Over the pandemic, Dan Bain went from being one of Ōtautahi’s most prestigious and respected artists to being a call-centre operator, unable to leave the house without his ‘anxiety knife’. This is an hour of standup comedy mostly about that.
Hubris.
Anxiety.
Knives ...
Dan Bain has been a theatre director, playwright, improvisor, street performer, actor, motivational speaker and jelly wrestler since graduating from clown school in 2001. Mostly, though, he’s good at being funny - he literally wrote the book on improvised comedy. He co-created cult improv sensations Perfuct Storm and Improv Seduction, as well as the bafflingly popular sleep-aid podcast Dan Bain’s Sleepy Time Mumbles. As a stand-up comedian, his comedy reflects his unique perspective and cheerful vulgarity, all filtered through his desperate attempts to appear clever.
A permanent, persistent, peculiar fixture in the landscape of pro-comedy in Ōtautahi, he does not quit. You will enjoy yourself, or he’ll die trying.
2024 Tour Dates
March 14 - Dunedin Fringe, New Atheneum Theatre, 8:30
March 15 - Dunedin Fringe, New Atheneum Theatre, 8:30
March 16 - Dunedin Fringe, New Atheneum Theatre, 8:30
March 20 - Nelson Fringe, Studio One Nelson, 7:30
March 21 - Nelson Fringe, Studio One Nelson, 7:30
April 5 - Good Times Comedy Club, Christchurch, 6:30
“The comedy is assertive, flicking between the acerbic and the self-deprecating as Bain leverages nearly two decades’ worth of experience in theatre, street performance and improvisation into a forceful stage persona.” - Flat City Field Notes
“Bain draws the audience in and almost simultaneously pushes us away, daring us to not find him funny.” - Backstage Christchurch
“... the very funny Dan Bain brings some real laughter with his absurd, bizarre routines.” - Theatreview