Auckland’s famous Basement Theatre has announced its tenth annual Christmas Show, written and starring well-loved local comedians Rose Matafeo and Alice Snedden. They’ve created a rip-snorter of a show based on the highly relatable office Christmas party.
Work Do is set in 1997 at the offices of Go Away Travel. Linda wants everyone to enjoy the party, but a dark secret lurks. Playing with the drunkenness office socialisation requires and a few 90s throwbacks, Work Do is an unmissable chucklefest.
Matafeo and Snedden are both award-winning comedians at home and abroad, with Matafeo most recently winning “Best Comedy Show” at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival – the world’s largest fringe festival. Previous winners of the award include Dylan Moran, Steve Coogan, and Hannah Gadsby.
Snedden also won plenty of clout at the Festival, with Edinburgh Festival Magazine describing her as
“one of New Zealand’s top outputs, alongside Peter Jackson.”
Producer in Residence Vanessa Crofskey says that the Christmas Show is the crescendo in Basement’s calendar year for more reasons than one – it’s also the theatre’s only public fundraiser, which is a huge deal for a proudly non-for-profit organisation like the Basement.
“The biggest challenge facing young artists in the industry is a lack of resource and paid opportunity. Profits from tickets and upgrades sold for the Christmas Show go straight into supporting the development of emerging artists as well as maintaining the venue itself. It doesn’t hurt that it’s wildly funny too,” said Crofskey.
The Basement is a fixture of the Auckland arts scene, hosting shows by comedians, actors, musicians, and visual artists – it’s a breeding ground for new talent, and showcases in particular local work: the programming features more than 80 percent Kiwi content.
