What's New Archives - Honest Liars Improv

Springing Back Onto The Stage.

By hlimprovers | September 19, 2022

Springtime! The first show heralding in the warmer months, and the players sprang into action.

The Honest Liars were in fine form and delivered an excellent selection of games to the receptive audience. Emcee Jon buoyed up the mid-sized (once again competing with the All Blacks, who finally had a win) audience beginning with a very concise lesson in clapping. After the quick-fire round of categories to wake up the players, the show got down to business with the first game of ‘Pocket Note’.

The suggestion was organising a birthday party which saw mother Sue dealing with her two delinquent children, Steve and Kelly, as they argued about whether to have a pirate or cowboy party. After picking up a note, Mum told the children, “mum is dying”, which definitely put a different slant on the proceedings. Her instructions (another note) to her boy, Steve, was to say at her graveside “what’s that smell?” had the audience in fits of laughter. Timing is everything with this game, and the notes produced a wonderful storyline.

The Honest Liars played the ‘Jailbird’ game for the first time on stage. One player (Sue) was sent out of the room, and the audience suggested why the criminal Sue had just landed in jail. In this case, it was for punching Serena Williams in the face while at the South Pole.

Sue was then brought in and thrown into a cell with two others. By way of clues, she had to figure out what she’d done.

See for yourself:

Another audience favourite, ‘Sign Language,’ saw Kevin interviewing Dr Shorty McSqueeze (Brett) about his expertise in teaching tigers to pole dance. This had Kelly, the sign language interpreter, in all sorts of poses as Dr McSqueeze explained how he found the tigers moving around the skinny trees of Borneo chasing monkeys. The tigers made an easy transition to the poles. His idea was to take the pole-dancing tigers on tour. Of course, they wouldn’t be paid money as there would be plenty of food with the audience because there’d be no cage. Mind you, Dr McSqueeze hadn’t thought it through as the interviewer pointed out he’d start to lose audience numbers as time went on.

Kelly was up and down, squeezing and twirling as she interpreted this overly descriptive story.

Finishing off the first half was the ‘Emotional Symphony’ in which the players were given an emotion to verbalise. Jon then conducted them just like an orchestra, from which he created a rousing musical composition. The audience well received Kevin’s interpretation of a horny emotion. However, as the symphony increased in speed, he didn’t have much time to catch his breath, bringing the whole game to a wonderful climax which delighted those watching.

With the audience refreshed, the second half began with ‘Rant and Rave, ’ one of which saw Brett and Kevin discussing the good and bad side of Teachers. It was a subject that brought out all those boyhood traumas of getting the strap from vile teachers but flipping it to raving and seeing that the strappings weren’t so bad.

The fun of the ‘The Cube’, in which four stories are told in one hit, had the audience in stitches as each tale evolved. But the highlight was when Sue used the enlarging ray on one particular area of Jon, who came back to complain that it had grown to 15 feet and could she shrink it. By the third (and final) round, it was apparent that Sue’s aim was far from accurate. She’d shrunk his feet instead, and he still had the enlarged and extended member that even a car had run over.

The last game of the night was a Vampire ‘Themed Restaurant’. Kevin and Fee were celebrating an anniversary, but it appeared the staff were genuine horror characters. They should have known that it was real because the first drink, a bloody Mary, was made from blood. Ghouls, vampires and monsters came back and forth to the table for various reasons until finally, one vampire bit into Kevin’s neck. Before Kevin had a chance to do the same to his wife, a steak was plunged into his back, and he collapsed. Of course, Fee still had to pay the bill.

The show ended with everyone enjoying not only the drinks from the 16th Ave Theatre bar (thanks to the bar staff) but a fun-filled evening of great games by the Honest Liars.

Thanks to players

Brett
Kelly
Sue

Steve
Kevin
Jon

Thanks to..

Crew: Fee and Sally
Sound engineer: Summer.

Book your tickets for the next show and join the players for loads of laughs.

1^st Saturday of every month.
16th Ave Theatre.
16th Avenue, Tauranga.
Show Starts: 7.30 p.m.
Licenced bar available.

