hlimprovers, Author at Honest Liars Improv

Once the seats were out and the stage set, the warm-up games began getting the brains firing, and the laughter started. Always time for a quick bite to eat before the curtain went up (figuratively speaking), the players continued the banter.

There was no spare seat in the house as the Honest Liars ran onto the stage amidst loud applause.

The first game out of the ranks was Alphabet. One that had gone down well with the Auckland audience and certainly not lost on the home crowd. The unusual relationship suggested was twin rivalry over the inheritance. Matt and Melissa had a great time arguing that one was getting a million dollars and the other was getting the cat. However, by the time they got to the letter Z, they had worked on a plan where both benefited.

The Cube had a variety of subjects, from murder to candy. Best if you watch it to get the full impact of this excellent twisting game.

Another crowd favourite was Pocket Note. This is where the audience (while players are out of hearing) offers suggested sentences written on slips of paper and laid out on the stage. The players must cunningly incorporate what is written into their dialogue and keep the game flowing. The fun is the anticipation. The person who wrote the line wants to see how it is weaved into the story. The scene was set at the beach where a tsunami was about to arrive. Sally and Kathy were applying sunscreen, giving a perfect opening for the first note, “I can’t believe it’s not butter”. Jon, the lifeguard, finally admitted he had a tramp stamp which said (from the note), “up yours”. This final note perfectly fitted in before the tsunami hit.

The games continue with great laughter from the packed audience then it was time for A Day In The Life Of. The beautiful audience member, Colleen, kindly volunteered to have her day recreated by the Honest Liars. After answering questions put to her from Kathy, from the retirement home comes the following snippet of A Day In The Life Of.

The show wound up with the Themed Restaurant being on top of Mt Everest, where the table water was frozen, and Yak meat was the main course. Chef Tenzing Norgay appeared to do all the work, and the cutlery was made up of ice axes.

The appreciative crowd filed out of the Jam Factory with comments of returning for the next show. The players then packed up the chairs and tidied up after another successful Honest Liars Improv Show.

Thanks to players

Melissa
Kathy
Jon
Matt

Kevin
Kim
Sally

Thanks to the Crew:

Fee and Kelly

And a Thanks to Colleen for a delightful story.

The next show at the Jam Factory is on Sunday 6th June 7 pm

Book your tickets and join the players for loads of laughs. We are a BYO!

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

The Auckland Improv Festival

By hlimprovers | April 26, 2021

The Auckland Improv Festival finally arrived, making the days a flurry of activity with workshops to be worked on and shows to be seen.

Held at the Covert Theatre in Ponsonby, it was a massive opportunity to take advantage of experienced teachers like Jim Fishwick from Hamilton, Wade Jackson and Penny Ashton, both from Auckland and others. These meant that new skills and tools were added to the Honest Liars repertoire of games.

The players arrived in the big smoke in individual and group convoys over a few days. Some came later due to their work life, but all had one intent in mind: learning and absorbing as much improv as possible.

Meeting at mealtimes and after workshops stretched the players’ knowledge as they discussed what had been learned. Shows offered inspiration and new ideas as well as laughter and enjoyment.

The last day rolled around, and after a couple of workshops, the players just had time to have a bit of a break before they were on stage for their hour-long show. Nerves were quelled in the green room after a good warm-up and focus techniques. The intro music played, and the Honest Liars ran out onto the stage.

Performing in a different theatre was a novelty, but the players rose to the occasion and games commenced.

They played Alphabet, Pocket Note, Film Noir and a selection of other games showing a variety of short-form improv. These had the audience laughing and enjoying the Honest Liars’ show. The players were put through their paces in locations such as a tree-house, SeaWorld and the deli section at Countdown. From steamy, crime drama to western to pantomime, a diversity of genres filtered throughout the stories being told. A Lord of the Rings Themed Restaurant finished the show with an epic statement of

“The meal is free, but the N.Z. taxpayer will be charged 14 million dollars… enjoy the rest of your evening.”

…and, being the last line, it wound up a successful hour.

Back in the green room, the players quickly de-briefed, took some well needed slow breaths then headed back to the bar to join family, friends and fellow improvers for a well-deserved drink.

