Based: Cape Town
Kurt started comedy at a very early age. Family sources say he was a huge hit at his 2nd birthday party and continued to grow from strength to strength since then.
Aged 10 Kurt joined the Creative School of speech and Drama and fell in love with the stage. Kurt progressed continuously over the next few years from class clown to “funny guy at the braai” entertaining friends and family until eventually in 1999 at the start of the the “New Comedy Revolution” one of his friends dared him to try out for the “new Faces” stage at the Smirnoff International Comedy Festival. To prove to his friends that any “Schmuck” from the streets would not be accepted for such a premier event, he tried out. He proved himself wrong by being accepting on the line-up.
Kurt Schoonraad has grown in leaps and bounds since and now one of the most popular and requested comedians in South Africa ( that is his story and he is sticking to it)
Kurt then hooked up with the Cape Comedy Collective in 2000 and was given a platform (built by himself in his moms garage) to experiment with his very unique observational style of South African comedy (Why did the chicken cross Adderly Street ? ect)
Kurt is a popular favourite on the South African Arts Festival scene and some of his stage accolades include Oppikoppi Music Festival, Up The Creek Music Festival, the Granaat Music Festival, the Hermanus Whale Festival, the East Coast Radio Ha Ha comedy showcase in Durban, Smirnoff Comedy festival and the Cape Town International Comedy Festival. Kurt has also been a favourite at the 5 fm Heavy Weight comedy Jams. He has been invited to perform on many national comedy tours including Vodacom, Green Spicer, the Sprite national comedy tours and recently the J&B Met. Most recently Kurt produced Both The Barnyard National comedy Festival and the “Jou Ma se Comedy” event, together with the Cape Town Festival.
Kurt Schoonraad is well known for flirting with the press and they love him too. He has been featured in many local and international newspapers and magazines. He was interviewed by BBC(UK) and the ABC(USA) and was featured on the front Page of The New York Times.
“Punchlines” ,Kurt’s first one man show, a boxing spoof themed show, saw him shadow boxing with his past taking audiences on a journey through his childhood and early adulthood was hugely successful . “Punchlines” ran at The Baxter Theatre in Cape Town and was received very well by Critics and audiences alike. Due to popular demand “Punchlines” was run again at On Broadway a short while later. Kurt has just completed a very successful run of his second One man show “Spiders & Mayonnaise” at the Roxy Review Bar – Grand West Casino. The show takes a look at life in South Africa pre & post 1994. Looking at the lighter side of being South African and dealing with the every day fears, pet hates and bloomer panties.
Kurt Schoonraad is best known as the accidental tourist in SABC’s hit show “Going Nowhere Slowly”. Kurt is no stranger to South African television. His parents had one since he was five.
He hosted a season of the ever popular Comedy Showcase and also featured on Pieter Dirk Uys’s “Evita ,live and dangerous” and Barry Hilton’s “Funny you should say that” and the “Phat Joe Show”.
The hit Movies “Men In Black” and “Lord of the Rings”, Kurt had nothing to do with those at all. He has however starred in a local Movie “Azure” which has been screened on M-net during 2003 and 2004. Kurt starred in his second movie “The Flyer’’ in late 2004.
Because he is considered a “Clean Act” Kurt has also gained popularity as a corporate entertainer , facilitator and MC and satisfied corporate clients include Vodacom, ABSA , Sanlam and Old Mutual to mention a few.
Kurt Schoonraad is a real South African “boykie” in everyway. Appealing to modern South Africa in a friendly “Boy Next door” way and promises to continue doing so for a long time to come.
