NZIF 2019 Wraps Up: Awards and Accolades
The New Zealand Improv Fest is over for another year, and we had such an incredible time! We hope you were able to join us for one of our many, many performances, and we hope you’re already planning how to make the most of your next festival. See you next time!
On closing night, our performers, directors and participants came together to celebrate the best (and worst) of our achievements across the two weeks. Check out the winners and nominees below!
NZ vs The World, Photo by Ali Little
Image description: five improvisers bathed in green light posing like gnarled trees.
Most Promising Newcomer
Rhaz Solomon
Daedae Tekoronga-Waka
WINNER: Jane Bennetts
Grace Prosee
Outstanding Character
Anna Renzenbrink as the Potato Peeler in Something You Lost
Jen O’Sullivan as the Ice Minion in The Saboteur
Jim Fishwick as Captain Mac in Galactipedia
WINNER: Katherine Weaver as Lieutenant Parker in The Kit Kat Prov
Tara Swadi as Dorothea in Mild West: Draw
Outstanding Ensemble
All-In All-Out Improv Bout
WINNER: The Kit Kat Prov
Mahua Improv
People Like You
The Saboteur
Outstanding Use of an Ask-For
WINNER: Jen O’Sullivan, for “counter-fitter”
Myrthe Van Den Kieboom for “pee, poo, or vomit”
Tara Swadi’s bag scene
Team NZ for “sausage sizzle”
Outstanding Show
The Kit Kat Prov
WINNER: The Saboteur
Mild West: Draw
Favourite Trainwreck
Wednesday’s All-In, All-Out Improv Bout (justice for Brenna)
The Exciting Battle Between A Goodie And A Baddie That Almost Ends Badly But Ends Happily
WINNER: Laura trying Vegemite on stage for the first time in Truth or Dare
This nomination is also part of the rap
The Saboteur, photo by Alex Rabina
Image description: three improvisors standing, one sitting in the background, all smiling and looking cheeky. Everyone is looking off camera at the show host (not pictured)
Shining Moment
The best things we saw/experienced all week
WINNER: Ryan Goodwin’s Plebiscite monologue
Matt Powell’s knitting rap
Jane Bennetts on stage at Scratch Night
Taka and Jak’s Japanese scene
D’s curtain-opening lighting with Siobhan in The Saboteur
Miss Honey/Mr Miyagi
The teacher who brings out the best in you
WINNER: Emma Brittenden
Lori Leigh
Claudia Pantani
Takayuki Ueda
Matt Powell
Jason Geary
Most Generous Player
Brendon Bennetts
Jaklene Vukasinovic
D’ Woods
Anna Renzenbrink
Matt Powell
Rik Brown
WINNER: Claire Reilly
Unsung Hero
Liam Kelly, for organising all the musicians but being accidentally literally “unsung” in our official social media post
Anna Renzenbrink, for directorial mentorship in Galactapedia
All the Improv Bout scorekeepers for doing maths on stage
Troy, Rebekah, and the BATS/Lumen team
WINNER: Clare Kerrison, our Mental Health First Aid volunteer
Pearls of Wisdom
Inspiring, challenging, or amazing quote from a teacher or player
Bryce Halliday: “If you’re looking for the answer, it’s always in your partner’s eyes”
Jon Briden: “English and Spanish don’t usually rhyme”
WINNER: Laura Irish: “You might already be the improvisor the person next to you needs most right now”
Lisa Garrity and Matt Powell: “It’s not a cult, it’s a pyramid scheme”
The Kit Kat Prov, photo by Joel Luscombe
Image description: One improvisor sitting facing a group of performers as if telling a story. The other improvisors are dressed in a shabby-chic caberet style, lots of red and black and white, and they hold a very Cabaret pose - finger snaps, legs up, leaning on each other.
Mouths of Babes
Unexpectedly hilarious or delightful quotes, on stage or off
Dan Allan in People Like You: “And I used a CONDOM!”
Lorenzo in Youth Bout: “Would you like a bag for your snakes?”
Laura Irish in Kit Kat Prov: “Pizza is dead”
Matt Powell in Newlyweds: “Just because I’m a crime boss doesn’t mean my employment practices are criminal”
WINNER: Lisa Garrity in Bums on Seats: “You know, what do you call them? Those golden showers.”
The Kirk Horn Award
For outstanding contributions to Forestry**
WINNER: Katherine Weaver
For their dedication and outstanding work in improvisation and forestry, for their wild and free approach to life. For their uncanny ability to take a scene and turn it on its side and make it matter more. They are the hurricane you never knew you needed in a scene, they are the push you need when you want to jump. They are the third voice drowning out the angel and devil on your shoulder that you will listen to. And no matter what, after the madness and carnage has stopped they will always be the first one at your side looking after you or asking, what other madness and carnage can we do? Whether as a friend, a participant in their workshops, a scene partner, or as a forest worker. They are the improvisor many of us would love to be, an improvisor who will never be replicated, duplicated, but instead will continue to be imitated.
Thank you for all that you have done and will continue to do for improvisation and for forestry. Thank goodness that there is only one Katherine Weaver.
Spirit of the Festival
Spirit Awards are a common feature of festivals around the world. They recognise people whose presence, attitude, and enthusiastic participation not only embody the principles at the heart of the event, but make an active contribution to the life and growth of the festival.
This year, the Festival team would like to acknowledge a very special person whose regular presence NZIF has brought us all a sense of joy, community, and the true spirit of improvisation.
The inaugural Spirit of the New Zealand Improv Festival is Anne Murn.
** This is a long standing festival joke in that NZIF also stands for the New Zealand Institute of Forestry and is the first result on Google for that acronym. Hello to any foresters who have found their way here!