Players on stage:

Kathy
Kelly
Fee
Brett

Melissa
Kim
Jon
Mark

and special mention to Sally, Sue and Ian whose commitment to Improv brought them up for the workshops and shows. That’s dedication!

The next show at the Jam Factory is on
Sunday 2nd May 7 pm

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

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

The Show Must Go On

By hlimprovers | April 9, 2021

A few fingernails were bitten in trepidation for the Easter show, but the players all agreed that the show must go on.

Not only had many locals (and players) left town, but the Jazz festival was in full swing. By the Sunday evening, the jazz goers were winding down after a full-on weekend, so it didn’t look hopeful that there would be an audience.

Never ones to be defeated, the players arrived at the Jam Factory, and after setting up the chairs, warming up the vocals, there was just enough time for a quick bite to eat before the audience arrived. And, yes, ticket sales had happened, so people were expected.

Just before the show began, loud music threatened to drown out any narrative. A rock band was giving a concert on the lawn outside the Mood lounge opposite the Jam Factory. A quick discussion and the players agreed

The Show Must Go On!

Board games and Horror films were the first suggestions for the game of ‘Categories’ in which it was decided that ‘Frozen’ was not a horror film!!

The ‘Themed Restaurant’ was set in the Rocky Horror Show where Kevin and Sue were celebrating their anniversary. The staff came to their table with lines of “The sweet is Transvestite” “On the menu is Dr Frankfurter”, and one waiter brought in the Time Warp song by jumping the table to the left.

A new game for the audience was ‘The Twitch’. This saw Kathy interviewing people for a job at a gas station and taking on their mannerisms. You will see how that worked in the snippet video below.

‘He Said, She Said’ was another new game and saw Kelly and Brett as plumbers in the public toilet. Brett was the seasoned plumber who could dive in with hands and grab the shit out without blinking, whereas Kelly, the apprentice, had to suit up with shoulder-high gloves. In fact, she put on a second pair just to be absolutely sure.

‘Pocket Note’ was back and saw Brett, Kelly and Matt on the Moon for a bachelor party. Looking for strippers was quite an ordeal, but with lines (given by the audience) such as “Thou shalt not shag the bunny”, “My girlfriend looked good in that too,” and “Get the cooking oil” proved to be pivotal to the story. The players couldn’t have asked for more perfect notes.

The show ended on an absolute high and the game ‘A Day In The Life’ had one audience member, Jayden, telling the emcee, Kathy, all about his birthday, which had finished with coming to the show.

The players then played out the day with Jon as Jayden being woken up by Mum, Kathy and Grandma, Kelly.

Three naps, a scavenger hunt and family coming for a party had all the players offering a hilarious rendition of Jayden’s day. The large table that grandma had made had many players carefully trying to fit it into the small space, then Brett, playing a double door fridge, was brought in as the gift from mum.

The fridge turned out to be a small beer one! But the table was definitely large.

Thanks to Jayden and his family for providing the players with a great story to tell (and sending photos of the real things).

Finally, the curtain came down (metaphorically), and as the audience filed out, it became apparent that the competing music band had been zoned out, and the show was a success.

Mood lounge was still open, so the players wandered across for some snacks and a drink before heading home to the respective beds.

ANNOUNCEMENT!

The Honest Liars have been invited to perform an hour-long show at the Auckland Improv Festival!

If you’re in Auckland Sunday 25th April the players will be at The Covert Theatre in Ponsonby. You can book your tickets here: FESTIVAL SHOW

Thanks to players

Kathy
Kelly
Ian
Brett

Sue
Matt
Jon
Kevin

Thanks to the Crew:

Fee and the players!

And thanks to Jayden, his mum and sister for a delightful story.

The next show at the Jam Factory is on Sunday 2nd May 7 pm hot on the heels of the Auckland Improv Festival … FESTIVAL SHOW

Book your tickets for our regular show, have a drink at Mood Lounge first, then join the players for loads of laughs.

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

Back Just In Time

By hlimprovers | March 19, 2021

Level 1 came back just in time for the Honest Liars’ March Show.

Finally, the rain had cleared, the lockdown levels changed, and the players bustled into the Jam Factory for the pre-show activities.

