The Comedy Cellar

Matt Stellingwerf

Matt Stellingwerf is a fast rising star on the international comedy scene, and highly regarded by his peers. Matt has won four NZ Comedy Guild Awards, been nominated for several others, and was nominated as Best Newcomer at the 2014 NZ International Comedy Festival. Matt was a 2015 & 2016 nominee for the prestigious Billy T Award. A renowned MC and compere, Matt is a 3-time nominee for Best MC in New Zealand. Hamilton-born and Wanganui-raised farmer’s son and trained criminologist, an award-winning bar fly…and genuinely lovely guy, Matt Stellingwerf is a man of contradictions. He expertly brings these contradictions to the stage with his typical low-key style and confidence, finding the humour in topics as diverse as love, mental illness, sex, drugs, and this crazy interview he once conducted with a serial killer on Death Row! Matt now brings a worldview inspired by alcoholic shearing gangs, bizarre Dutch relatives, and criminological theory to the stage and attempts to answer some of life’s enduring mysteries. So come along, grab a brew and have a laugh! He has toured extensively, performing throughout NZ, Australia, the USA & the United Kingdom. On television you may have seen him on Maori TV’s Crack Up, Rhys Darby’s Short Poppies, TV3’s AotearoHA: Rising Stars and getting shot with a crossbow in a strip club on TV ONE’s Coverband. Raises the comedy bar…and erudite satire superstar” – Theatreview “Matt Stellingwerf’s show Bachelor of Arts left me feeling vindicated as an educated liberal; empowered as a woman; confused over my personal level of racism; and disappointed with the lack of lateral thinking I approached my tertiary studies with. Stellingwerf’s comedy is intelligent, clever and thoroughly researched…all the while being really likeable” – Libel

Middle Act

Ronnie Golden

Golden (Tony De Meur) was a well-known figure on the comedy circuit and appeared many times at The Comedy Cellar, first in 1986 or 1987 as part of The Dialtones, alongside Phil Nice and Mac MacDonald. Former lead singer, guitarist and songwriter with late 70s/early 80s New Wave four-piece band Fabulous Poodles who outsold both The Jam and The Clash in The States. After the band folded he worked on the nascent Alternative Comedy circuit at The Comic Strip and Comedy Store alongside Alexei Sayle, Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and co and played a legendary ’Buddy Holly’ in BBC2’s The Young Ones. He wrote and performed with the comedy legend, Barry Cryer, for nearly twenty years until Barry’s passing two years ago.

Opening Act

Graeme Collard

Graeme Collard is a comedian. A regular on the UK club circuit and a Comedy Cellar favourite.

MC

Tom Toal

A South East London comedian, writer and actor — one of comedy's rising stars with a string of acclaimed solo shows.