About the hosts

Donna Brookbanks

Donna Brookbanks is an actor, comedian, improviser, voice artist and writer. She is a graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York. She has also trained in improv with The Upright Citizens Brigade in both New York and LA. She has been a Billy T nominee twice with the NZ International Comedy Festival and has written 4 solo comedy shows.

Her most recent comedy play, Green Fingered, is currently touring New Zealand. Donna’s appeared on stages across the world, such as The Sydney Comedy Store and as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Donna’s television credits include 7 Days, Madam, Mean Mums, Raised by Refugees, Creamerie, and Funny Girls and she has written for and appeared on Shortland Street, Jono and Ben and The Project. Donna has provided her voice for popular TVNZ cartoons Night Eyes and Tu Meke Space.

Donna and Shoshana McCallum co-founded Playfight Productions in 2011, as a way to bring the stories they wanted to see on stage to Auckland theatre audiences. Their productions include the original works, Looking at Stuff in Clouds and Leopard. Donna is the co-founder of cult hit Auckland improv show, Snort, which ran for 10 years at the Basement Theatre in Auckland. She is also a regular guest on RNZ’s The Week That Was, as part of Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan.