Brace yourself for an epic improv faceoff. Team Hearts stand in one corner and team Bones in the other. You, the audience, will choose our champion. But hey, there’s no script, the points are made up and everyone’s having a great time!
Locomotive is proud to present the NZ debut of The Big HOO-HAA! Pōneke, the long-running Australian improv comedy show that has had audiences in hysterics for decades. In four shows bookending the festival at BATS Theatre, a curated selection of Wellington’s most gifted improvisers will vie for the night’s trophy, striving for the glory that can only come from enthusiastic audience adoration.
“One of the many joys of The Big HOO-HAA! is the way the show has something for everyone - both performers and audience,” says Jennifer O’Sullivan, director of The Big HOO-HAA! Pōneke and Fringe veteran (Spirit of the Fringe 2014, Tastiest Show 2016). “Players get to really stretch themselves in all directions - mischief, music, competitive storytelling, and more, while the audience gets to experience the thrill of witnessing, cheering for, and contributing to something that will never happen again and could only have happened in that room, on that night. ”
Performing The Big HOO-HAA! Pōneke in Fringe 2023 are a veritable who’s who of Wellington improv, including Alayne Dick, Ben Jardine, Dianne Pulham, Elliott Lam-Po-Tang, Gab Raz, Guanny Liu-Prosee, Jed Davies, Jennifer O'Sullivan, Liz Butler, Malcolm Morrison, Matt Hutton, Matt Powell, Megan Connolly, Nina Hogg, Samuel Irwin, Steven Youngblood, Tara Swadi, and Wiremu Tuhiwai.
The Big HOO-HAA! was founded in Perth in 2002. The Big HOO-HAA! then arrived in Melbourne in July 2010 where it quickly became the go-to for audiences seeking a riotous alternative to traditional comedy nights. Both city’s shows have run continuously since, delivering gleeful audiences and glowing reviews:
“THE BIG HOO-HAA! IS A LAUGH RIOT THAT HAS THE AUDIENCE ROARING SO LOUDLY THEY ALMOST CAN'T CATCH THEIR BREATH... THE VERY BEST OF MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS AND WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY”
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN
“IMPROVISED COMEDY AT ITS ABSOLUTE FUNNIEST”
TIME OUT
“IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME”
HERALD SUN
ABOUT LOCOMOTIVE
Locomotive is an improvised theatre performance & training company based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Our training offers a grounded, well-rounded understanding of theatrical and comedy improv, and our performance programme contributes to (and supports) a thriving, high-quality independent improvisation scene. We are thrilled to be the hosts of the first international iteration of The Big HOO-HAA! and to be stepping into the very big shoes worn by our hilarious Australian improv colleagues.
Our debut season at Fringe 2023 is proudly supported by Creative Communities Local Funding Scheme via Wellington City Council.