13 Apr 2023
Full line-up announced for 2023 Best Foods Comedy Gala!
The 2023 NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo is only three weeks away, and the New Zealand Comedy Trust is delighted to announce the final 11 comedy superstars that round out the full, star-studded 2023 Best Foods Comedy Gala line-up.
Featuring 23 of the Festival’s top local and international comedians, the Gala offers Aotearoa comedy lovers the perfect taster for the Festival season ahead, on Friday 5 May in Auckland and Saturday 6 May in Wellington, both hosted by the incomparable Melanie Bracewell.
Auckland’s newly announced Best Foods Comedy Gala line-up names are: comedy superstar, Taskmaster UK winner and Off The Menu Podcast co-host Ed Gamble, award-winning and beloved 7 Days star Ben Hurley, Aotearoa comedy titan and Comedy Fest first-timer Josh Thomson (Young Rock, The Project), winner of Best Live Show at the 2019 NZ Comedy Guild Awards Paul Douglas, 2021 Gala host Justine Smith (Taskmaster NZ, The Project, 7 Days), and award-winning Scottish comedian Ray Bradshaw - performing simultaneously in English and British Sign Language.
Also newly announced and taking to the stage in both cities this year are reigning Billy T Award winner, and Taskmaster NZ star Brynley Stent and 2019 Billy T Award nominee and star of TVNZ’s Abandonment Issues James Mustapic.
Hot off the press and performing at the Wellington Gala is Have You Been Paying Attention? and The Great Kiwi Bake Off host-with-the-most - Hayley Sproull and, Wellington-based comedy stars - award-winning comedian, actor, writer and director Sameena Zehra and 2017 National RAW finalist Advait Kirikar.
This already unmissable line-up in both cities will join a stacked bill of previously announced comedians who will appear in both cities: Ray O’Leary (Have You Been Paying Attention? and 7 Days) comedian, writer and podcast extraordinaire Tim Batt (The Worst Idea of All Time), Shortland Street star, 2019 Billy T Award winner and host of The Comedy Mixtape, Kura Forrester, the hugely popular Tom Sainsbury, Australia-based ARIA Award winner Anne Edmonds, Best Debut at the 2019 Comedy Fest winner Becky Umbers, Australia’s much-loved Becky Lucas, 2019 Fred Award winner James Nokise, Welsh comic Lloyd Langford (QI, Have You Been Paying Attention?), host of Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee - Guy Montgomery and Aotearoa’s fave pop-comedy duo Two Hearts (Billy T Award nominees - Laura Daniel & Joseph Moore).
BEST FOODS COMEDY GALA - AUCKLAND
Friday 5 May, 7.30pm
The Civic, Auckland Live
Cnr Queen Street & Wellesley Street West, Auckland CBD
Performing in Auckland: Melanie Bracewell, Lloyd Langford, Becky Lucas, Anne Edmonds, Guy Montgomery, Becky Umbers, Two Hearts, Tom Sainsbury, Ed Gamble, James Nokise, Ray Bradshaw, Paul Douglas, Ray O'Leary, Brynley Stent, Kura Forrester, Justine Smith, Tim Batt, Ben Hurley, James Mustapic, Josh Thomson.
BEST FOODS COMEDY GALA - WELLINGTON
Saturday 6 May, 7.30pm
Michael Fowler Centre
111 Wakefield Street, Te Aro
Performing in Wellington: Melanie Bracewell, Lloyd Langford, Becky Lucas, Anne Edmonds, Guy Montgomery, Two Hearts, James Nokise, Tom Sainsbury, Becky Umbers, Ray O'Leary, Hayley Sproull, Brynley Stent, Kura Forrester, James Mustapic, Advait Kirtikar, Sameena Zehra, Tim Batt.