Competing with the All Blacks

By hlimprovers | July 23, 2022

Numbers were down at the show simply because the show was competing with the All Blacks and the dreaded lurgies attacking those hearty followers.

With one player out due to suspected Covid (update: thankfully not) and another called away, the Honest Liars roped in one of the newbies and one from the crew to make up a full complement of players on stage.

Matt stepped up as Emcee for the first time and proved his excellent improv skills easily spilt over into the job. The audience was slightly reduced because of the nasties floating around the community. On top of that, there was the All Blacks’ game against the Irish. Who can compete with that! But those who were there enjoyed an evening of improvisation comedy, and the laughs were abundant.

This was a special show as all the proceeds were going to Gender Dynamix and Rainbow Youth to help rebuild their building which had burned down after a vicious arson attack.

Balloons, flags and paper umbrellas adorned the room to make the evening more festive.

With the open bar and the audience warmed up by Matt and the first game of ‘Categories’ warming up the players, it was straight into ‘Limited Words’ where newbie Steve was assigned eight words, Kevin three and Sue one. The three of them were planning a Bar mitzvah with their limited words. With just one word, Sue got out “snip” as she had confused the Bar mitzvah with a Bris – easy to do. And like any grand celebration, there was more than enough food resulting in stomach troubles for all.

After the Bar mitzvah, the players went into the game ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’. Three players advised how to overcome getting old, find a boyfriend and stop your dog pooping on the floor.

‘Foreign Film Dub’ was a Russian film about Aubergine capitalism. Ian and Kelly’s translations were wildly outrageous as Sue and Kevin played out the crashing rouble and the rise of the aubergine as the new currency. All of it went horribly wrong as the aubergine turned mushy in Kevin’s pocket.

The crowd favourite of ‘Pocket Note’ saw Ian, Sally and Sue planning a trip to Japan with the Squid Games being high on the agenda.

Watch the snippet to see what happened.

Kelly was excellent at guessing the contestant’s quirks on ‘The Dating Game’. As the erotic coin collector, Kevin had to ward off Ian, who had an erogenous zone on his nose. Sally had the idea she was a pot plant and wasn’t too happy when Ian thought he saw some sooty mould on her leaves.

‘Hollywood Director’ saw Brett making the players act out his blockbuster movie “The Honest Liars go to the Zoo” in various themes. From playing their roles as ants, being synchronised swimmers, and being Vikings on the Moon, the players had to keep to the “script” but certainly improvise the scenes.

The show wrapped up with another visit to the ‘Themed Restaurant’. This time it was set in Hell, a wickedly evil place for all sorts of food and beverages, wacky waiters, and a bill paid off by eternal damnation.

As it was a chilly night, the players stayed in the theatre for after-show drinks. This meant they were also able to mingle with some of the audience.

Thanks to players

Brett
Kevin
Sally

Sue
Ian
Steve

Thanks to the Crew: Fee

Book your tickets for the next show and join the players for loads of laughs.

1^st Saturday of every month.
16th Ave Theatre.
16th Avenue, Tauranga.
Show Starts: 7.30 p.m.
Licenced bar available.

First Workshop After Covid

By hlimprovers | May 24, 2022

After the dreaded Covid hit our shores and locked us down, we finally had our first workshop. And what a great workshop it was too!

Thankfully, the weather was sunny as the keen students arrived in the Green Room, anticipating a great day. Sadly Covid had crashed one out, but all others on the list were tentatively coming through the door.

The students were wonderfully multi-cultural from Malaysia, South China, South Africa and Scotland, plus the Honest Liars who hail from the USA, the U.K. and N.Z. it certainly made for diversity.

After introductions, the first warmup brought the students out of their shells and set the mood for the rest of the day. ‘The Catwalk’ is exactly as it sounds. In pairs, everyone got to dance down through the line of the others and be as silly as they wished.

‘The World in a Box’ was a bit more of a challenge for some. The students broke into teams of two and began pulling things out of an imaginary box. It helped to get the brain fired up.

Next, it was learning some basics of Improv, so into two lines the students went and taking turns of two they created ‘Three Lines Scene’. Imaginations ran wild as there were strippers, circus visits and the best line, “let’s murder your husband”.

