Since Thailand I've....

October 26, 2012
I know, I know... I'm a bit slack in keeping this blog active, in my defence though I have been insanely busy! For 40 weeks after returning from Thailand I've been booked solid every weekend which included further trips to Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Amsterdam, back to Hong Kong, several trips from Bournemouth to Leeds, Manchester & Liverpool to Exeter & Torquay, Big gigs for Jongleurs on the Road, little gigs at pubs in towns so small even the locals didn't know they lived there... (Cornwall). After that palaver Edinburgh Fringe 2012 hit with massive costs and me running around doing everything I could to recoup my expenditure. I spent over £6,500 to make just short of £600... which puts me firmly in the 1% of paid venue shows that made a profit in a year that had the audience levels down due to the Olympics and show numbers on the increase  (over 4,000 this year!) Then I ended up staying in Scotland for an extra week to cover off four more shows in Aberdeen, Glasgow & Motherwell before heading down to Poole to say goodbye to some very dear friends (Scott Charlton & Dave Fitzgerald) in my farewell gig before heading back to Hong Kong to headline their comedy festival for a week with additional performances in Macau before returning to New Zealand!
I'm HOME! It's very strange to be back, so much has changed, yet strangely many of the people seem eerily the same, like NZ is a little time capsule for people and even though new streets and tunnels spring up around them, people don't seem to age, some didn't even seem to be aware that I had been away, walking in to the Classic comedy bar in many respects was like watching a rerun of 'Cheers'. The same people, having the same conversations. It's quite bizarre! My girls have grown though, their young ladies now, testing their new found lady abilities on twisting Daddy around their little fingers to get what they want. Such is life :D
Now that I'm back, what am I doing? I can't really afford to go back to what I was doing when I left, I'm 40 years old (in a week). I struggle to justify scratching for 4 gigs a month at the Classics door for the same amount of money I'd been able to earn at a pub gig in London. Still want to keep my hand in with stand up, but need to earn more here at home that what stand up can provide. So far I've managed to swing a guest spot on Auckland Daze, confirmed for a 4 minute spot on Maori TV and sorting out a voice reel for Johnson & Laird so I can try and get work that way. I've also been offered a job as a TV Producer with Noggin Films/Film Construction who are interested in  Repo Kings as well for next year. Finally folks, I'm off to Jakarta next week for my birthday and to perform in the Jak Fringe - alongside some comedy favourites of mine, Bill Bailley, Phil Nichol & Glenn Wool. Seriously looking forward to that, I've also rejoined the NZ Comedy Guild and will be working with Nick Rado & Tarun Mohanbhai to organise guild fundraising events.
 

Performing in a disaster area

November 15, 2011
Having returned from my most recent jaunt overseas, I took a little to reflect. I had been booked to head back to Hong Kong to perform a string of three shows followed with shows in Thailand, one in Phuket and two more in Bangkok. It was all very exciting with the prospect of 5 star hotels free meals and drinks, upgrades to premium economy. What I was not aware of at the time was that Thailand was on the brink of nationwide disaster! We had heard news reports of course about flooding in Thail...
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Great article on Chortle from Danny McGinlay

September 22, 2011
'Being the compere on a comedy night fills many seasoned performers with trepidation. And rightly so – it’s a thankless, sometimes shitty, job. You are the canary in the mine, the very frontline in the battle between audience and comedian. You have to be likeable, create rapport with the crowd, and then, just as you have them where you want them, you have to humbly leave the stage for another act to benefit from your hard work. 

You have to keep the night flowing, occasionally mop up blood...

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Weekend Headliner - ME!

September 12, 2011
Ok, so just over a year in country and I've secured my first weekend gig as the headline act for a major club chain - Jongleurs. R David MC, Trevor Crook opening with Kai Humphries in the middle section. Birmingham Jongleurs runs out of Oceana club on Hurst street and has played host to a variety of live entertainment since the early seventies. Mostly music gigs but now is running spoken word shows. This presents some problems as anyone who has ever tried to produce a comedy gig in a music ve...
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I don't mean to harp on about this but...

September 8, 2011
I don't know how many times I've seen people working the open mike circuit, in some cases for a number of years who are still stuck doing open mike gigs and working for nothing. The big question being that they don't know how to get paying gigs, bookers will only offer them open mike spots, in some cases they only get booked because they have a car and are willing to drive the acts who will be getting paid for performing. The simple answer is this;

STOP DOING OPEN MIKE SPOTS!

Only YOU can make ...
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The Brilliance of Professional Gigs

September 5, 2011
I've been a working paid professional in the comedy industry for a while now, and with moving to a new country, one does have to deal with starting from scratch (albeit with a boat load of experience behind you). When I came to the UK it was to. slake a my passion to learn more and experience more so that I could be a better comic. I had seen international acts travel to NZ for the comedy festival and most if not all were amazing. This lead me to believe that ALL acts from those respective co...
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lessons from Edinburgh (as seen on www.chortle.co.uk )

August 28, 2011

So this is it… Edinburgh Festival! A chill of anticipation grips my spine. Initial costings to put the show on that I want to perform at just over £8,000. Which would financially negate the last year of work. A daunting prospect for one’s first time in Edinburgh, having not seen a single venue, or know where that venue was in the city.

Thus a more prudent approach is warranted. Yes, go to Edinburgh, see as many shows as possible in as many different venues as possible. Get a feel for how ...


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The joys of international comedy

August 1, 2011
Having now had an opportunity to reflect upon the nature of some recent shows in Hong Kong, I can confirm that it wasn't just me and the heady mix of alcohol at 36,000 feet combined with jet lag and diclofenac, the shows there were truly amazing. Why? good question. Having done a few ex pat gigs now, I can see why. English speaking peoples in a non english speaking country are literally starved for entertainment, when a show is announced they all come from near and far literally salivating at...
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Lanzarote, UK Costs & My First UK review

June 21, 2011
So once again, I see that I have been really bloody slack in keeping this thing updated. However, I suppose it just gives me more to write about (?). In any case, things have been progressing and progressing well. I'm no longer MC in Lanzarote, turned out to be a short run as permanent MC of a bi monthly gig which quickly became a tri-monthly gig and now they may be running their last comedy gig. However, I suspect that I may not be on the bill due to telling off a woman in the crowd during t...
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So Lee Evans liked my suit...

February 7, 2011
I have always been of the opinion that if you are going to be an 'Entertainer' you should do your best to look like an entertainer. Having seen a massive amount of live stand up on the box over here, it was pretty clear that the successful comics, who are working in regular TV gigs all chose to be decked out in the classic suit, some were suit and tie, others, suit and no tie. I would be the only comic sporting a suit with matching tie / pocket square or a tuxedo, no other comics appear to be...
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About Me


Andre King I'm a stand up comedian and actor living and working in New Zealand. Im a former private investigator, champion martial artist, soldier, debt collection agent & bouncer. I'm divorced, have two children - both girls and I live and breathe the stage, I've been blessed with the ability to make a room full of strangers laugh and it fills me with great satisfaction and sense of purpose when they do. This is my blog.

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