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COMEDY FESTIVAL NEWS:

Comedians representing SA?

HAVE A BREAK!

The Nando’s comedy festival was ok?

LOOK! It’s some ugly comedians… Go see

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  DAVE LEVINSOHN.

  The king of improv-comedy, has become one of SA’soriginal comedy acts, honing his skills as the host at the Coffee Lounge comedy club back in ‘97.

  He has regularly performed at the Vodacom International festival and the Smirnoff comedy festival. Television viewers are already familiar with Dave’s quirky, irrepressible humour from his ‘Big Black Box’ ads. Or possibly as the zany co-presenter in the first series of the SABC 3 TV shows ‘Going Nowhere Slowly’. Or just from hanging around Springs in the 70s?

  Winner of the pro section of the Red bull comedy jam 2004.
  Winner of the Nandos most original approach to comedy, Grahamstown 2008.
  Recently opened for international comic Jimoein. (First stand-up comedy at the main festival programme ever)

  On the comedy stage, his material darts into more lateral territory, with his “slightly-weird-guy-next-door” approach to every subject under the sun; he’s odd, without being offensive. his anarchic re-examination of everyday topics has won him fans at every appearance, as does his ability to improvise when interacting with the crowd. His on-the-spot skills often make it look as if he’s making it up as he goes… that’s because he is!

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  Hannes Brümmer

  Born deep in the heart of the West Rand and accordingly suffered a suburban youth. He often blames his opinions on this fact. His comedic style is highly energetic and physical, at times self-depreciating but ultimately optimistic. His tongue is always firmly in cheek as he observes the world we live in.

  In 2002 Hannes formed the sketch comedy troupe Zef-Sketse with four of his student friends. This culminated in the KykNet production Blikskottel. The same team also devised, wrote and performed in the SABC2 comedy program Kompleks. A second series of Kompleks featuring Hannes as writer and actor was broadcast in October 2007.

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  Kurt Schoonraad

  Mad, zany, lively and manic are among the many words that are used to describe comedian Kurt Schoonraad. Hailing from Mitchell’s Plain, Kurt’s is Cape Town’s favourite comedian and his earthy humour makes him a real South African boykie in every way.
  Kurt is best known as the quirky accidental tourist on the hit SABC TV series Going Nowhere Slowly and Crazy Games for 3 seasons (2006-

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  Mark Palmer

  Has been performing and honing his skills for over 8 years and he is now one of today’s most sought after comedians..”
  Mark gets material daily from the perils being newly married, babysitting other people’s kids, airport madness, the advances of technology and general social commentary of current headlines. But you are thinking it must be difficult to work clean all the time, right? “Clean comedy is easy. Funny comedy is hard.” Mark is both.
  Mark consistently customizes his comedy to a variety of corporate and show audiences, events ranging from 60 to 4000 people. Mark has done them all. He has worked with such notable companies as the Protea Hotel Group, Ford, iTouchSA and many more.
  Mark’s ability to blend a theme or topic with one of today’s funniest comedy routines is unparalleled. His smart, sometimes loud and often opinionated brand of comedy has made him an audience favourite wherever he performs.

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  Martin Evans

  Spreading the funny worldwide has been Martin’s mission over the past few years. And what a good job of it he has done too. Martin’s hundreds of performances internationally put him right at the top of his game. Martin’s sense of humour is intelligent and sophisticated. With the odd knob gag thrown in for good measure!

  Martin is equally at home, headlining or mc’íng an event. Martin has done loads in his short time back in South Africa. Having performed in many international commercials, and in South Africa. He may now call Cape Town home, but his demand takes him all over the country. From sold out one-man shows in Edinburgh Festival to the world famous Comedy Store in London to literally every single gig across South Africa and Europe.

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  Ndumiso Lindi

  Known for his trade mark hat, funky urban stylish look and brilliant impersonation of the Madiba Jive, Ndumiso Lindi is regarded as one of South Africa’s top black comedians. An entertainer with flair, Ndumiso delves into honest observations of everyday life in South Africa; the diversity of South African cultures; as well as the uniqueness of black people. Painting the nation from a young black man’s point of view, this talented man is well on his way to the top!
  After moving to Cape Town from Zwelitsha a small township next to King William’s Town in Eastern Cape where he was born and raised, Ndumiso had never imagined that a national diploma in design at the Cape Technikon would be the start of a whole new creative world. Inspired by his family and the likes of Eddie Murphy and Bill Cosby, his first big break came in 2004 during the Vodacom Comedy Campus Tour, where Ndumiso took his act to the stage for 3 minutes. It was these 3 minutes that got Ndumiso into the Comedy AllStars Collective, performing at a host of city venues, including the celebrated Independent Armchair Theatre in Cape Town. It was at this point that many could see the rising of this young talented comedian.
  After regular successful performances on the local comedy circuit, Ndumiso won as the Best Newcomer in the Red Bull Comedy AllStars Comedy Challenge in 2004. By now, doors of opportunity were opening for Ndumiso. He has toured South Africa performing stand-up in many well known and much loved comedy shows and festivals. Ndumiso has performed all over the country at the Barnyard Theatre Festival in Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg. He has shared the stage with local award winning comedy gurus such as: Kurt Schoonraad, Mel Miller, Riaad Moosa, Stuart Taylor, Dave Levinsohn, Cokey Falkow, Mark Lotterring and David Kau. Ndumiso has worked his way to becoming a recommended headliner.
  At the Blacks Only comedy festival in Johannesburg earlier this year, he received countless ovations and praise from the media. He went on to share the stage with the best in the business at the Heavyweights Comedy Jam, headling in both the Vodacom Comedy Campus tour and Vodacom Funny Festival. He has also made his mark in corporate events.

