Mike Bodnar

Thanks to a previous existence as a broadcaster, Mike’s ear (along with his other one) is keenly attuned to the way we (ab)use the English language. He also likes to keep an eye (and occasionally two) on life around him.

What he does with these aural and visual observations is to sprinkle them with a dose of laterality and obliqueness, melding them into stand-up comedy routines that are genuinely entertaining and even revelatory. He makes you think.

Ten years ago when Mike did a one-off 10-minute comedy stint a critic said much of his material was over the heads of the audience. The critic is now part of the foundations on the new McKay’s Crossing flyover. Mike however took the opportunity in 2005 of re-launching himself seriously (can that be done?) into stand-up comedy, being awarded Best Newcomer at Wellington’s Green Room.

Since then he’s performed at regular gigs at Wellington’s Katipo café, the Buzz Bar in Lower Hutt, the San Francisco Bathhouse – the former Indigo (Runner-up 2006 Rookie Competition), been in three Wellington Fringe comedy shows (including his own solo show in 2008 A Comedy Omnibus), and has even played a pub in Wanganui, though he prefers not to talk about that. Before it sank off Island Bay he organised a very successful comedy evening on board the frigate HMNZS Wellington. It went down well. So did the frigate. He’s also played the Classic in Auckland, and does a mean Billy Connolly.

Mike has experience as an MC and his communications work in the private and public sector makes him ideal for corporate functions as well as mainstream comedy gigs.

Fifi is a woman of many parts- ‘all of them working’ she says.

As an illustrator, writer, poet, Wearable Arts designer and T.V presenter of arts and crafts on TVNZ’s Good Morning Show,  Fifi finds life as a working mother brings with it a wry sense of humour. Expressed as witty poetry and illustration for Next Magazine in a regular column for many years, this fostered a love of writing for performance and sparked an academic interest. After a year of hard slog watching films, television, plays and reading, Fifi graduated from Victoria University with an MA in Scriptwriting in 2003 and was delighted to be able to wear a mortar board and cape for the event, especially as the hood was lined with pink satin; it perfectly matched her lipstick, she says.

Fifi says her involvement with comedy started on her first day of school in Lincolnshire, aged 5. Her mother said she was to stay there all day; Fifi thought she was joking. Now, years on in Wellington (the city of her heart), Fifi has been a regular comedian at Katipo Café as part of the comedy line up, R30 (Stand-up Comedy for those who would rather have a nice lie down).

Their sell out season at Bats Theatre in the 2006 Comedy Festival only served to encourage her.

Lorraine was born at an early age into a mixed marriage, one parent of either sex.  Her mother and father had a cunning plan to produce a punning clan, and Lorraine showed early promise at secondary school when she wrote as essay on puns subtitled 'hints for thrifty poets who want to get their Wordsworth'.
 
She has not yet apologised for this.
 
Ms Ward has performed stand up comedy since the 1980's.  Although she has performed as far away as Auckland and Paekakariki, her activities have been centred mainly in Wellington.  She has appeared in shows as diverse as 'The Lewd and Ludicrous', 'Hen's Teeth', and 'R30'.
 
Ms Ward believes the world is divided into those who can operate CDs, DVDs, LCDs etc, and those who can spell them.  She allies herself with the latter group, the chronologically enhanced, those who find denial is a gift and short term memory over-rated.  This gives her a broader depth of experience from which to mine comedy material.

Fergus has been a professional comedian for over two decades, performing stand-up, character comedy and mime on stage in Moscow, London and Canberra, on the streets of Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Perth, for film and TV in NZ, Tahiti, Netherlands and Finland.

MC experience has included the AXA Advertising Awards, European Juggling & Circus Skills Convention, several rock concerts and the World Flower Show, various comedy clubs in Wellington and Christchurch and NZ International Comedy Festival events in Wellington and Auckland.

With a range of varied material, currently most of his comedy performance work is for festivals and corporate events. 

Fergus is a Scorpio, addicted to chocolate and sex though not necessarily in that order, together or separately... Check out Fergus's website.

Started doing comedy in August 2005, and been loving it ever since; especially the Taita RSA. Just been nominated for this year's Billy T Award so excited about that.

Influences: My parents: both incredibly unfunny, stunningly so in fact. Pretty much just tried to do the opposite. Also Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Rowan Atkinson (in Blackadder), Rick Mayall, Oscar Wilde, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Dylan Moran, Billy Connolly, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Roger Federer, Boris Becker, Hicham El Gerrouj, Michael Johnson, Mick Jagger, Andre 3000, David Bowie, Oscar Wilde, Woody Allen. Am a new Woody Allen fan after reading an interview with him on the weekend. Just amazingly relentlessly negative. Superb!

Alex's Details:
Status: In a Relationship
Orientation: Straight
Hometown:      Wellington
Body type:       74cm / Average
Ethnicity:         White / Caucasian
Religion:          Protestant
Zodiac Sign:    Virgo
Smoke / Drink:No / Yes
Education:       Post grad
Occupation:    Data processor