The STLS in association with Coup de Main and The Fringe Bar presents…

The Bright Young Things of Comedy
THE SELL-OUT ‘CHILDREN OF THE COMEDY FESTIVAL’ RETURN!

No, they’re not Stephen Fry’s hit 2003 directorial debut ‘Bright Young Things’ starring Dan Akroyd and Stockard Channing, nor are they freshly new electrical fittings… However they are the stars of the shining future of NZ comedy, and they do like that film!

New Zealand’s youngest pro comedians and hits of this year’s NZ International Comedy Festival, Heidi O’Loughlin, Rose Matafeo and Rhys Mathewson are pleased to announce that they are combining forces to perform an encore run of their festival shows for Wellington audiences.

The modestly titled ‘The Bright Young Things of Comedy’, will be a two hour extravaganza, featuring Heidi and Rose’s sensational ‘A Guide to the Uncool’ for the first half, and Rhys Mathewson’s award-winning ‘Best $18 You’ll Ever Spend’ after the break. It’s two shows for the price of one – candle light and soul forever, a dream of you and me together – as the Spice Girls so shrewdly put it, "baby get it on, get it on, because tonight’s the night when two become one".

A GUIDE TO THE UNCOOL

Heidi O’Loughlin and Rose Matafeo are two sassy New Yorker’s looking for true love in the Big Apple… not to mention a totally cute pair of Jimmy Choos! Just like the ‘Sex in the City’! Actually their true identities are that of two young comediennes from Auckland. They aren’t very much like Sex AND the City, however they do LIVE in a city and have heard what sex is from many of their friends.

Prepare to be schooled in laughter as two of New Zealand’s hottest young talents present their one hour ‘action-packed adventure-lecture’ on everything that is deemed uncool. Both past graduates of the Comedy Festival’s Class Comedians programme, Heidi and Rose have taken little time to make their mark on the scene. Both still full-time students, Heidi is the winner of the ‘Spirit of the Festival’ at the 2008 NZ International Comedy Festival Awards, co-founder of the comedy club at the University of Auckland, and winner of the Green Room award at the 2008 NZ Comedy Guild Awards; whilst Rose, the youngest pro comedian in the country has appeared on both TVOne’s Close Up and TV3’s Campbell Live, won Best Actress for the Auckland 48 Hour Film Competition, and is hailed by critics as having "a lot more star quality than some of the hacks twice her age" (Theatreview.org.nz).

So who is better to teach the ways of uncool than two girls who have seen Braveheart TWICE? You may think you’re already cool enough to miss this unique opportunity to learn from the experts, but ask yourself: "Am I UNcool?", "Is my mum the one who tells me I’m cool?", and "Should I grow a rat’s tail?" – If you even considered answering any of these questions then this show is for you! So be sure to bring a sharp pencil, an open mind and any Shania Twain CDs you may own which we will kindly destroy for you.

NOMINATED  Best Newcomer  2009 NZ International Comedy Festival Awards
NOMINATED  Best Marketing  2009 NZ International Comedy Festival Awards

"Everything about ‘A Guide To The Uncool’ was quirky, twee and superbly hilarious… My happiest hour spent this week." -Lumière Reader  
"Heidi and Rose have a killer dynamic." -TVNZ
"pure joyous comedy" -Theatreview
"Heidi and Rose were on fire. There’s a reason why these two wunderkinds have been the talk of the town during the festival…Delivering a hilariously matter-of-fact seminar on the labyrinth that is ‘cool’, the girls had the crowd in hysterics… ‘A GUIDE TO THE UNCOOL’ was literally a comedy feast. Entirely unpretentious, delivered with hot shazam by two chicks with moxy." -Coup de Main

http://heidiandrose.wordpress.com

THE BEST $18 YOU’LL EVER SPEND

In his fourth year of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, Rhys Mathewson presents his first one hour solo stand up show. As one of the brightest up and coming comedians, Mathewson is at the forefront of the newest generation of kiwi comics, and is ready to impress at this year’s festival.

Such youthful ambition can be seen in the show’s title, "The Best $18 You’ll Ever Spend." In a world obsessed with the economy and having money, New Zealand Comedy Guild Award winner and multiple nominee, Mathewson presents hilarious stories of having none. This in part comes from the fact that he is still a full time student at the University of Auckland.

The price number is significant too, as Mathewson is only eighteen years of age. Don’t let that put you off, this young man already has 3 years of comedy experience under his belt and many achievements to his name, such as appearing on both Campbell Live and Close Up, opening for kiwi comedy titans Brendhan Lovegrove and Dai Henwood in the thriving metropolis of Hamilton, and being fondly known to his comedy elders as "King of the Chumps."

Starting out as a member of the festival’s "Class Comedians" programme in 2006, Mathewson will be giving something back this year with a show that is true value for money. At only $18* for an hour jam packed with laughs, you would be crazy not to see the show. You could call Mathewson the Mad Butcher of comedy.

*Return season less than $18, so really the amount of value is incredible

WINNER  Best Newcomer  2009 NZ International Comedy Festival Awards

"The ingenuity of the concept is enhanced by the fact that Mathewson abides by the singular golden rule of stand-up: He’s funny… He’ll go far." -Theatreview

http://www.myspace.com/rhys2mathewson

The Bright Young Things of Comedy
9th, 10th, 11th July
8pm – 2 hrs including interval
The Fringe Bar, 191 Cuba Street