By this time, the students were beginning to loosen up, and laughter was abundant. Onward to ‘Ring the Bell’. This game taught the art of delivery – nice and slow.

The morning session ended with a couple more learning games, and then it was lunchtime and a welcome break. This was an excellent time for the students to get to know each other more personally.

Food and beverages over; it was time for games. First up was the ‘Alphabet Game’ one that looks easy, but looks can be deceiving. There was help from the other students as, in pairs, they took to the stage to have a go in the spotlight for the first time.

Jamie and Neil had a great interaction as Neil wanted Jamie to fix his baldness. Jamie’s solution was to give him a blue pill to help the hair stand up!

Time to learn more skills to add to the tool kit. The ‘Change’ game got the students thinking quickly.

A few more rounds of stage work and then the final game of ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’, solving problems from the audience. “How do I meet a nice lady?” received answers about online dating, looking at the newspaper, finding the latest divorcees, and finally, going onto LinkedIn and stalking the wealthy.

Then with the question “How do I get my husband to help with housework?” the best answer was “Withhold EVERYTHING!”

The workshop drew to a close with everyone saying what they had got out of it. For the Honest Liars, it was terrific to see how each student had stepped out of their comfort zone. Quite a few had arrived very shy, and their confidence had blossomed by the end. The skills learned in the workshop can be taken into personal and work areas enriching lives both for the student and those around them.

There’s more to Improv than meets the eye. Laughter certainly is excellent medicine.

Thanks to the fabulous students it was wonderful to get to know you all

Steve
Summer
Jamie
Maree
Daniel
George

Gail
Sharin
Danie
Neil
Ted

Thanks to the Honest Liars who ran the workshop:

Kathy, Jon, Matt, Kathy, Fee and Sue
Thanks to players

Kathy
Jon
Matt

Sue
Fee

The next show on the Black Box Stage is on Sunday 4th June at 7.30 pm

Book your tickets and join the players for loads of laughs.

1^st Saturday of every month.
16th Ave Theatre.
16th Avenue, Tauranga.
Show Starts: 7.30 p.m.
Licenced bar available.

The Red Light Scenario

By hlimprovers | March 21, 2022

Even though N.Z. was right in the midst of the red light scenario laid out by the government, neither it nor the rush of omicron proved to be a deterrent.

Six p.m. and the Honest Liars had arrived at the theatre ready to set up and begin warming the grey matter for the evening’s performance.

But wait! The Green Room was sorted. The chairs were all set out, and the room was ready to welcome the audience. The fantastic crew at 16th Ave Theatre went out of their way to make the players feel welcome. So all that was required was to apportion the games to the players, fiddle with the lights, adjust the music and do some warm-up exercises.

An hour later and the audience began arriving. An excellent contingent crowd from the Matamata Dramatic Society who are part of the Improv-Ables tumbled out of their van. They excitedly made their way in, with tickets and vaxx passes in hand, to their seats ready for the show.

Players ran onto the stage full of enthusiasm and loud applause, and it was straight into the first game, ‘Scenes from a Hat’. In one scene, appliances written from the bible quickly fell into porn mode as one player tried to explain the workings of a dildo in biblical terminology. In another scene, it was pointed out that the song ‘Ding Dong the Witch is Dead’ is not the best song to sing at the mother-in-law’s funeral.

‘The Alphabet’ game was played slightly differently as two opposing teams took turns to play out their scene using the letters of the alphabet. The audience then clapped the loudest for the winning team of Sue and Mark, who had tried not to give birth in the car while on their way to, what turned out to be, a teaching hospital.

‘Hollywood Director’ saw robbers Kelly and Matt in a cemetery trying to steal Prince Albert’s spine but thwarted by Jon, the spine cleaner. A simple scene quickly ramped up when the director, Kathy, changed the theme to read like a late-night infomercial. Jon brought out his Glee Spray designed to dissolve any leftover flesh. And, when there was about to be a dual in the Regency version, the director cut it to become like a Western.

Audience participation is something the Honest Liars like, and having fellow improvers in the audience, was a great time to bring a couple of them up to be in the ‘Change’ game.

