Comedy Fest Questionnaire: Eli Mathewson
Proposition: Great!
2) Why?
The show is kind of sprung from the marriage equality debate from the last few years. Why are there ‘Propostions’ to ban things and make people unhappy when we could just forge ahead and build a better world?
3) Can you give us a few hints as to what broadly your festival show is about? It’s about me being 24 and in a serious relationship and suddenly having the option of marriage and how scary that is. Also about my awkward sexual encounters with girls. Also about dinosaurs.
4) How much time have you spent crafting the show over the past 12 months since the end of the last festival? I started thinking about my solo right after the festival, but it didn’t begin to form itself properly until the moment I was in Edinburgh live streaming NZ Parliament TV to see what they were going to decide about my future.
5) The comedy festival is turning 21 this year – it’s a big age 21 – what you’re your memories of being 21? Or if you’re not old enough yet, you lucky person, what are your hopes for being 21? When I was 21 I moved out of home for the first time, moved to Auckland, lived in a terrible cold flat, ate lots of sizzlers and mashed potatoes and had heaps of dress up parties. But by the end of the year I’d worked myself out alright. Sort of.
6) The Comedy festival is one big party and catch up for a month - is there anyone you’re looking forward to seeing over here either socially or on stage? So many! Can’t wait to spend lots of time hanging with the FanFiction crew and seeing what awesome guest we have this year. Looking so forward to Josie Long’s show. My best mate James Roque is doing his first solo show and it’s going to be awesome. My friends Chris Parker and Hayley Sproull are doing some kind of crazy sketch show that is going to be heaps of fun. Chris Martin is bringing his show that I saw in Edinburgh last year – it’s a great show and he is SUPER cute. Can’t wait to see what the other Billy T nominees come up with – 4 ridiculously good comedians I am honoured to be recognised with. But most of all Hedluv + Passman – I saw their show 4 times in Edinburgh and I’m hoping to see them so many more times well they are here; phenomenal, upstoppable Cornish casio rap.
7) What’s the comedy scene like at the moment who do you rate and why? I think comedy in New Zealand is in really good shape – so many awesome people are making a living out of comedy and there’s so much more NZ comedians everywhere, especially on TV, where they are all killing it. I think Urzila Carlsen is a seriously one of kind, there’s no one else like her and she is on top of her game. Rhys Darby’s last show was pretty much a perfect stand-up hour. There’s a really fresh wave of new young comedians doing things their own way that’s really exciting – I think Heidi O’Loughlin is one of the funniest people ever, plus the originator and producer of FanFiction comedy which she has done an INCREDIBLE job. Stephen Boyce, Brendon Green, Pax, Joseph, Tom, Rose, Guy, Jamaine Ross – too many to choose from!
8) What’s the best piece of audience interaction you’ve had? I very recently did a gig at a high school and someone threw their giant Pikachu backpack onto the stage when I was talking about Pokémon. It was huge and they found it on the side of the road. I really wanted to steal it.
9) What’s the most memorable part of performing for you within the last 12 months? The Billy T Showcase with the fifteen applicants for the award was out of this world. Everyone slayed it, somehow a two and a half hour show felt lightning fast.
10) When we say New Zealand International Comedy Festival to you, what’s the first thing you think of? Stalking babin’ comedians at the Classic. Too many beers. Too many ice creams. Too many hot dogs.
11) How would you persuade people to come and see your show? I just hope they like narwhals cause there’s one on my poster and I think they are the coolest animal alive. Also I might give away a car. (I won’t).
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