Warm-ups, run-throughs, sound and lighting checks, chairs out and stage set. Time for a quick pop into the Mood Lounge to get into the mood for the night’s performance.

Quite a few new faces in the audience, which meant they were in for a treat as Melissa, the emcee for the night, introduced them to the art of clapping. Nothing beats resounding applause!

‘Laugh Elimination’ had proved popular at the previous show and certainly delivered again as the players navigated themselves through a wedding in a cathedral in Barcelona. The choir sounded like chipmunks, and the story ended with a vegan vampire unable to drink the blood of Christ wine.

Jon and Kelly did a stellar performance with the new game ‘He Said, She Said’. The argument between this married couple was all about the washing. Jon tried to find a pair of jeans instead found a pair belonging to his wife, which fitted her 30 years ago. However, the crunch came when he discovered a beautiful piece of pink lingerie in the laundry basket, and it didn’t belong to Kelly. Her anxiety attack sent Jon to fetch her pills, of which he had switched them to cyanide.

The’ Change Game’ saw Kim trying to teach Brett how to drive a bus. When Kim got him to look at the little boy Kathy tapped change. The little boy then changed to a kiwi bird followed by a drunk. So it was settled, Brett was to head for the drunk. Fee and Kathy’s changes took the story in lots of different direction, much to the delight of the audience.

The second half brought in a crowd favourite ‘Pocket Note’. This had Sally and Melissa as road workers and Kelly as the Forman who struggled to control the team. It wasn’t long before employment contracts, mother’s wise words and signposts were quoted from the notes suggested by the audience. “She’s my cousin”, “He made me do it”, and “I’ve given you an STD” were just a sample of the lines these road workers weaved into the story.

The show flowed on, and the laughter continued.

‘A Special Event’. saw one brave audience member, Peter, volunteer to recount his birthday. His wife, Jacqui, had brought him to the show as a surprise.

The day unfolded from coffee in bed, swimming in the neighbour’s pool, and watching sport on TV before coming to the show.

Then it was time for the players to take over!

Jon (Peter) and Kim (Jacqui) set about re-enacting the birthday. Kathy became the neighbour, Janet, and Brett, the brother-in-law who was visiting.

A great deal of creative licence went on, much to the delight of both Peter and the audience.

To end the show, it was time for the press to grill Jon, who had fronted up as CEO of Air N.Z., to explain why both wings had fallen off a plane. Throughout the questioning by the fourth estate, hints were given. From Paul McCartney’s band Wings to one press member pointing out the exits, Jon finally pieced together who he was and what had happened.

The audience filed out, still chuckling and with comments of returning with friends. For the players, it was time for a wind-down at Mood before returning to shut down the Jam Factory and head off home.

Thanks to the players:

Kathy
Fee
Sally
Kim

Kelly
Mark
Jon
Brett

Thanks to the Emcee: Melissa and Crew: Sue and Caleb.

The next show ……. Sunday 4^th April at 7 pm

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW.

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

A Great Start

By hlimprovers | February 16, 2021

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thanks to the players:

Kathy
Kevin
Fee
Kim
Kelly
Melissa

The Rookies

Ian
Sue
Matt

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.

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

Next 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

By hlimprovers | February 2, 2021

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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

An Honest Liars’ Road Trip

By hlimprovers | December 15, 2020

It was time for a mercy dash to Auckland for some of the Honest Liars. Why? For more laughter, of course!

End of a great year and it was time to go and check out some other improvisers. A couple of the players had already sampled the talented troupe at The Covert Theatre in Auckland, coming back with tales of brilliance and both long and short-form games. It was a no-brainer; everyone needed to see it, so it was time for a quick dash to the big smoke for an injection of hilarious improvisation from seasoned players.

Sadly, not all the players could go, but a staunch bunch of eight climbed into the hired van and hit the road around 3 pm. Disastrous time for the traffic as it was building up through Bayfair and Tauranga. But by the time the van left the outskirts of town, the vehicles were flowing, the nibbles opened and the chatter increased.

Finding a park wasn’t as easy as one would think. The van was manoeuvred into a park that proved too small, but finally, a couple of streets from the theatre gold was struck, and a perfect park materialised.