Fun ensued as the visiting improvers made Kelly and Mark work their magic on the alligator wrestling classes they were trying to set up.

Of course, ‘Pocket Note’ fell into disrepute when Sue, Kelly and Kathy discovered a bidet type contraption that gave more than they bargained for as they tried to find the toilet in the Matamata theatre.

See for yourself.

Another favourite where members from the audience are needed was ‘Puppets’. This time another two from the Improv-Ables jumped at the chance, and Kelly and Matt found themselves in quite the tangle. The antics of the puppeteering overrode the story as so much laughter ensued.

The Honest Liars couldn’t let the opportunity go by and invited members of the Improv-Ables to play a game. They were caught on the spot but rose to the occasion as they played a fun rendition of the ‘Gibberish’ game.

The last game of the evening was ‘Themed Restaurant’, and the diners, Kim and Berno, came up from the audience to celebrate their divorce in the Dentist themed restaurant. Minty water was served as bibs and glasses were put on before the main meal was followed by tooth extractions.

To round off the evening, The Honest Liars acknowledge two faithful fans who have been to every show, Colleen and John, with a group photo.

Winding down afterwards with the group from Matamata finished the night off well with still enough time to head off to the local pub for a quiet drink and debrief.

Thanks to players

Kathy
Kelly
Sue

Mark
Matt
Jon

Thanks to the Crew: Fee and Sally

The next show on the Black Box Stage is on Saturday April 2nd 7.30 pm

Book your tickets and join the players for loads of laughs.

1^st Saturday of every month.
16th Ave Theatre.
16th Avenue, Tauranga.
Show Starts: 7.30 p.m.
Licenced bar available.

New Stage, New Home.

By hlimprovers | February 23, 2022

The players were excited about performing on a new stage in their new home at 16th Ave Theatre.

The threat of rain was gone as the Honest Liars arrived at the theatre and began inspecting their new home.

Finding an actual ‘Actors’ Room’ with couches and tables delighted the players as it provided the much-needed space for bags and food. Let’s face it one can’t improv on an empty stomach!

Then it was out into the Green Room, onto the Black Box Stage, and the warmups began.

Being in the Red Light level did mean social distancing had to be enforced. Chairs were put out, and as the audience arrived, they were advised to make sure there was a chair between the groups.

Everyone understood and were happy to oblige, including with mask-wearing unless drinking. It appeared the bar made a good trade! All patrons were excited to be going out to a live show, as were the players loving a live audience.

The music was turned up in the last couple of minutes before the show started, and a general hush came over the audience. Anticipation was high from both players and the assembled comedy devotees.

Onto the stage, the Honest Liars ran and there they stayed for the entire performance with individual players playing set games. The first, which included all players, was Questions. The setting was a First Date in a Cemetary. Needless to say, the very first question was a proposal, and the questions tumbled on from there.

Always a crowd favourite, Pocket Note was in a police station. Kim and Brett were the worst criminals, and Sue took on the role of a social working police officer. Notes such as “I’m pregnant” and “Not tonight, I’ve got another appointment” pulled the game from one hilarious direction to another.

Plunging right into the next game, Kathy sent the single lady played by Kelly out into the wilderness so she couldn’t hear what quirks and oddness her three suitors were to have. And when she came back in, The Dating Game commenced.

Mark played an excellent Margaret Thatcher hell-bent on shutting down the miners. Jon, a firefighter, was also obsessed with bunions, and Matt’s hobby was collecting naked Barbie dolls and burning parts of them.

As Miss Kelly started round two of her questions, much to the audience’s delight, a discussion began between Jon and Matt over the fires the Barbie arsonist was creating. It was a hot topic.

When Kelly asked “what would we do if we went out?” Jon quickly answered that he could teach her ladder-climbing to hose direction skills and added that she should wear tight stilettos. Matt simply asked for a lighter, and Mark suggested she come to No.10 as little sleep was had.

It made riveting comedy for the audience and perhaps helped Kelly to finally guess what each suitor’s quirk was (although she did need help with the bunions!).

In the end, Miss Kelly chose Jon for the hose work he obviously was good at.

