Modified On December 2, 2008
It’s an opus from the New Zealand Herald this past weekend. It’s full of references to folks we’ve never heard of (and one or two we have), but it contains a detailed account of the birth, growth and full flowering of a comedy scene in a major city in fairly recent times, focusing on Scott Blanks, the godfather of New Zealand standup.
When we approached the owner he was like: ‘Live comedy? Oh, that’s not going to work’,” says De Witt. “But with Scott running things, the first night went all right, then it became regular, then it was full houses with standing room only, then we were touring and on television… You have to say Scott is responsible for stand-up comedy in New Zealand. Fact.”
It’s five pages long, but it’s inspirational for anyone who’s thinking about starting a venue… or a scene.