NZ Comedy Awards - winners

NZ Comedy Awards - winners

The remarkable success of local comedians overseas was recognised at the New Zealand comedy awards held in Auckland at the weekend - as was the growing support of media for the local comedy industry.

The NZ Comedy Guild's major award for "Best Artist Achievement 2004" was shared by Wellington's Flight of the Conchords (Jemaine Clement and Brett MacKenzie) and Auckland's Benjamin Crellin.

The Conchords - nominees for a Perrier at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe - have recently signed a deal with a major American television network.
Crellin was recognised for making a huge success of his comedy tour of North America - a tour which started almost six-months ago and doesn't look like ending soon.

Other top comedians honoured have also worked overseas this year. The Best Male Comedian Award was shared by Dai Henwood and Ben Hurley, and Best Female Comedian went to Michele A'Court. All three have spent time in the last eighteen months performing in Australia and the UK.

A new award for comedy scriptwriting went to Jeremy Elwood, another veteran of the international stand-up comedy circuit. Elwood won the Windsor Castle Productions Script Award for his short film script, "The Wager" - receiving his $1000 cash prize on the night in briefcase filled with $5 notes.

Some comedians were recognised, not for their international experience, but just for being international. Andy Parsons - possibly best known in New Zealand for his sausage commercials - won the award for "Best International Guest" for the support and encouragement he gave the industry during his time here for the 2004 NZ International Comedy Festival.

Other major awards went to well-known faces and voices: breakfast radio host Jeremy Corbett won Best MC for the second year running; and last year's Billy T Award winner, Justine Smith, won the award for Best Show for her season this year at the Herald Theatre.

And National Radio picked up the award for "Best Media Support" of local comedy. As well as regular coverage of the industry in the daily 4.30pm show, "What's Going On", National Radio has established a "comedy zone" on Saturday afternoons which features programmes like "Off the Wire" made by the DownLowConcept, and a recent documentary series made by Nine-to-Noon's resident wit, Te Radar.

The NZ Comedy Guild Awards have been held annually for the past four years, and are peer-voted by workers in the comedy industry.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

THE KEVIN SMITH MEMORIAL CUP FOR BEST ARTIST ACHIEVEMENT
Flight of the Conchords / Benjamin Crellin

BEST MALE COMEDIAN
Ben Hurley / Dai Henwood

BEST FEMALE COMEDIAN
Michele A'Court

BEST MC
Jeremy Corbett

WINDSOR CASTLE PRODUCTIONS SCRIPT AWARD
Jeremy Elwood

BEST NEWCOMER
Andrew Holland

BEST SHOW
Justine Smith

BEST SHOW CONCEPT
The Day Before Tomorrow (Bret Rudnick) / Mark Scott's Sketch Show

THE ANDREW KOVACEVICH CUP FOR MOST OFFENSIVE GAG
Gish

BEST MEDIA SUPPORT
National Radio

BEST COMEDY VENUE
The Classic Comedy & Bar, Auckland

BEST INTERNATIONAL GUEST
Andy Parsons

MOST IMPROVED COMEDIAN
Gish

BEST INDUSTRY FRIEND
Ben Hurley

THE PRESIDENT'S MEDAL (for outstanding service to comedy) Terry Williams

For further information, go to http://www.nzcomedyguild.org.nz Or hit reply.

Michele A'Court
President, NZ Comedy Guild.