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Month: February 2021

A Great Start

A Great Start

The first show of 2021 turned out to be a great start to the Honest Liars’ show year.

The timing was perfect as the players geared up with the show’s theme being Romance. It’s February – Valentine month, and so the balloons and rose petals decked the Jam Factory as the crew got the stage and chairs set for the night’s performance.

romance at the Jam factory

The players arrived at the theatre in plenty of time to get their funny bones well and truly warmed up before the audience began trickling in. And before anyone could say “Curtain Call” the seats were full, the show commenced and the laughter started.

Melissa warmed up the crowd, which didn’t take much as many were repeat devotees who already knew that the show’s success depended on those sitting in the seats.

The first quick-fire game, “Out of the Hat” had the players stepping forward with one-liners to topics such as “People you wouldn’t want to meet at a nudist colony”, “Unfortunate wedding night confessions” and “World’s Worst Oscar acceptance speech”. The next game was a new one for the audience. “Laugh Elimination”. One for all players who must NOT make the audience laugh. Turns out to be not an easy task.

With both audience and players fired up the games began in earnest.

“The Clap” game started the Romance for the night with Ian giving Melissa a Valentine gift. However, it was wrapped in newspaper, and turned out to be a Moro bar, not exactly the most romantic gesture. But the three teams played brilliantly with their topics clapping for the best words to continue their scenes. Finally, the last clap had them all naked, befitting for the occasion.

honest liars clap game

It was then time for the “Pocket Note” game, always a crowd favourite. The situation Melissa, Fee and Kathy found themselves in was at the Zoo. Melissa and Kathy were lovers who were looking at the baboons when Fee, their gynecologist turned up. The notes did provide a fair amount of hilarity as the girls wove them into the scene. Even “stop snoring” became the tattoo that was on Kathy’s derriere. And “I’m a doctor” was a very apt line for the doctor’s licence plate much to the audience’s enjoyment.

The great “Hollywood Director” game saw the scene played in different themes. The audience’s suggestion of gondoliers talking about their business soon had one of them singing “O Sol Mio” much to the other two’s disgust. The second version was a romantic comedy, and the third a Western with the gondoliers on horseback offering horse rides for whiskey and not a Gondola in sight.

honest liars hollywood director

Onto the stage came the Rookies hell bent on strutting their stuff. The first game saw Ian, Sue and Matt in “Alphabet”. The topic from the audience was a proposal which seemed odd at first with three players. But they rose to the challenge, and before long they were in a churchyard doing Gothic stuff as a thruple. They ended up in an X-rated underground club!

Their next game was “Space Jump” in which Kevin joined in to make up the fourth player. Sue began with a Valentine Day Jewellery store heist. When Matt arrived, the scene changed to a Vet trying to get a thermometer out of a giraffe’s bottom. Ian’s scene had the boys wanting to go out for pizza much to the healthy mother’s admonishing. Finally, Kevin put up a brilliant scene of a surgeon who needed to have the instruments cleaned. Quick as a wink, Sue began licking them and the “Oooooh’s” from the audience were quickly replaced by laughter.

honest liars rookies

Kathy, aka Rainy Mist, was the contestant for the “Dating” game which saw her try to choose between Kevin the clean freak, Matt, playing bone made bagpipes and Jamie Oliver played by Ian. When Matt said, he liked to shop for tartan Kathy responded that tartan in her country equated to flannel pyjamas of which she wouldn’t be opposed to if Matt had some. But it was ‘Jamie’ who got the girl in the end.

honest liars dating game

The “Themed Restaurant” saw Kevin and Fee having a romantic dinner aboard the Titanic. There was a lovely violinist, plenty of ice for their drinks a bit of listing going on and even one ‘waiter’ who wanted to rearrange their ‘deckchairs’. You can use your imagination as to how that dinner ended.