It was fairly apparent that a couple of the Honest Liars had been before as warm greetings emanated from the Auckland players. It didn’t take too long for drinks to be in everyone’s hands and so began the ‘getting to know you’ part of the evening.

The bell rang. It was showtime!

Ooos and ahhhs from the HL team as they soaked in the magic of this specially built improv theatre. Finding perfect seats, they settled in for the show, taking a selfie to prove they had come.

Some of the games were familiar to the Honest Liars, and others were new. From the Cube to the Press Conference the Improv Bandits played each game with ease and flow. The polished acting enhanced the improvised comedy wit, and the audience were belly laughing.

But one in the HL group was singled out for the Celebrate Day game. Not one to take a back seat, Fee, when asked if anyone was celebrating today, called out that her granddaughter had been born that morning. There was no going back as one of the Bandits honed in on such a juicy suggestion. The game unfolded with brilliance as the players re-enacted Fee’s day leaving Fee crying with laughter as she re-lived it in a much funnier version.

Finally, the curtain (figuratively) came down, and the Honest Liars gang made their way out to the bar to join some of the evening’s players delighting in their company.

The trip back to Papamoa didn’t seem so long as there was much to talk about, but soon some of the passengers nodded off and left the stalwarts to keep Melissa alert as she brilliantly drove the tired troupe home.

The Covert Theatre team should prepare for more rabid fans – the Honest Liars will be back and probably bring more of the troupe with them!

If you, Reader, are heading to Auckland or live in that fair city, do yourself a favour and head to the Covert Theatre for a night out of professional, fun-filled improvisation at its best!

Click on their logo below for more information.

Thanks go to Melissa who organised this outing, did a stellar job driving the manual, clunky van and introduced the players to an outstanding place of wit and cleverness!

Don’t forget

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.

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

The Honest Liars do Christmas.

By hlimprovers | December 8, 2020

🎄♫ ♫ “Oh the weather outside is sunny

And the players are all so funny

And since we’ve got no place to go

Start the show, start the show, start the show.” ♫♫🎄

The players were busy when they arrived at the Jam Factory because they already knew it was a ‘Sold Out’ show. This meant all available chairs needed to be set up with a few extras for the usual walk-ins!

Wasn’t long before it was time to warm up with the quick-fire games to get the brain working.

The crew arrived to put out the banners and signs so the new punters could find their way. Reserve notices put on the chairs and the front desk organised. Steve, the elf, proved invaluable throughout the entire show and certainly played up to the ‘Christmas help’ elves are known for.

The audience started arriving in rather large numbers, and it was quite the memory game as they checked in, then buggered off to Mood for a drink. The elf was onto it though coming up with the ingenious idea of marking the back of their hands with an ‘HL’ done with a whiteboard marker. A trick that will be used again.

Soon the patrons settled in and Melissa welcomed everyone telling them that if they didn’t give good suggestions, it would be their fault if the show failed. The players, suitably attired in their festive cheer, arrived on stage to much cheering and whooping from the primed crowd.

The usual warmup games began the show with Kevin proving to be a very popular Santa during the ‘Scenes from a Hat’ game.

In the ‘Alphabet’ game, Wendy and Kathy were arguing over money for Christmas. As there was only $10.00 left in the bank, Kathy quickly told Wendy she’d have to go out to work. After all it was Wendy who depleted the account buying the kids gold-encrusted diamond earmuffs.

The word suggestions for the ‘Clap’ game proved exceptional. John and Kelly were given a body, Kim and Wendy’s was newspaper and Kathy and Melissa had scuba gear. It turned out the dead body was doing Pilates, and his head was at 180°, the newspaper was used to pick up the cats’ poop (yes, many cats) and the scuba gear was purchased with the kids’ stolen pocket money.

Kelly, once again, shone with her ‘Sign Language Expert’ antics. This time Jon was being interviewed as an expert in teaching dung beetles how to play underwater hockey. It soon became apparent that he didn’t have much success. As dung beetles float, he had tried putting teeny tiny concrete shoes on them, but most of them drowned. Then he had a problem trying to find dung for them. In the meantime, Kelly was doing a fantastic job ‘signing’, (well, miming) all these different things.