At the Press Conference, Jon and Brett were confronted about why, being Destiny Church leaders, they would make Prince Andrew their number two. And the Themed Restaurant game was held in a Harry Potter café where owls and wizards flew about, and the menu was definitely out of this world.

Another audience favourite, “Sign Language Expert”, found Kevin interviewing Dr Smiley Jump about his famous marble playing gorillas. See for yourself with this snippet how the players tackled this fascinating subject.

The Honest Liars and audience alike love the new home at the 16th Avenue Theatre. Come and join us at the next show.

Thanks to players

Kathy
Kelly
Kim
Brett
Mark

Sue
Matt
Jon
Kevin
Sally

Thanks to the Crew: Fee

The next show on the Black Box Stage is on Sunday 5th March at 7.30 pm

Book your tickets and join the players for loads of laughs.

1^st Saturday of every month.
16th Ave Theatre.
16th Avenue, Tauranga.
Show Starts: 7.30 p.m.
Licenced bar available.

The Honest Liars Return To The Stage!

By hlimprovers | January 18, 2022

FINALLY!

After 6 months the Honest Liars got back on stage at the Fringe Festival.

As the sun beamed down on a glorious Tauranga day, the players arrived at the Historic Village at the appointed time. The festival was in full swing and the colourful costumes were parading the streets where the music got the people in the mood for fun.

Two shows were scheduled at the Village Church which, thankfully, was tucked in amongst the trees providing leafy shade from the heat of the day.

Keen audience members started arriving while the players were still in warm up mode, but they were kept at bay at church door until it was time to come in.

Kathy revved up the crowd with a clapping sequence, and finally, the players ran through the church and up onto the stage to thunderous applause.

Finally, after six long months, the Honest Liars could perform in front of a live audience.

A butcher going on a date with a vegan provided the first game of ‘Questions’ a great topic to open the show. Needless to say, the vegan player was on the butcher team!

Fee and Kevin planned an overseas holiday during their game of ‘Alphabet’. Kevin wasn’t so thrilled that his mother-in-law had to come with them, and Fee wasn’t impressed with the small amount in the budget

Finally, they threw a dart into the world map and off they went to plan the trip to Zimbabwe.

The topic suggested by the enthusiastic audience for ‘Pocket Note’, was about Prince Andrew. Jon and Brett had come from the Palace to see if Andrew (played by Mark) was packed and ready to go.

The audience suggested notes met with great laughter as each player said the written line and wove it into the story. When Andrew declared that Fergie “she hums good” but he likes his women younger, there was an audible “oooo” from the audience followed by peals of laughter.

The ‘Clap Game’ was followed by ‘Press Conference’ where Jon and Brett had been caught filling the Tesla car airbags with slime and were facing the press.

One press member from the AA told them that their ratings had dropped considerably from being the most advanced car. And when Mr. S Lime said “I have a question I musk ask you”, the players soon figured out what the scandal was.

A well-earned break saw the players replenishing their water bottles and finding food to sustain them for the second show.

Although later in the day and near the end of the festival, there was still a good crowd arriving at the church ready to be entertained.

And the Honest Liars didn’t fail.

The show opened with all the players onstage for the game ‘Objections’, followed by a crowd favourite of ‘Sign Language Expert’.

Kevin interviewed Matt, otherwise known as Dr Jump, as an expert in training foxes the science of archaeology. Kelly provided the sign language as is usually seen on T.V. Although this type of signing is extremely different.

Kelly was forced to mime the conversation as it unfolded making great viewing especially when Dr Jump declared that the foxes created one incident at a tomb when they unravelled a mummy and proceeded to eat the bones resulting in him being banned from Egypt.

‘The Cube’ delighted the audience and a series of four situations were played out. From watermelons to a body and onto a musical which saw Mark and Jon actually coming up with songs (if you could call them that). But it was Jon and Kathy’ s Tarantula topic that saw a lot of fun with the cute little outfits Kathy made for the spiders.

It did end in disaster though as there were too many complaints that the little shoes didn’t stick to the ceiling and tarantulas were falling onto the heads of the customers.