After the restaurant, it was time for “The Cube” another favourite, caught in this snippet:

 

Finally the last game of “Puppets” had the audience in stitches as the puppet masters, Leonie and Bevan who were brave enough to volunteer, worked Kelly and Matt into various positions as they created the scene.

honest liars puppets

Now if you’re an avid reader of these blogs, you will know what comes next. Once the show was over, and the lights turned off the players then headed off to the Mood Lounge where, this time, several of the audience members joined them for a celebratory drink to end a most successful night.

after the show

Thanks to the players:

Kathy
Kevin
Fee
Kim
Kelly
Melissa
The Rookies

Ian
Sue
Matt

 

honest liars testimonial honest liars testimonial

The next show at the Jam Factory is on Sunday 7th March 7 pm

Book your tickets, have a drink at Mood Lounge first, then join us for loads of laughs.

1st Sunday of every Month
Jam Factory, Historic Village
Show Starts: 7 p.m.

book nowNext Workshop – Jam Factory Sunday 28th February 10am to 3pm Jam Factory.

If you can’t make this workshop but interested in coming along please Contact us:

Getting Fine Tuned

Getting Fine Tuned

The first show of 2021 is fast approaching and what could be better than the players having a full-day workshop with one of the greats of N.Z. Improv, Wade Jackson from Covert Theatre. (Remember Covert? Check out the trip the players had HERE)

 

Let’s give you a little background about Wade so you get a feel for how much this guy can bring to a workshop.

He is the founder of the Covert Theatre and its current Artistic Director. Wade is also the founding member of The Improv Bandits and has performed, studied, taught, produced and directed improvisation since 1994. He’s a double world improv champion having won titles in Calgary (2000) and Chicago (2002) and is regarded internationally as a leading authority in the art of improvisation. 

That’s some C.V.!

 

The workshop wasn’t starting until 10 am, but many of the players, forever keen as mustard, got to the café at 9 am to have their caffeine fix and get their excitement under control. Those who came closer to start-time got their coffee to go!

 

Then it was off to the Mako room (an excellent name for a Papamoa Beach venue), and the workshop began. The venue was perfect, large enough to hold 16 players and one teacher. The water bottles were in abundance as the day turned out to be a scorcher, but the players were happy with the air conditioner going at full speed.

 

Right at the beginning as the Honest Liars troupe stood in a circle Wade went round each person and remembered everyone’s name. The players were immediately impressed with this seasoned Improver. 

 

workshop with wade jackson

 

One of the early exercises was called ‘Shapes’, and as the players separated into teams of two, Wade called out an object and, without speaking, the players had to shape themselves into that form. 

 

The teams went from two to four to eight creating object such as salt and pepper shakers, Ferraris and the sky tower and finally all sixteen players formed into a grand piano with one person playing.

 

Wade seemed to get the best from the players as each exercise was conducted under his experienced tutelage. 

 

honest liars getting fine tuned up

 

A break for lunch gave the players sustenance and livened them up for the afternoon session. After a few more lessons it was onto some games with Wade introducing some new ones to the group. One in particular that was well received was the Soul Mate game where two people have to speak in one voice, tricky but a load of fun. 

Wade certainly didn’t hesitate to step in to demonstrate which the players appreciated.

 

wade jackson teach honest liars

 

The entire day had been a resounding success, and the players gave their thanks to Wade as they filed out of the Mako room and headed to the Pap Tavern for the obligatory drink to celebrate new skills learned and old ones honed.

 

 

And just so you know, Reader, the following day was a strategy meeting to scheme and hatch and plan out 2021. Be warned; there are some great games afoot.

Thanks to all the players who attended (all but one were there). And a huge thank you to Wade Jackson for coming down from Auckland and getting beyond the Bombay hill to part with his knowledge. Remember you can see the Improv Bandits at:

covert theatre

The next show at the Jam Factory is on
Sunday 7th February 7 pm

Book your tickets, have a drink at Mood Lounge first, then join us for loads of laughs.

1st Sunday of every Month
Jam Factory, Historic Village
Show Starts: 7 p.m.book nowNext Workshop – Jam Factory Saturday, February 28th 10am – 3pm

Contact us if you’re interested but can’t make that date.

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