It was then time for the students to show off their skills. The cheering ramped up as they came on stage for their two games. ‘Space Jump’, (not an easy one) and the ‘Alphabet’ game. The suggestion for the alphabet was Christmas themed, and they were kids. It soon became apparent that they were from the same family hell-bent on changing Christmas to Halloween or even a birthday. Until it was let out of the bag that one of them was adopted! A twist no-one saw coming. These four are rising players who will get better as they hone their skills.

In the second half of the show, the games ramped up with the comedy.

‘Pocket Note’, a firm favourite with audiences, saw Doctors Kim, Mark and Jon assigned to doing house calls on Christmas Eve. As they were lamenting their fate, Mark reminded them that the Hippocratic Oath, clause 24 states “Get Covid again” an obvious thing for the financial wellbeing of the medical fraternity. And later on, when Mark looked into the drugs cabinet, there was a sign that said: “show me the money” proving his earlier point.

‘Themed Restaurant’ made its debut at the Jam Factory and was well received. The dining was set in a Funeral Home restaurant which made for some classic one-liners by the players as they waited on the table.

See for yourself:

‘Film Noir’ saw Jon, a somewhat lax pool lifeguard miserable with all the primary kids until he saw the smoking hot teacher, Melissa, approaching. The teacher was chain-smoking cigarettes, and her thoughts of the pool guard were that he had a face only a mother could love. It couldn’t be a ‘Film Noir’ without the romance, and it ended with the two of them heading off to the changing room for something the audience could easily guess.

The final game ‘Hollywood Director’ was set in the Pyramids with the waking up of a 3000 year old mummy. Not satisfied with the acting the director changed the genre to horror then to western. But it was what was written in hieroglyphics that stole the game as it changed with each take.

As the audience made their way out from the show, there were lots of comments of

“We’ll be back!”

“Great show.”

“Thanks for the laughs.”

All things that the players love to hear.

Chairs away, signs in, lights out—time to head to Mood for a Christmas drink with some of the audience members.

🎄 Happy Christmas, everyone!! 🎄

Thanks to the players:

Kathy
Wendy
Kevin
Kelly
Melissa
Mark
Kim
Jon

Thanks to the Crew:

Fee
Sally
Steve
Caleb – sound.

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.

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

The Lead up to the Christmas Show.

By hlimprovers | December 3, 2020

Leading up to Christmas and final show, the Honest Liars were able to squeeze in a couple of ‘one-offs’.

In both cases, the shows were so successful that the players were asked for a repeat performance in 2021. Obviously, as it is Improv, a ‘repeat’ is not possible. BUT future performances are!

However, before the shows happened, it was a craft evening for the players. Something completely different, although the laughs still were in abundance.

A wooden Christmas tree was to be erected on the Strand (part of a community event), and the Honest Liars were given the task of painting the wooden ‘baubles’ that were to be hung on it.

Never one to shirk an opportunity for wine, nibbles and laughs the players arrived at the Historic Village and began the task of painting funny faces.

The ‘serious’ task soon evolved into ‘crazy’!!!

Task completed. Faces painted, wine and nibbles finished, time to go home.

A delight to see the tree up and reflecting the fun of Improv.

Then came the shows.

The first one at The Mount Golf Club offered a spectacular venue as the stage was set in front of the massive windows that overlooked the golf course.

Thankfully the players faced the audience so were not distracted as the games began with ‘Scenes From a Hat’, covering topics from the “World’s Worst weather forecaster”, “What you shouldn’t say at a job interview” to “What the voices in Trump’s head are saying”.

The winners of the ‘Alphabet Duel’ were Melissa and Jon who were renovating their home over Fee and Steve having a baby. It was clearly apparent that it is much more stressful to renovate!

‘The Dating Game’ was another winner as Kevin (the bachelor) had to pick from Kay who had Tourettes, Melissa, who was overly interested in horses and Kathy who was Melania Trump. As soon as Kevin said he was the wealthiest man in the world ‘Melania’ was up on her feet wanting to take the bachelor there and then.

