Trygve Wakenshaw (pronounced trig-vee) was a great performer who specialised in physical comedy. He was very funny with his body and his face and his ability to turn a black box theatre into a strange and magical world which charted the contours of his imagination. 

His Story

Trygve grew up in Hastings, New Zealand as the eldest of four children. He is the only one in the family to display a passion for theatricality. Soccer was more fun to play if you could devise funny ways of slipping over on or near the ball. (his two brothers are very good at sports, picking up the slack which Trygve left behind).

Trygve moved to Auckland after high school and began several years of backstage work, bar work, stand-up comedy, flat whites and rollies, opening night parties, schmoozing, flirting, shakespeare, acting, clowning, circus, goofing, devising, and a little bit of local access music television.

With his best friend in the whole wide world, Barnie Duncan, he made slapstick comedy theatre shows regularly for short seasons across new zealand.

Trygve's first tattoo was of a milk carton. His second was the logo of the theatre company he formed with Mr Duncan. His third was a fibonacci spiral. His fourth was inked on the floor of a hut in Bali, an Alexander Calder mobile.

Trygve went to Paris to study with Philippe gaulier and had a wonderful time living in france (though shamefully his mastery of the french language is still poor to nonexistent).

He met his beautiful wife in a yoga class in Bali, they married at sunrise in San Francisco overlooking the pacific ocean, they had their first child at home in their apartment in London, and their second at home in Prague. He loves them all very much

Trygve now lives in Prague, Czech Republic with his wife and two sons. He’s a happy housefather, teaches part time at an English language preschool, and wonders what to do with his life now.

Awards include:

Best Comedy Adelaide Fringe 2015 - KRAKEN

Best Comedy Perth Fringeworld 2015 - KRAKEN

Underbelly Edinburgh Award 2014 - KRAKEN

Best Comedy “The Fred” NZ Comedy 2014

Best International Act, Busan International Comedy Festival 2016

Nominations include:

Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award 2015 - Nautilus

Barry Award 2014 - KRAKEN

Golden Gibbo Award 2014 - KRAKEN

Total Theatre Award 2013 - Squidboy