Celebrating Newcomers
Local celebrities celebrate up-and-coming comedians at the 2023 savanna newcomer showcase
In partnership with Savanna Premium Cider, LIFT and One-eyed Jack
In partnership with Savanna Premium Cider, LIFT, Mrs. Balls Chutney, Me Channel 115, One-eyed Jack, NewsClip, amaSocial and the Homecoming Centre.
The 10th Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards is right around the corner and the Savanna Newcomer Showcase is an integral part of the festivities in the lead up to the main event. The showcase gives 20 up-and-coming comedians five minutes to impress both show audiences and the local comedy industry with their flair and humour. The five comedians who made the biggest impact will earn themselves a nomination in the ‘Best Newcomer’ category.
Some of South Africa’s biggest celebrities, comedians, ad agencies, casting agents and talent scouts attended this year’s Savanna Newcomer Showcase which took place at The Homecoming Centre in the heart of Cape Town and was hosted by two-time award winner Schalk Bezuidenhout, who won the Savanna Newcomer Award in 2013, as well as the Intermediate Award in 2015
Notable personalities in attendance included Yaseen Barnes, Nina Hastie, Cassidy Nicholsohn, Kate Pinchuck, Siv Ngesi, Arno Greeff, Tsitsi Chiumya, Kagiso Mokgadi, Tumi Morake and more.
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, their jokes from an entry video and if they managed to stand out of the crowd.
In a bid to further give the newcomers an opportunity 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 in stand-up, branding, best practice when working with brands and insight into how platforms like TikTok can help boost their profile.
“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,” the awards’ producer and MD of One-eyed Jack, Manuela Dias de Deus says. “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. The 2023 Savanna Comics’ Choice Awards will be held in Johannesburg on 15 April. Fans are encouraged to visit www.comicschoice.com for more information and to register for tickets to the awards. No under 18’s. Alcohol not for sale to persons under the age of 18.
The 10th Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards is proudly sponsored by Savanna Premium Cider, LIFT, Mrs. Balls Chutney, Me Channel 115, One-eyed Jack, NewsClip, amaSocial and the Homecoming Centre.
#SavannaCCA
@SavannaCCA
About the Awards:
Now in its 10th year, the Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards were created to build the industry, to highlight the stalwarts that have pioneered new paths, and to support emerging talent to be the best it can be.
It wants to elevate careers, to help comedians sell out their shows, and for corporates to look to comedians to MC and host their events. The ultimate aim is for international comedy festivals to book our incredible local talent to perform abroad, and for South Africa to be attracting top international acts to tour here too.
The awards are under new management and promise a 10th edition like no other. Think glam, black-tie, intimate, canapés and cocktails. It’s going to be quite the night!
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Savanna is a premium, crisp apple cider with a distinctive dry taste. It is one of the largest cider brands in the world and is available in over 60 countries. Since its launch in 1996, Savanna Premium Cider has won consumers’ hearts and funny bones with its intelligent, dry and witty sense of humour.
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The 10th Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards presents the Savanna Newcomer Showcase, and in Cape Town for the very first time! It’s the first in a series of build-up events ahead of the Awards Ceremony in April, and has become a staple on the annual comedy calendar.
The showcase was created a number of years ago as an event for 20 newcomer comedians to each perform five minutes of comedy for the industry, so that they’d know who to vote for in the newcomer category for the upcoming awards. It quickly grew a personality of its own, and has become a bit of a ‘if you’re in the know, you’re in the know’ kind of a gig that’s attended by some of our country’s best comedians, ad agencies, casting agents and talent scouts – all looking to discover the ‘next big thing’.
20 newcomer comedians. 5 minutes each on stage. Let’s see what they’ve got!
As it’s the 10th year of the awards, the new team at the helm decided to do things a little differently, and as Cape Town’s comedy industry is positively thriving, they thought they’d give its comedy loving public the chance to experience this cracker of an event too, with the help from the awards’ official airline partner LIFT.
‘We loved the idea of being able to upLIFT SA’s entertainment industry’, comments Haydn Henning, Marketing at LIFT. ‘We’re not only flying all the shortlisted newcomers from all over the country to Cape Town to perform, but we’re extending the invitation to the nine previous winners in the Savanna Newcomer Category to join us in the mother city too’.
Savanna Cider’s Brand Manager, Kayla Hendricks says ‘This event line up is surely one to remember. We are so proud and so excited to see a new generation of our country’s comedic greats. Ahead of the big awards where we will come together to celebrate the names we know and love, this event gives us all a real opportunity to be ‘in the know’ with who’s coming in hot in the world of comedy. We look forward to hosting an incredible celebration of new talent who are set on keeping us in fits of laughter, ’ concludes Hendricks.
This year’s event is hosted by two-time award winner Schalk Bezuidenhout, who won the Savanna Newcomer Award in 2013 and the Intermediate Award in 2015. This year, not only is he our host, but he’s also in the running for this year’s Comedian of the Year Award, and given that he’s so on top of his game, he’s the perfect MC to inspire these newbies to give it all that they’ve got if they’re choosing comedy as a career.
The shortlisted newcomers will be announced at a press event in March, and the awards event will take place on 15 April in Johannesburg.
‘This showcase is vital for newcomers, as it gives them the opportunity to perform live for the industry, and for the very people who are likely to book them for shows’, comments the awards’ producer and MD of One-eyed Jack, Manuela Dias de Deus. ‘It’ll be the first time that most of them have performed on a theatre stage, instead of at a comedy club, and they’ll get to meet other newcomers, network with the ‘who’s who’ in the industry, meet the press and build their careers. It will also be filmed for TV, so their families at home will get to see them too. It really is genuine career stepping stone for an up-and-coming comedian.’
The Savanna Newcomer Showcase takes place on Friday 17 February 2023 at the Star Theatre at The Homecoming Centre in Cape Town.
Tickets are only R120 and include a complimentary Savanna on arrival. And loads of laughs (on the house).
Seats are limited, so get your tickets now from Quicket (https://www.quicket.co.za/events/204756-the-savanna-newcomer-showcase/) All proceeds go towards a newcomer incubator workshop for emerging talent.
Pre drinks at 18:00. Show starts at 19h30 and everyone’s invited to stay for mingling and hobnobbing afterwards.
No under 18’s. Alcohol not for sale to persons under the age of 18.
Visit www.comicschoice.com for more information and to register for tickets to the awards on 15 April 2023.
The 10th Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards is proudly sponsored by Savanna Premium Cider; LIFT, the official airline of the awards; One-eyed Jack, and Newsclip.
#SavannaCCA
www.comicschoice.com
@SavannaCCA
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For any media requests, please contact:
El Broide, The Platinum Club
Email: el@platinum-club.co.za
Cell: +27 82 398 9476
About the Awards:
Now in its 10th year, the Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards were created to build the industry, to highlight the stalwarts that have pioneered new paths, and to support emerging talent to be the best it can be.
It wants to elevate careers, to help comedians sell out their shows, and for corporates to look to comedians to MC and host their events. The ultimate aim is for international comedy festivals to book our incredible local talent to perform abroad, and for South Africa to be attracting top international acts to tour here too.
The awards are under new management and promise a 10th edition like no other. Think glam, black-tie, intimate, canapés and cocktails. It’s going to be quite the night!