A comedy about two goldfish contemplating life was voted by the audience the winner of the second annual Pint Sized Plays New Zealand playwriting competition on Sunday night.
Remarkable Theatre actors Chris Parvin and Sam Farr, performing in sparkling costumes on stage, had the packed SkyCity Queenstown Casino restaurant rolling with laughter at the witty wordplay of Fagbutt in the Fishbowl, written by American entrant Derek Webb and directed by Nicky Busst, of Queenstown.
Mr Webb was not present on the night, but will be notified of his victory by organisers.
Players Ruth Joiner and Greg Dorn were the single people in the bar telling hilarious truths about the dating game in the second-placed play.
Perpetuation of the Human Species was written by another American entrant, David MacGregor, and directed by Jane Robertson, of Arthurs Point.
The votes tied two plays in third place.
Parvin, Andrew Edgar and Andrea Reeve starred in The Flat Pack Toaster, a couple's verbal jousting with an Indian call centre when trying to assemble their new toaster, written by Barbara Glass and directed by Melanie Grindell, both of Queenstown.
A pair of timid bird fanciers start fancying each other in Doing it Birdy Style, a two-hander between Deborah Lind and Myles Alexander, directed by Ms Lind, written by Stuart Grafton.
More than 70 entrants were anonymously shortlisted into the top 10 performed in Wanaka, for the first time, on March 2, then Queenstown on Sunday night.
Several cast and crew members made their acting or directing debuts.