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  Nik Rabinowitz

  Nik grew up on a farm in Plumstead West (a.k.a. Constantia) where he learnt to climb trees, make pots and speak Xhosa. Things seemed to be going to plan (for his Jewish Mother) when he graduated from UCT with Honours in Business Science, but then the young man travelled Africa with a theatre company and a herd of donkeys and it all went a little pear-shaped.

  Familiar to TV viewers as the off the wall multi-lingual presenter of SABC 1’s Coca-Cola Megamillions Gameshow and the lycra bodysuit clad M-Web big black box guy, Nik’s comedy work includes appearances at Vodacom’s Funny Festivals, stand-up gigs in London and at the Edinburgh Festival, as well as three outrageous one man stand-up shows, The Life and Times of Klasie Kakpraat, Anyone seen My Goat? and most recently One Man One Goat.

  From whacky stand-up comic to high profile MC, Nik has performed for corporates, government and NGOs across Southern Africa. He’s starred in numerous local and international TV commercials, and recorded an abundance of voice work.

  With an impressive grasp of multiple languages, and a passion for connecting people and cultures, Nik is establishing himself as an outstanding and unique South African entertainer.

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  Paul Snodgrass

  A ball of pent up energy, that when released onto an audience is a none-stop barrage of snot spilling, sidesplitting laughs that does not cease till he leaves the stage. A founder member of the Cape Comedy Collective, he was resident host and comic at the Comedy Warehouse in Greenpoint until its closure. He was a founder member of the Comedyallstars in Cape Town, where he hosted, headlined and performed at venues around the Western Cape, such as Billy the Bums, the Armchair Theatre, Eclipse, Newscafe, Sobhar and Barmooda. He recently performed at the King Size Comedy Festival and won a slot on the Heavyweight Comedy Jam. He is a regular visitor to Johannesburg and Durban for comedy events as well as being on many tours throughout the country. He has performed and hosted festivals such as Durban’s “HA HA” Festival, the Greenspicer Varsity Tour, The Play ‘n Ice Festival in Grahamstown and The Savannah “Up the Creek” Festival for over three years running. He has successfully performed for many corporate clients ranging from Woolworths to Sony and the Arabella Sheraton.
  He has been featured on TV or video on SABC3’s “Comedy Showcase”, ETV’s “Deadtime”, SABC1’s “Takefive” and eTV’s “Citylife”. In 2005, he performed at the Edinburgh Festival, the largest arts festival in the world. He achieved a 4 star review and was reviewed in The Scotsman, premier festival paper, thus: “Headliner, Paul Snodgrass … one of the best value for money acts at the festival.”

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  Rob van Vuuren

  This legendary theatre director / producer / playwright / actor is one of South Africa’s most celebrated talents and his unlimited performance capacity is an incredible contribution to our world of entertainment.
  From his extensive theatre career (he took a record-breaking 13 shows to the Grahamstown National Arts Festival in 2008), to his ever-popular television personality including roles such as the hilarious “Twakkie” in The Most Amazing Show on SABC2, and the unforgettable co-host of Crazy Games.
  Rob has been plying his trade as a relentless and ruthlessly funny stand-up comic and MC. His advantaged experience equips him as one of SA’s most sought after corporate entertainers and master of ceremonies – he recently had the unique honor of performing for Madiba at his 90th birthday bash in his hometown of Qunu.
  His latest live comedy offering ‘Rob van Vuuren is Rob van Vuuren’ was nominated for the best one-man show at the 2008 South African Comedy Awards, and won the Nando’s Best Comic Performance by an Actor at Grahamstown 2008.
  Rob’s most recent accolade is a record-breaking win of the hugely popular TV show Strictly Come Dancing with the esteemed showdance professional Mary Martin.

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  Vittorio Leonardi

  With a shape that he describes as “genetically Italian”, and a mop of curly hair that makes him look like a refugee from a Heavy Metal group, Vittorio Leonardi didn’t always fit in to the sleepy small-town vibe of Welkom. For the past seven years on comedy stages from Polokwane to Cape Town, however, he shines like a star.

  Vittorio Leonardi has been exploding across screens world wide recently in the blockbuster “District 9”. His comedy is has been seen on stages all over the country and has seen him become one of the most trusted comics and mc’s in South Africa.

  Vittorio can also be seen as a performer and writer on the current SABC show, “Last say on Sunday”

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