ConArtists has new faces alongside the quick witted and wicked senior members of one of the longest and most experienced group of entertainers in New Zealand.

Cast includes: Scott Sinclair, Penny Ashton, Geoffrey Dolan, Lori Dungey, Aaron Ward, Allan Roberts, Lindsay Brown, Moody Hikmet, Nigel Burrows, Robert Mignault, Simon Cameron, TM Bishop, Chris Neels, Eli Mathewson, Clare Kelso…plus five brand newly graduated actors to the ConArtists company!

No Laughing Matter – Clare Kelso

administrator — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:43:15 +0000

I’ve always been naughty. While I have adopted NZ fully as my country there is one only real left over I have from my Pommie beginning and that is my sense of humour. It’s a bit smutty. It works for me. I walk on stage looking like a granny and somehow it makes it funnier that I specialise in innuendo. It’s a cheeky and hopefully not creepy sense of humour. I’ve always been a bit blue. I had parents who both had a fine wit in that department. For that reason I love the breadth of the comedy we do at ConArtists. It runs from playfully clean to borderline offensive but walks that line and, I think, works because it’s usually clever. Audiences appreciate that when you’re an improvisor you’re the writer, director and actor all rolled into one. And, rolled into one on a second by second count. So, having acknowledged I’m naughty how come the recent fuss about the portrayal of older women as predatory “Cougars” got my goat? Well if you missed it here’s a letter I wrote and was read, in full, on the National Radio:

RE: Air New Zealand’s “Cougar” Ad

“I am so tired with people saying “it’s just a joke”. I worked for Rape Crisis for 7 years. My work there confirmed NOTHING is funny about anything which demeans anyone for sexual behaviour (older women enjoying their sexuality). Nor is it funny to show predatory sexual behaviour of either sex. That ad does show sexual abuse. Not funny, let me assure you. How would we feel if it was a murder parody? Kill for a seat perhaps?

We have so many indications that women especially, but guys too, are being reduced to only their sexuality (watched any music vids recently – Justin Timberlake, et al?) and being dumped or made fun of when older (Judy Bailey). Aren’t men incredibly fed up too with being shown as a pack of wimps (also see “Whipped” ice block ad)? And how lazy are copy writers getting?

And now older women are 35 plus and desperate, reduced to using physical force and payments to get a sexual partner?! Yes, let’s see more guys dumping their wives of many years for younger women – happening more and more. Women as playthings (Tiger Woods) and women using their sexuality to get fleeting fame and money (women who slept with Tiger Woods).

Younger people are having joyless sex without thought as a tool to keep a partner or because it’s expected. All of the above is indicative of a society not teaching respect and value for individuals. If you have ANY doubt that there is an continuum of abuse from seemingly “fun” ads like this to soft porn to hard core violence watch “This Is Not a Love Story” an old but pertinent, Canadian documentary.”
We are naughty, we make sexual references but, in the heat of the moment, if any actor goes over the mark, then you – the audience – can remind them. Our audiences are supportive, playful and over all don’t give us a hard time. Improv brings out the best in audiences but they will wail at any comment that tips too far. Fair enough too. Our stand-up comedy artists in Auckland has certainly become interesting, doubly funny and so watchable since dumping most old, misogynistic material and replacing it with quick witted, intelligent observational comedy.
ConArtists has lots of fine, very funny actors who have signed up for a risky profession but we all have to be on the look out that we are treating every person with the same playful humour and that our innuendos are never a laugh too far.

Clare Kelso
Creative Director, ConArtists

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Comedy Gladiators: Laugh to the Death

No Laughing Matter – Clare Kelso