May 14, 2022: On the birthday of Dames Jools and Lynda Topp, The New Zealand Comedy Trust is stoked to announce the Topp Prize, a new annual honour consisting of a $15,000 award and a trophy, to be presented annually to a ‘wild card’ of the comedy scene in Aotearoa. The award pays homage to the irreverent spirit of the Topp Twins, who celebrate their 40th anniversary as entertainers this year. The inaugural recipient will be announced at an event this September.

Hot off the stage from winning Most Outstanding Show at the 2022 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Rhys Nicholson makes his long-awaited return to Tāmaki Makaurau on 3 June.

Pacific Dance New Zealand is excited to announce its festival line-up for 2022 featuring a combination of digital, virtual, and in-person shows and workshops. The programme is packed with options, giving audiences the freedom to pick-n-choose what they would like to see and do in 2022. The safety of audiences remains of utmost importance, as is ensuring that artists are maximising opportunities to perform and share their creative works while utilising immersive technologies during the pandemic.

Party the night away from the comfort of your living room at the cosiest concert ever, as comedy-pop royalty Two Hearts return with their lockdown hit streaming show, HeartCore Karaoke! Next Saturday 21 May, settle in for over an hour of absolute bangers and side splitting lols with comedians from this year’s Comedy Fest (that nearly was).

Celebrate the power of documentary with Doc Edge’s 2022 world-class hybrid programme. The festival has just dropped 113 feature length and short films at docedge.nz.

As India’s biggest stand-up comedian and a Bollywood star, Vir Das has now crossed over to become a global comedy sensation, filling an international vacancy for an authentic Indian perspective and being hailed by Variety magazine as a Top 10 Comic To Watch.

Sandi Toksvig, the internationally-renowned comedian, broadcaster, writer, campaigner, and all-round good egg, will make her New Zealand touring debut with a new, specially-conceived comedy show: Sandi Toksvig Live!

The cheeky chappy will be bringing his Wallop! show to New Zealand. It’s been a busy few years for the Mouth of the South – and he’s coming to see you to fill you in and make you laugh.

Alan’s back on the road with a brand-new stand-up show Regional Trinket. From the exhilarating high of his star-studded wedding day to the low of lockdown stuck on a farm, a lot has changed since Alan’s last New Zealand tour in 2016, including Alan. Nowadays, it’s all about finding happiness and joy in the small things - why be a national treasure when you can be a Regional Trinket!

New Zealand’s longest running and best loved comedy TV show is back on the road this June after the postponement of their 2021 tour. The hit tour 7 Days Live will serve up seven (not very) brave comedians to 13 centres around the country. Stuffed full of laughter and antics, from 4 – 30 June everyone will be able to fill up on comedy.

Unapologetically indigenous and indescribably farcical, Tawata Productions’ new work Ngā Rorirori is the unmissable return to the theatre Te Whanganui-a-Tara has been waiting for. Part theatre, part dance, part cinema, this ground-breaking work from acclaimed Māori playwright and director Hone Kouka premieres 18 - 25 June at Circa Theatre in Wellington, with tickets now on sale at Circa.co.nz.

The next show from New Zealand’s biggest South Asian theatre company Prayas Theatre, Dhaba on Devon Avenue, comes to TAPAC from 26 May to 5 June 2022. From American playwright Madhuri Shekar, this searing family drama blends King Lear and The Cherry Orchard in a story of fathers, daughters, and survival at all costs.

Auckland is in for a spine-tingling treat when The Woman in Black swoops onto The Pumphouse Theatre stage to spook and inspire. This new production of the gothic horror classic shows for a limited season from 11-19 June, with tickets now on sale.

Silo Theatre return to their original stomping ground at Basement Theatre with the first live show of their 25th year - Jasmine Lee-Jones’ explosive seven methods of killing kylie jenner. This no-BS dynamic Gen Z production is steeped in sharp social commentary, meme culture, and Twitter beef, premiering in Aotearoa from 2 – 18 June.