He was the class clown, then the cool teacher, now he's left his day job for comedy, writes Val Leveson
Mike Boon loves comedy. It's his lifelong passion and he firmly believes that there are enough opportunities in New Zealand at this time to take a leap of faith and go into comedy full time.
As a child, he says, he was the class clown. At university, studying a Bachelor of Arts, Media and Communications, he decided to explore his first love and took part in comedy evenings at Kitty O'Brien's.
In 2001 he went to Britain to "seek his fortune". He stayed in London for a few months then joined friends in Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - which is where he met his wife.
While in the UK he held a full time job by day, and did comedy gigs by night.
"Edinburgh was hard work. When you take part in the festival you have to pay for everything. You only profit if you sell more tickets than the money you've spent. You are competing against so many acts - it's really hard to break even let alone make money out of it. It's so easy to get lost in the crowd."
The festival and other performances didn't give him the breakthrough he was wanting, so he and his Scottish wife decided to move to Auckland, as it is "a better place to make a life and have children".
Here he retrained as a teacher - both so he would have the time to pursue his comedy career and because he loved the work in itself. "Teaching gives you the same rapport that comedy does. Think about it - you have a captive audience for five hours a day!
"The teachers I loved at school were the ones who entertained me - I use my comedy skills to keep the kids interested."
But comedy is in Boon's blood. So this New Zealand International Comedy Festival he's put on a comedy show - particularly for children. It's called Mr Boon's Big Time Last Chance Kids Show. "Being a teacher," he says, "I've learnt what makes kids laugh."
The reviewers agree. Tvnz.co.nz's Darren Bevan says: "Comedy for kids is a tough game - the audience is a difficult one, but based on the reaction to Mike Boon's Big Time Last Chance Kids Show, I'd say Mr Boon certainly won over the kids within ... and if we're honest, some of the adults too."
The reviewer at thread (www.thread.co.nz) says: "Michael Boon's Big Time Last Chance Kids Show is an opportunity to introduce the kids to live comedy. Many years ago in basement bars of North London we enjoyed cheap, uplifting and unpredictable entertainment at the various comedy clubs. Thanks to the efforts of Mr Boon we now get to share that fun with our children and he didn't disappoint."
Boon says that comedy has a certain magic that's hard to define - you have to experience it. It's the immediacy. An actor gets a round of applause at the end - when a comedian gets a laugh, he gets instant validation.
Boon has come to the point now where he's seeing teaching as being extremely intensive and all consuming. "I find when I get home, I'm zonked. I get all my comedy writing done on the weekend.
"For me, comedy is a passion thing. It's the thing I am gifted at. I don't have to try to be funny, I just am. Being on stage and making people laugh gives me a real buzz.
"I can sit in my lounge room and scribble some stuff down, and know it's going to appeal when I'm on stage. It's magic. It's hard to define - you have to experience it."
So, three months before his first child is to be born, Mike Boon, 39, has decided to take a leap of faith and go full time into comedy.
"I will still teach - but not full time. I'm doing relief work - which keeps us going."
Boon believes that New Zealand comedy has come of age and the opportunities are there for more and more work. "Of course I know there are no guarantees. The festival took a lot of work and the payment for that is delayed. If we go over the break-even point then we make money. But it's a great showcase for talent."
Boon says he's never been a person who will go for the money over everything else.
"For me, money is not true wealth. It's about pursuing my passion. Of course I'll make sure my family is OK - and if I need to go back to teaching I will, it's not as if I hate doing it. But I feel the need to try this now."
He says the New Zealand comedy market has become more sophisticated and the festivals are getting bigger.
"The public appetite for comedy is on the rise. Even New Zealand television comedy has taken a step forward."
He says the key is that many top-notch New Zealand performers have returned to the country after sojourns overseas and are creating opportunities for themselves and others.
"With these people, we have the experience to pull it off. It is not a new industry - but it's growing."
So how does Boon plan to make comedy work for him? "It's about creating opportunity. I'm planning web-based TV - this is a great new way of getting seen worldwide and adds new opportunities that weren't there until recently. I plan to launch myself as a performer and to market myself.
"At the moment, I've been focusing on the festival show, I do some voice-overs, and yes, I plan to get an agent."
Boon recognises that he's got a great selling point with his "kid's stuff" and thinks he may take some shows to schools.
"It's my dream to do this. I'm 40 in a couple of months. Since 1991 I've wanted to be a writer and performer. Of course I have to balance making money and what I want to do. I'm going to be a father soon. I like writing, but I prefer being a performer. I also love teaching. My priority this year is to focus on writing and performing.
"I may get involved with a Christmas show. I may do educational shows for kids - mix comedy with science or technology."
Boon accepts that he may have to do a lot of different things. "It's really exciting when you don't really know what will happen - of course it can be frightening. There are no guarantees. I've learnt to take each day at a time."
Mr Boon's Big Time Last Chance Kids Show is playing at Auckland's Herald Theatre Saturday (1st May) and Sunday (2nd May) at 1pm, and also next week on Saturday (8th May) and Sunday (9th May) at 1pm.
