• spontaneous + hilarious

    Each show at The Big HOO-HAA! features 4-6 improv comedians split into two teams: The Hearts and the Bones.

    With a rotating cast and MC, no show is ever the same!

  • our performers

    broken image

    Alayne Dick

    Alayne Dick is a Te Whanganui-a-Tara based performer and writer. She currently performs improv as part of the company Tiny Dog. She recently took her award winning show (SYNZ Tour Ready Award) Deep and Meaningful to the Sydney Fringe, where she was nominated for Best Spoken Word. Alayne is also known for her acting role in the feature film Spring Interlude, which premiered in the New Zealand International Film Festival in 2019.

    broken image

    Austin Harrison

    Austin Harrison is a mystery.

    broken image

    Dianne Pulham

    Lighting up audiences for over fifteen years, Dianne is an improviser and actor who delights in exploring physical comedy on the stage. Beginning her career with Ōtepoti Dunedin’s Improsaurus, she has since performed a variety of shows in Wellington and abroad.

    broken image

    Elliott Lam

    Elliott Lam is a rogue accountant/improvisor/novel writer based in Wellington. He started his improv journey in 2020 and has performed with WIT, Improv Connection and at the NZ Improv Festival. Starting as a fun activity to cure his writer's block, improv theatre quickly became his obsession and he's been studying the art form ever since.

    broken image

    Gab Raz

    Gab Raz is a performer and teacher based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, but originally hailing from across the ditch. She’d like to think she’s the one who pronounces vowels properly. When not doing improv, Gab is a clown. Sometimes intentionally, mostly unintentionally.

    broken image

    Guanny Liu-Prosee

    Guanny Liu-Prosee is an improviser and teacher based in Wellington Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui. Having begun her improv career in 2009 while living in Beijing, she has performed regularly since, in groups such as Beijing Improv (Beijing), Covert Theatre (Auckland), WIT (Wellington), Playshop (Wellington), Basejump Comedy (Wellington), and Improv Connection (Wellington).

    broken image

    Jed Davies

    Jed has been improvising in Wellington since 2012 with PlayShop and PopRox. He does not enjoy talking in the third person, but he is a good improvisor.

    broken image

    Jennifer O'Sullivan

    Jennifer O'Sullivan is an improvisor, director and creative producer in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara. When she's not working on cool improv and theatre projects, she's hanging out with her pets and her kid and making sure no one eats too much grass.

    broken image

    Liam Kelly

    Liam Kelly is a mystery. But one thing we do know is he is an avid listener of the Paul Simon album Hearts and Bones. Containing songs that were originally meant as a Simon and Garfunkel reunion, Hearts and Bones is about emotion made bare. Music is the heart of a scene but also the bones that keep a scene together. The Paul Simon biography is apparently very good according to Liam.

    broken image

    Malcolm Morrison

    Malcolm is an absolute nerd with a big smile and a very distinct laugh. As founding member of Dunedin's Improsaurus, he consequently specialises in long-form, narrative based improv - making The Big HOO-HAA! a fun (and potentially chaotic) departure from his comfort zone for your viewing pleasure.

    broken image

    Maria Williams

    Maria Williams is a performer, improviser and comedian based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. She co-created NZ Fringe-award winning Stoge Chollonge 2006. At the 2019 NZ International Comedy Festival (NZICF) she, along with Alice May Connolly, won the Best Newcomer (Wlg) for Mournmoor Murders. Then at the 2021 NZICF festival won Best Newcomer (Akl) for Anxiety…the Musical!? She is a 2023 Billy T James Award nominee.

    broken image

    Matt Hutton

    Matt is a Wellington based musician and improviser, who's been performing with a range of groups across the city for the last 10 years. He's a founding member of Best on Tap and the Paua Ballads, and is a regular musical feature in Late Night Knife Fight shows and NZ improv fest, and thrives on needing to cover a wide range of musical needs on the keys.

    broken image

    Matt Powell

    Three-time Wellington Pun Battle champion Matt Powell has a quarter of a century of improv experience and the baby-smooth hands of a man who has never done a day of manual labour (he sunburns easily and doesn’t want to become a burden on the health system). His show The History Boy was nominated for Outstanding Solo Performance at the 2021 NZ Fringe, but as this show proves, he can work well in teams of up to three.

    broken image

    Megan Connolly

    Meggo is a comedian, improviser and try-hard delinquent born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. When they’re not making messy visceral comedy in sketch or improv form, they’re working a soulless job in hospitality. You’ve likely seen them in Jez & Jace, Wet Soup and Captain Caketin Sketch comedy.

    broken image

    Nina Hogg

    Nina Hogg is a young female comedian, producer and queer actor working in Pōneke. She performs with PopRox Improv, Comedy Gold (When Booty Calls, Cocked & Loaded), improv shows and in sketch comedy regularly. Depsite being the youngest member of hoo-haa she has been dubbed by Theatreview a "veteran improv queen".

    broken image

    Sam Irwin

    Sam Irwin is an actor, comedian, and quiz host based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, he is usually well reviewed. Sam's desperation to impress everyone, in a chill way, combined with his unclesque charisma make for hilarious, unique, and unforgettable shows.

    broken image

    Steven Youngblood

    Steven Youngblood is a dad who improvises, and has been doing one longer than the other. Based in Karori, he improvises his way through life - hoping that his next leap will be the leap home.

    broken image

    Tara McEntee

    Tara has been improvising for over 14 years across New Zealand. She has been a member of Improsaurus in Dunedin, the Court Jesters in Christchurch, and Playshop, PopRox and Soap Factory in Wellington. Tara has a passion for teaching narrative based improv with strong characters and bold storylines. She's been described as a "chaotic evil" improvisor.

    broken image

    Wiremu Tuhiwai

    Wiremu has improvised up and down the Long White Cloud for literally half of his life. Wellington has been the home base for improv with so many incredible connections through the many sectors of the arts. Recently returning from the US Tour with the NZ Shakespeare group The Barden Party, Wiremu is keen to continue to share his experiences with performers and audiences from Wellington and the world.

  • ALUMNI

    They'll be back...

    broken image

    Ben Jardine

    Ben Jardine is a performer, writer, and musician based in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara. He has performed shows up and down Aotearoa and in his other home, the USA. He is half of Maximum Benefit and also half of Liz & Ben Make Stuff Up, and he is running out of halves.

    broken image

    Liz Butler

    Liz Butler is your friend. They’ve been performing on stages for most of their life but their best performance will be the one that you go see. They’re an improviser, comedian, director and enthusiastic audience member. Liz has just returned from their home in the US where they toured an improvised musical show Live from International Waters. Constantly emerging, Liz was a Fringe 22’ nominee for “most promising emerging performer” and boy do they love emerging. Liz will shout across the street at you if you’re wearing something cool.