The 2023 NZ International Comedy Festival With Best Foods Mayo is about to get even camper with the New Zealand Comedy Trust’s brand new event – Loud & Queer, a celebration of Aotearoa’s LGBTQIA+ comedians and the capital’s iconic queer community – Saturday 20 May at Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington’s spectacular St James Theatre. This one-night-only extravaganza will be hosted by certifiable local hero and drag queen Judy Virago, and uber popular comedian and parody king Tom Sainsbury.
Tell us a bit about your role at Loud & Queer and what we can expect from you that night?
I’ll be doing what I love to do most – hamming it up, serving high glamour, and amplifying the energy! My role is to look absolutely dazzling, rouse the crowd into a frenzy, and make every performer on that stage feel like the most fabulously talented person the audience has ever seen.
How do you feel about working alongside legendary Kiwi comedian and ‘Snapchat dude’ Tom Sainsbury?
Oh, Tom is such a delight and a literal comic genius. We first worked together a couple of decades ago now, when we got married in a very, very sombre play, which was quite a different flavour. When we caught up to plan for the show everything just clicked back into place. Tom has such a generous energy as a performer and I can’t wait to share the stage with him again, it’s gonna be bananas.
What does the International NZ Comedy Festival holding space specifically for queer comedians mean to you?
It’s a big week for Rainbow communities. We Have IDAHOBIT and Pink Shirt Day happening which are all about standing up to the bad stuff. Comedy is so often weaponised against us, harm to our communities is passed off as “just a joke”. So to top the week off with a comedy show dedicated to owning our queer JOY means there’s some balance in the universe. I would always rather laugh than cry and in this economy laughter isn’t just the best medicine, it’s also the most affordable!
This is a Wellington-only event… does that give you a slightly smug glow?
Wellington is absolutely spoilt for talent – it’s also our biggest export. We need as many opportunities to show off these juicy assets as we can get.
What acts are you most excited to see on stage that night?
Honestly, I’m looking forward to a do-over with Eli Matthewson. A few years ago I heckled him relentlessly and this is my chance at redemption. I’m also super excited to see Mx Well, Jadwiga, and of course, Aunty Amanda La Whore – the only drag queen in Aotearoa to open for the All Blacks!
Why should every express reader be buying tickets to Loud & Queer?
It is what it says on the tin – LOUD and QUEER. Do you like music? Do you like laughter? You wanna see my new outfits? Get into it. Not coming to this show is a form of emotional self-sabotage – let yourself live people!