When it came time for ‘Hollywood Director’ Kevin set the direction for a great game having the players in a hotel near the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Melissa, Jon and Kay immediately all leaned into the plot to the enjoyment of the audience. Switching from Straight to Horror and finally to Western culminated in the guests (Jon and Kay) leaping from the window as an earthquake hit.

Finally, a new game was introduced ‘Theme Restaurant’ which had Kim and Steve sitting at a table entirely in the dark. A twist to the story was that it was also a blind date. The rest of the players were the wait staff and, as this was a lights out restaurant, menus missed the table, napkins were put in places other than laps and Steve mistook the seeing-eye dog as a hairy waitress. The diners were finally told not to eat the blowfish as the kitchen was also operating in the dark.

The Golf Club’s successful show was followed several days later by the players entertaining the Probus group for their end of year function.

A slightly different format to begin the show as the audience had been dining first. The Honest Liars, equipped with Christmas décor and loud, rambunctious music, gate-crashed the dining room and got everyone to bring their wine and follow the music up to the theatre.

The games began with the usual warm-up of Scenes from a Hat followed by the Duel Alphabet. This time Fee and Kevin battled against Kay and Melissa. And although Kay was a murderous daughter who wanted the Christmas pudding recipe from her mother. It was the fact that Kevin was heading off to the moon leaving Fee gleefully finding the alone time conducive to hanging out with Pedro, the pool boy that got the biggest round of applause. They were declared the winners.

The audience enjoyed the antics of Space Jump as Sally didn’t want to jump from the plane, which then evolved into her giving birth when Mark called the next scene. Fee was third in changing the game to three criminals trying to escape through a hedge, and finally, Kay came in as a cheerleader spelling out Probus. One by one the scenes finished as each player existed out.

The Dating Game saw Sweetie, (Kay), arrive and having to choose from the three contestants. Mark had an issue with mice in Monaco, Melissa collected tea leaves, and Sally played an excellent Winston Peters. Watch the clip to see it unfold.

Kevin played The Hollywood Director as he tried to get three actors to perform in his new movie about making moonshine in New York for Alan a gangster arriving at any minute. As Kay and Melissa made the moonshine, Fee, playing Alan’s mole, arrived and, after saying the password, was allowed in. From a very vanilla scene, the Director changed the genre to be Elizabethan. Alan became Alan the Great, and the mole turned into a wench. But the movie didn’t shine until it became a Western. Alan was now Bad Bart, and the wench became Annie who, with guns blazing, arrived to collect the whiskey for herself.

The show ended with the fun game of Puppets. Kevin and Kay were on their first date, which happened to be in a mental hospital. Somehow they ended up in the toilet where beautiful music was playing. The puppeteers, Mark and Sally, certainly had a riot putting these two into the most awkward positions.

Finally, all players came out on stage for the last time to thank the audience and receive the well-deserved applause. Another successful show and an excellent warm-up for the final Christmas show of the year! A heads-up – the Christmas show has already sold out. But keep a watch out for the Honest Liars coming back on the first Sunday in February 2021.
Thanks to the players:

Mt Golf Club Probus Group

Melissa
Fee
Steve
Kathy
Kevin
Kay
Jon

Melissa
Kevin
Sally
Mark
Kay
Fee
Kathy (Emcee)

The next show at the Jam Factory is on Sunday 6^th December 7 pm

Hope you’ve got your tickets, have a drink at Mood Lounge first, then join us for loads of laughs.

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

Great Fun Over Four Weeks

By hlimprovers | November 11, 2020

Another successful round of workshops has ended the year in a celebratory mode.

Thankfully the dreaded Mr Virus didn’t put in an appearance to stop the latest round of workshops as it had done so in the past. Instead, a lively bunch of keen people turned up at the Taster to give Improv a go.

With games like ‘I Am A Tree’ everyone jumped right in, and the first session was a real hit.

Much to the delight of the teachers, most of those trying Improv decided to keep going. The students quickly grasped the concept and basic skills of Improv which made for loads of fun over the following three weeks.

Finally, the last day arrived, and the ‘students’ gleefully turned up full of vigour and enthusiasm. It began with a run-through of what they had learnt, followed by some warm-up games. One of these was a players’ favourite the ‘Cat Walk Dance’—a great way to limber up and learn the art of teamwork.

