Dark senses of humour, choosing sketch over stand-up and online feedback are on the agenda in the first episode of NZME's new comedy podcast.
Billy T' Billy is giving this year's nominees of the prestigious Billy T Award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival the chance to seek advice from former winners – as well as discuss all things comedy and what it's really like being a comedian in New Zealand.
Brynley Stent is a 2021 nominee for the Billy T award. Photo / Michael Craig
The first episode features 2021 nominee Brynley Stent with 2017 winner Angella Dravid. A first-time nominee, Stent has been a regular at the New Zealand Comedy Festival, have appeared in numerous shows in recent years, including the plays Mincing and Docing alongside Chris Parker and Tom Sainsbury, and her 2019 show Filthy Little Goblin.
This year, she's performing once more at the Basement Theatre with Soft Carnage, promising more "sketches and situations that make you laugh and wince at the same time".
In 2017, Dravid won the Billy T for her show Down the Rabbit Hole, where she talked about running away from home to live with an older man, a saga that resulted in her spending two months in jail.
Since winning the award, Dravid has signed up with Taika Waititi's Piki Fiilms to develop a movie based on her story.
She's back at this year's Comedy Festival with Stories for Adults, pegged as "an hour of adult stories and fables to learn from".
Stent and Dravid have appeared together numerous times, notably Funny Girls, Golden Boy, Jono and Ben, and most recently Taskmaster NZ, where Dravid eventually walked away as winner.
In 2017, Angella Dravid won the Billy T for her show Down the Rabbit Hole. Photo / Supplied
Sitting down in the first episode of Billy T' Billy, the two discuss their shared experiences on screen, as well as exploring their similar dark sense of humour, why Stent performs sketch comedy over stand-up, and the two relive their worst gigs ever involving a stone-faced former schoolmate and an ill-fitting fairy costume.
A new episode of Billy T' Billy will be released each day this week.
In Episode 2, James Mustapic sits down with 2014 winner Guy Montgomery to discuss the competitive side of the industry, podcasting and webseries, and the great lengths one audience member went to to voice his opinion.
In the third episode, Lana Walters talks with Rhys Mathewson, the youngest person to win the Billy T, in 2010, about the impact the title has, the hidden cost of comedy, and doing stand-up while pregnant.
And in the final episode, Josh Davies and 2016 winner David Correos take a break from putting the polishing touches on their shows to discuss the process of joke writing, representation on stage, and filming your worst gig for a documentary.
Follow NZ Herald for more comedy reviews – including the four Billy T nominees – throughout the rest of the International Comedy Festival.
To listen to today's episode, listen to the podcast above.
