Johannesburg - Locally esteemed celebrities honoured upcoming comedians at the Savanna Newcomer Showcase, a prelude to the Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards, where local up-and-coming comedians are rewarded for their work.
The showcase is an integral part of the festivities in the lead-up to the main event that will be held in Joburg on April 15.
This affair was hosted by the award-winning comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout, who bagged the Savanna Newcomer Award in 2013, as well as the Intermediate Award in 2015.
Some of South Africa’s major celebrities, comedians, ad agencies, casting agents, and talent scouts, such as Yaseen Barnes, Nina Hastie, Cassidy Nicholson, Kate Pinchuck, Siv Ngesi, Arno Greeff, Tsitsi Chiumya, Kagiso Mokgadi, and Tumi Morake, graced the event at The Homecoming Centre in the heart of Cape Town.
"The Savanna Newcomer Showcase is an important element of the Savanna Comics’ Choice Awards, and we’re thrilled to have brought it to Cape Town for the very first time this year," says Manuela Dias de Deus, the awards’ producer and MD of One-Eyed Jack.
The event gives 20 up-and-coming comedians five minutes to wow the audience and the local comedy industry with their talent and wit.
The five comedians who made the biggest impact will earn themselves a nomination in the "Best Newcomer" category.
The 20 newcomers included Wandile Waka Zwane, Dakes, Wazi M Kunene, Simunye Church Boy, and Mbali Gudazi from Gauteng; Prince M’Baya, Ntobeko, Ayabonga Kene, Supa Mario, Tumi Mkha’, JamJam, Candace, Arlene Petersen, Mira, Vision Masango, and Vafa Naraghi from the Western Cape; Moe Latif from the North West; and Felicia Pillay, Thami Dlamini, and Annie Botha from KwaZulu-Natal. These newcomers were shortlisted to perform by the local comedy industry and were rated on drive, delivery, confidence, jokes from an entry video, and if they managed to stand out of the crowd.
In a bid to further allow the newcomers to grow, the Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards held the Newcomer Incubator Workshop, which offered the comedians a masterclass in the business of comedy.
The workshop included conversations about the craft and the importance of writing stand-up, branding, best practices when working with brands, and insight into how platforms like TikTok can help boost their profile.
"The showcase gives a platform to those who may not have had the opportunity to perform on such a big stage throughout their careers so far. It’s an important element of the Savanna Comics’ Choice Awards and a great way to open up the industry and introduce the local comedy space to some fresh talent. Additionally, having the newcomer incubator workshop allowed key industry players to share some valuable knowledge with these comedians—something that’s incredibly important for us as the new team behind these awards."
This year’s nominees, including the five who will be shortlisted for the newcomer award, will be announced next month, in March.
The Star