Gay actor and comedian Eli Matthewson has been nominated for a Billy T Award for the second time. He’s up against Hamish Parkinson, Matt Stellingwerf, Nic Sampson and Tim Batt for the top honour for up-and-coming comedians. Matthewson was previously nominated in 2013, just a year after he won Best Newcomer at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. He’s from Christchurch, and studied acting at Unitec in Auckland, where he now lives. Improv led him into stand-up comedy. Matthewson has been a U-Live presenter, and appeared in the plays Titus, 8 and Earnest. There were 22 applicants for the 2015 Billy T Award, which will be handed out in May next year, during the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. Previous winners include gay disabilities advocate and comedian Phillip Patston, while lesbian comedian Urzila Carlson was a finalist in 2012.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 16th October 2014 - 12:44pm