From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sam Wills
Sam Wills
Sam Wills is a 32 year old professional New Zealand prop-
comic currently residing in London. On stage he per-
forms as "The Boy With Tape on his Face"[1] or as one
half of the two person act "Spitroast" or simply as Sam
Wills.[2] He performs regularly on the New Zealand Com-
edy Circuit, has featured in the New Zealand Internation-
al Comedy Festival[3] and the World Buskers Festival.[4]
Biography
Sam Wills was born on 29 August 1978 and began his per-
forming career in Timaru at the age of thirteen while he
trained as an apprentice clown. He has since mastered a
diverse range of performance styles and skills. He holds Sam Wills performing in Covent Garden, London (May 2009)
a diploma in New Circus from Christchurch Polytechnic
Institute of Technology’s Circus School where he has private functions for the former New Zealand Prime Min-
taught juggling there for two years. His interest in the ister Helen Clark and the King of Tonga George Tupou V.
phenomenon of traditional circus freak shows and influ- In the UK he made an ITV appearance on Comedy Rocks
ences such as the Jim Rose Circus and the Tokyo Shock hosted by Jason Manford (2011), and also appeared at the
Boys led to experiments with shock comedy, earning him first ever BBC Comedy Prom at London’s Royal Albert
his first Pulp Comedy appearance, the Best New Face Hall on 13 August 2011 (broadcast on BBC 2 on 27 August
award for the 2001 season, and the title ‘Prince of Cringe’ 2011). On 5 December 2011 he performed at the 83rd an-
from Truth and TV Extra magazine. nual Royal Variety Performance, alongside Tim Minchin
Until 2001, Sam was a driving force in the and others.
Christchurch entertainment scene, featured at balls, pri-
vate functions and corporate events; running weekly
comedy nights and appearing on local television.
Awards
January 2002 saw Sam move to Auckland to become In 2001, Sam received Pulp Comedy’s Best New Face
resident comedian at the casino in SKYCITY Auckland. Award.
His weekly show, the NCB Comedy Hour, is now in its In 2002, he received the Best Marketing award from
fourth year and continues to push the boundaries of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival.
comedy performance with its blend of circus skill and In 2005, he received New Zealand’s highest comedy
vaudeville style. honours, the Billy T Award for his show Dance Monkey
In March 2008 Sam took his show ’The Boy with Tape Dance: The Evolution of Sam Wills and the "Best Show"
on His Face’ to the Melbourne Comedy Festival, where it award from the New Zealand Comedy Guild.
received great critical acclaim. In 2006, he received the "Best Show" and "Best Show
After Melbourne, Sam moved to London. Concept" awards from the New Zealand Comedy Guild.
In 2007, he received the "Best Show" and "Best Show
Notable performances Concept" awards from the New Zealand Comedy Guild
as well as the "Best Poster" and "Best Show Auckland"
Sam performed as the MC of the Late Club at the Auck- awards at the New Zealand International Comedy Festi-
land Festival in 2005 (AK05) and for First Night at the val.
Aotea Centre. He has also performed at the World In 2008, he received the "Peoples Choice" award at
Buskers’ Festival in 2004, 2005 and 2008. He was a consis- the World Buskers Festival and the Groggy Squirrel Read-
tent performer on Pulp Comedy during its three seasons ers Award at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. He was also
on TV2. He performed on the red carpet for the World nominated for the ’Best Newcomer’ at the Melbourne
Premier of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Comedy Festival.
in Wellington. He was the support act for David Strass-
man’s 2003 tour of New Zealand. He has also performed at
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sam Wills
In 2011 he won best breakthrough act at chortle live Persondata
comedy awards 2011 as ’The Boy With Tape on his Face’
Name Wills, Sam
He was also on the Royal Variety Performance 2011.
Alternative names The Boy With Tape on his Face
References Short description
Date of birth
[1] www.theboywithtapeonhisface.com
[2] www.thesamwills.com Place of birth
[3] New Zealand International Comedy Festival Date of death
[4] World Buskers Festival Place of death
External links
• [1] Sam Wills on Youtube
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sam_Wills&oldid=465909294"
Categories:
• New Zealand comedians
• Living people
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