The rise and rise of Laser Kiwi
Join the world’s only surreal, award-winning sketch comedy circus troupe on a wild ride this summer as they bring people closer together, one olive at a time! Award-winning Wellington (NZ)-based circus/performance trio Laser Kiwi are back at Fringe World in 2024 with Laser Kiwi – Rise of the Olive, hitting The Gold Digger at The Pleasure Garden on select dates from Tuesday, January 30 to Sunday, February 11. Adding to the excitement this Fringe is a second show, Laser Kiwi – Pictionary, bringing ‘a gameshow experience like no other’ to Rooftop Movies on Monday, February 5, and Monday February 12. BEC WELDON caught up with the troupe’s Zane Jarvie, Imogen Stone, and Degge Jarvie to find out why we can expect bizarre ideas, high-level circus, and a bloody good night out.
Welcome back to Fringe World for 2024! What exciting adventures have occurred in the world of Laser Kiwi since we saw you three at last year’s Fringe World?
ZJ We have had an action-packed year! We went from performing at Glastonbury alongside Elton John to an Italian TV show and a smashing Edinburgh fringe season.
(Alongside Elton John is definitely a stretch.)
We also signed with a wonderful UK-based producer, which is a game changer.
You’re bringing back Laser Kiwi – Rise of the Olive for 2024. After a successful season last year, what can new and returning anti-pasto-appreciating audience members expect to see?
New audiences can expect surreal comedy, out-of-the-box ideas, with a sprinkling of world-class circus.
For those who have seen the show, there are some new gags, and the whole thing has tightened up.
Rise of the Olive was a wonderfully chaotic romp through circus, aerials, and sketch comedy. What inspired the show?
Honestly, we draw inspiration from all over the place. We are always on the hunt for the next idea! And often, they come at the least expected moments.
As a creative trio, there must be a lot of creative negotiation and collective devising involved in your shows. How does that collaboration influence the creative process and the final product?
We all have very different comedic voices. As a general rule, we are very good at finding space for each other. Sometimes, one person will have an offer that the other two don’t jive with. When this happens, we normally just put it on stage and let the audience tell us if it’s good.
We say the show is audience-directed, which makes for a show that feels in the room.
You’ve got a second show this year, Laser Kiwi – Pictionary. What can audiences expect from this show?
This show is an absolute delight. It’s a pub quiz-style event where you and a team guess what we are drawing. Think Pictionary, but with a Laser Kiwi twist—cryptic, meta, surreal—all good things.
And it’s really nice for us because drawing pictures is way less stressful than circus or jokes.
You’ve been collaborating as a collective for over five years now; what’s the story behind Laser Kiwi?
We all grew up vaguely in the same youth circus scene. We started off with a big outdoor show that we were touring through Canada. We also happened to land one indoor spot in a Fringe.
We didn’t have a show, so on the plane over there, we wrote a list of ideas on a napkin and then performed them. We thought the napkin was funny, so we scanned it and gave it to the audience.
The show was a solid OK, but we had discovered the Laser Kiwi vibe! And the rest is history.
Did you all know that you wanted to be a circus performer at an early age?
ZJ I am going to get the troupes in to answer this question. For me, I originally thought I was going to be an architect. Then, at the end of my studies, I had a quarter-life crisis and ran away with the circus.
DJ Nope! I never knew it was an option!
IS It was only once I was deep into the circus world that I found out it was a possibility. so not from an early age.
What first inspired your passion for circus? Would you say that those have changed as you’ve grown and developed as artists?
ZJ 100% the community. I grew up as a festival baby, and a lot of my older role models were in the circus space, and I thought they were the coolest people. Now it is still the people, but also the craft.
DJ At first, I was inspired by the community around me, but now it’s the whole world. There are so many people taking circus in incredible directions. It is amazing.
IS My passion for circus came from the challenge of it and the people. These things are still true today, which is what keeps me inspired.
We’re dying to know, why olives?
If we told you…
What are you most looking forward to sharing with audiences at this year’s Fringe World in 2024?
We are excited to share the essence of our shows, which is to find joy in nothing…