The show ended with a medieval Themed Restaurant. A giant sword removed from the table, knights and dragons and a chef with leprosy.

Sir Lancelot waited table, the tax collectors came with the bill and finally the executioner arrived with his axe to lop off the diners’ heads.

With a total of 116 people over the two audiences, the players all agreed that the Fringe Festival shows were the perfect step back into live performances before their first gig in their new home.

See them on the Black Box Stage at the 16^th Ave Theatre. Regular shows are on the first Saturday of every month starting at 7.30 pm. The theatre’s bar is also available. Book Now:

Thanks to players

Kathy
Kelly
Ian
Brett
Sally

Fee
Matt
Jon
Kevin

The next show on the Black Box Stage is on Saturday 5th February 7.30 pm

Book your tickets and join the players for loads of laughs.

1^st Saturday of every Month
16th Ave Theatre
16th Avenue, Tauranga
Show Starts: 7.30 p.m.

The Energy was HIGH!

By hlimprovers | August 24, 2021

The day of the August show arrived with sunshine and warmth. The Honest Liars headed to the Jam Factory with great expectations and high energy of the afternoon and evening ahead.

3 pm, and teacher, Jim Fishwick was ready to begin a compact, fast-moving master workshop. He introduced the players to alternative ways to known games and new ones as the two hours sped by. All agreed they could have stayed for hours drinking in the depth of knowledge 15 years has given Jim.

But it was show night, and so the group went off in search of food before setting up the chairs, lights and music to set the mood for the incoming audience.

The games began with all players on stage for the ‘Objection, Objection’ game. The players put many arguments forward over the controversy of getting the Covid vaccine or not, reaching no solution.

Jim was officially introduced to the audience in the hilarious and well-loved game of ‘Pocket Note’. The scene took place in a funeral parlour, and some of the notes fitted in so well.

But see for yourself:

‘Film Noir’ was set at the Covid vaccination centre. As it was a quiet afternoon, Jon took the opportunity to practice with the needles using the bit of heroin he had on hand. In walked Kim, the femme fatale hell-bent on getting as many drugs as she could to “get rid of the exes”. She finally lured Jon into her dastardly web, and her plan was executed.

When the scandal erupted around the hoarding of toilet paper by the Salvation Army, it was time for a ‘Press Conference’. Questions were thrown to Brett and Jon, such as “How do you intend to get a roll-out of this?”, “Does this have anything to do with cleaning the brass instruments?” and “Where’s the loose end – on the outside or on the inside?”. Very subtle clues, but the two senior Sallies finally arrived at who they were and what they had done.

‘The Cube’ once again showed Jim’s remarkable skill as the four players brought stories to life around the given words of ‘Gun’, ‘Mermaid/Fireman’, ‘Glass of Water’ and ‘Unicycle’.

This is not one to miss, so luckily it was filmed.

The ‘Day in the Life’ had audience members, Ben and Cherisse’s day acted out in front of them as the two of them had gone on an impromptu walk in the bush coming home to smashed avocado, the best thing when you’re hungry.

Finally, the show came to an end, and the audience filed out with beaming smiles after so much laughter. The chairs were put away, the music turned off, and the drinks came out as the players wound down after a high-energy show.

A huge thank you to Jim Fishwick. Having him on stage was a fantastic experience for both the players and audience.

Thanks to players

Jim
Kathy
Kelly
Brett

Kim
Matt
Jon

Thanks to the Crew:

Fee and Sally on sound.

The next show at the Jam Factory is on Sunday 3rd October 7 pm

Book your tickets and join the players for loads of laughs.

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

Something Different!

By hlimprovers | July 21, 2021

There was excitement in the air as the players arrived at the Jam Factory. Something different was happening, and everyone knew it was going to be a diverse sort of show.

Live music would be the opening act, and the improv band, Stone Immortal, was already set up and doing sound checks when the players gathered.

With the Jam Factory in use, the warm-up was held in the Incubator, certainly enough space for the group to get their brains firing.

A few run-throughs of the games for the newer players, then it was off back to the Jam Factory to listen to the music as it came to the end of its set.