Then it was time for games. Some were ones they had already done; others were new.

‘Super Heroes’ saw a global crisis that all the cows were gone – where would the world get their cheese? And so the heroes were called. Mr Fantastic Man, Neil, wasn’t much help, so he called in Mr Itchy Willy. George, playing this part, flipped the humour by being Mr Willy who was itchy.

These were the sorts of twists that abounded throughout the session.

Oh, and by the way, the heroes lassoed the moon and got the cheese from there. Cows no longer were needed.

‘Scene in a Minute’ a new game for the group, had a short scene played over three times, with the third time played within 30 seconds. A tough ask? The students nailed it.

The audience suggestion for one of these was “Takeaways” and Sue, Caitlyn and Neil brought their game. Stressed mum, Sue was not impressed that the pizza was late while her spoiled brat of a daughter, Caitlyn, complained about everything. Finally, the pizza arrived by a stoned delivery guy, Neil, who didn’t care. That is until mum decided to phone his supervisor, who turned out to be his wife ending the scene perfectly.

The morning rolled on with more laughter as scenes were made up on the spot.

The ‘Dating Game’ was a bit more of a challenge for the newbies. But it seemed like nothing was going to hold them back.

Matt was the bachelor who left the room while quirks were given to each contestant. Back he came and then, through a series of questions, he had to figure out what each quirk was. He soon got that Caitlyn had a phobia with the colour red and Ian’s obsession was with chamois. Neil was a little harder, but he finally worked out that Neil was morphing into an octopus. The hints each of the contestants gave were genius.

Another couple of games brought a close to the workshop. So a bottle of bubbles was popped, and the players and teachers sat down to debrief and enjoy each other’s company.

Certificates were handed out, and the mandatory photo was taken. But the players were in no hurry to leave preferring instead to continue to chat with the new friends they had made.

Honest Liars were delighted that all the players (bar one due to prior engagement) committed to the Intermediate workshop. There is some serious talent amongst them, so look out for them at the next show.

Thanks to the Students:

Neil
Ian
Sue
Wendy (past student)

Caitlyn
Matt
George
Steve (past student)

Thanks to the Teachers:

Kathy, Melissa, Kay

The next show at the Jam Factory is on Sunday 6^th December 7 pm and the students will be there!

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

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

NEXT WORKSHOP: SUNDAY 30th MARCH

NEXT SHOW: SATURDAY 1st MARCH

ENGAGE US TO ENTERTAIN YOU

Author: hlimprovers

Back On Home Turf

By hlimprovers | May 28, 2021

Hot on the heels of the excellent performance at the Auckland Improv Festival, the players were fired up and glad to be back on home turf at the Jam Factory for the May show.

The Auckland Improv Festival

By hlimprovers | April 26, 2021

The Auckland Improv Festival finally arrived, making the days a flurry of activity with workshops to be worked on and shows to be seen.

The Show Must Go On

By hlimprovers | April 9, 2021

A few fingernails were bitten in trepidation for the Easter show, but the players all agreed that the show must go on.

Back Just In Time

By hlimprovers | March 19, 2021

Level 1 came back just in time for the Honest Liars’ March Show.

A Great Start

By hlimprovers | February 16, 2021

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

Getting Fine Tuned

By hlimprovers | February 2, 2021

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)

An Honest Liars’ Road Trip

By hlimprovers | December 15, 2020

It was time for a mercy dash to Auckland for some of the Honest Liars. Why? For more laughter, of course!

Some of the games were familiar to the Honest Liars, and others were new. From the Cube to the Press Conference the Improv Bandits played each game with ease and flow. The polished acting enhanced the improvised comedy wit, and the audience were belly laughing.

The Honest Liars do Christmas.

By hlimprovers | December 8, 2020

The Lead up to the Christmas Show.

By hlimprovers | December 3, 2020

Leading up to Christmas and final show, the Honest Liars were able to squeeze in a couple of ‘one-offs’.

Then came the shows.

Great Fun Over Four Weeks

By hlimprovers | November 11, 2020

Another successful round of workshops has ended the year in a celebratory mode.