But the band wasn’t the only thing that was different on that cold winter’s night. The Good Food truck had trundled over the hill from Matamata and parked at the steps. It didn’t take long for the patrons and the players to line up for the hot soups and coffees, and other delectables on offer.

The show opened with Kathy leading the ‘Categories’ game, seeing the team trying to call out different types of fish, cocktails, and Italian foods. To make it even more intriguing, the foods had to be spoken in Italian. That was a challenge, but even pineapple pizza is hilarious if spoken with an accent.

‘Alphabet’ saw Fee and Kev on a first date and drinking heavily. They didn’t quite get drunk enough to end up “under the table”, but they skipped the meal and zipped off straight to the room which had been booked “just in case”.

Another excellent rendition of ‘Sign Language Interpreter’ from Kelly as Kev interviewed Brett on his expertise in teaching giraffes to play ping pong. Kev seemed to be more interested in the mating habits of the giraffes than in the fact that Brett wanted to get them to the Olympics.

A new game was introduced to the show’s lineup. ‘Complaints Department’ which had Sue, Mark and Ian returning items. Of course, the players didn’t know what the article was and had to guess through Kathy’s subtle clues. See for yourself in the snippet below.

The ‘Dating Game’ had Kev morphing into a racehorse, Sue with a stutter and Ian with an Elvis obsession. All three were relatively easy to guess by Billy-Jean, a deep, deep Southern Girl tired of dating her cousins, played by Kathy. It was pretty obvious she would pick the Elvis fan to go “in the ghetto” with.

Through other games, including ‘Space Jump’ and ‘Director’s Cut’, the Honest Liars pulled out all the stops and entertained the receptive audience.

‘Themed Restaurant’ wound up the fun-filled evening as Fee and Kev sat at a table with Vegas-themed dining as the rest of the players waited on them.

The crowd meandered out with many compliments, smiles and still chuckling, then the players put away the chairs and sat down together to celebrate the night and Kathy’s birthday.

BUT WAIT!!!!

The Honest Liars certainly hope that you’re going to be at the next show!!!

That’s right. August 1st will be a grand show, so bring your laughing gear, grab your tickets today and join us.

Thanks to the players

Kathy
Kelly
Ian
Brett

Sue
Fee
Mark
Kevin

Thanks to the Crew:
Fee & Sally
Caleb & Raven on Sound

Thanks to Stone Immortal for the music and Ken for the Good Food (it certainly was!).

The next show at the Jam Factory is on Sunday 1st August 7 pm

Book your tickets and join the players for loads of laughs.

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

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.

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.

NEXT WORKSHOP: TBA

NEXT SHOW: SATURDAY 1st FEB

ENGAGE US TO ENTERTAIN YOU

Category: What’s New

Springing Back Onto The Stage.

By hlimprovers | September 19, 2022

Springtime! The first show heralding in the warmer months, and the players sprang into action.

Competing with the All Blacks

By hlimprovers | July 23, 2022

Numbers were down at the show simply because the show was competing with the All Blacks and the dreaded lurgies attacking those hearty followers.

First Workshop After Covid

By hlimprovers | May 24, 2022

After the dreaded Covid hit our shores and locked us down, we finally had our first workshop. And what a great workshop it was too!

The Red Light Scenario

By hlimprovers | March 21, 2022

Even though N.Z. was right in the midst of the red light scenario laid out by the government, neither it nor the rush of omicron proved to be a deterrent.

New Stage, New Home.

By hlimprovers | February 23, 2022

The players were excited about performing on a new stage in their new home at 16th Ave Theatre.

The Honest Liars Return To The Stage!

By hlimprovers | January 18, 2022

FINALLY!

After 6 months the Honest Liars got back on stage at the Fringe Festival.

The Energy was HIGH!

By hlimprovers | August 24, 2021

The day of the August show arrived with sunshine and warmth. The Honest Liars headed to the Jam Factory with great expectations and high energy of the afternoon and evening ahead.

Something Different!

By hlimprovers | July 21, 2021

There was excitement in the air as the players arrived at the Jam Factory. Something different was happening, and everyone knew it was going to be a diverse sort of show.

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.