This is a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about lately, for various reasons, but I thought about how fitting it would be to know how even the greats had their tough moments of eating shit on stage, and that should be motivation to keep on keeping on.
Not to ensure this doesn’t happen to me when I deliver my Maid of Honour speech tomorrow…
https://twitter.com/brieford/status/424030879363907584
My reaction to starting up stand-up again after a mini-hiatus due to Conservatory and general fatigue from lengthy commutes.
Not My Dog is a fun night run by an incredibly nice lady, who I think wants to remain nameless on the Internet to avoid trouble with the school board.
I recommend it strongly for pumping out some new stuff or strengthening your classics.
On Saturday, December 14th, my Second City Conservatory class completed our year-long training program at the Second City Training Centre teaching us how to improvise and develop premises for scenes used to create a Second City-style production. We performed it on the Main Stage at 3pm. I arrived home in Streetsville at 3am. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my comedy career to date.
Because I feel this blog post won’t truly be able to describe the sheer joy, thrill, pride (the good kind), love and fun that resulted from that day’s performance, I thought maybe instead, I’d offer up a few things I’ve written down over the course of the last year that I thought were worth remembering, and if anyone else happens to stumble upon this page, maybe you’ll find it helpful in your own pursuit of improvisational nirvana:
It also helps to work with an amazing group of people who are all hilarious and wonderful; all from different stages in the game; all dealing with their own crap outside the classroom, but all of whom have had a remarkable impact on my comedic education thus far. I was really lucky to get to work with such a great group of individuals and at the risk of sounding corny, I’m ridiculously sad that we only get to play together once more.
Oh that’s right, I didn’t mention the REMOUNT? Well, for those of you who didn’t make it out on the 14th on account of the absolutely awful weather conditions, book off Friday morning from work because we’re boarding The Bipolar Express one last time on Thursday, January 23rd at 11pm at the Second City Main Stage and trust, you do not want to miss this party.
What a year, CCC readers. I can’t wait to see what’s next!
You want one piece of advice, starting out comedian? Don’t move to the suburbs.
This lesson I learned the hard way and tried to rectify by responding to an ad on Craigslist for a reasonably priced basement apartment at Bloor and Ossington. Fantastic location for a striving comic. Less than 5 minutes walk to the subway. Stumbling distance to Comedy Bar. Perfect. I went to check the place out and everything. It wasn’t great. But with a woman’s touch, it could look pretty damn adorable down there. Also, my pet cat Peanut has a way of making any living space adorable.
The landlady agreed that I could bring by a deposit for the apartment and I was thrilled. I would be moving back downtown. After 2 years in Etobicoke, and a brief stint in Mississauga in an attempt to save some money, I would be back in the centre of the action, and I could not wait. I could dream-taste the downtown garbage-day air already…
January 1st 2014; with Second City’s Conservatory program now complete, moving into a new place, I’d have more time free than I’ve had in a while. Time to get back out there. Do more stand-up, more improv, more storytelling. Maybe meet some people willing to work together in a sketch troupe. Get working on my writing; spec scripts, originals. The whole nine. Productivity ahoy! This is going to be THE year. But then…
The landlady informs me in a poorly structured e-mail (weird, for a former teacher) that her current tenant is not able to leave when he said he would. Which begs the question… WHAT THE FUCK were you posting an ad on Craiglist for if you weren’t even sure your fucking tenant was going to be leaving? It’s like.. “Here! Do you want to buy this car? Yes? Well too bad, you can’t It’s not for sale, sucker! BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
I’m fairly certain that’s the entire point of an online marketplace. You don’t put something up, unless it’s good and goshdarn available! I’m sure somewhere there’s a law against this type of flaking, but because no money was exchanged, it’s really just a matter of screwing over the person you lead on, then crushing her hopes and dreams. (Dramatic, much?)
I know an argument can be made for the fact that it is possible to be a performer and live in the ‘burbs, but personally, I feel as though I’m wasting SO much time on the commute, which drains my energy and my drive. If I stay in town after working an 8 hour shift, to see a show instead of say, going home and preparing dinner, then going back to town to see a show, I’m saving time, but draining my wallet. Ultimately, it’s a vaccuum of wasting time and money on eating out, gas, parking etc. I think living in town, even though rent is more expensive, the ultimate savings occur in time.
So now it’s back to the drawing board. I’m off to spend hours on Craigslist, Kijiji, ViewIt.ca and other such sites in an ongoing search for a convenient, not horrible location that won’t break me financially and/or morally (that’s right, I’m not moving to Parkdale.)
Keep your eyes open for me please, friends. And never, ever move to the suburbs if you want to keep performing comedy at this early and fragile stage.
It’s hard to believe a year has past since I shared a stage with Dave Foley. Not just any stage, the main stage at the Second City. But alas, here we are, one year later, watching my successors have their moment in the limelight alongside another Kid in the Hall, and a most royal queen, Scott Thompson.
The show was really good, I was super impressed by the performances, a lot of the writing, but mostly the sheer joy on the faces of the performers as they showcased what they worked really hard on, ans what they learned over the past two years.
…and I can only IMAGINE the infinitely more positive environment these kids had to work with in the writer’s room and in rehearsal. They were having fun. And being creative. I bet they were encouraged to create, explore and push a couple boundaries. And you could tell all that by the performances.
It was also nice to bump into some fellow alumni and other industry folk for the evening. 🙂 (Including the good news I heard about a sponsorship for Water Wings – but more on that to come…)
I left the Main Stage feeling pretty encouraged and motivated to work hard on my own stuff. Nothing like a bunch of kids graduating and entering the world of what you want to do to motivate you to make sure you keep at it yourself! But first, I must rest… because I’ve got this nasty cough that just started out of nowhere and I’ve got a busy week (month, life) ahead of me!
Congrats Humber Comedy class of 2013! Y’done good. Now keep up the hard work and I’ll see ya on the circuit!
The Fresh Meat show was a huge success! The theatre was full (not full-full – because I know what that looks and feels like – but, good full), the masses were laughing and the comics were knocking ’em dead. All in all, what a wonderful show to have been a part of!
Props & hugs to the producer, Dee and to everyone else I saw running around working hard! ( Photographer James & Emily backstage +DJ the host) for such a smooth running professional evening. Even content-wise, I was pleased to see a good number of smart, sophisticated humour – (mixed in with a very healthy blend of the irreverent.)
It was also so great to see all the fun people I normally work alongside, smiling encouragingly as I told a very embarrassing story on stage and reaffirming me afterwards that I didn’t stink!
As silly as it sounds to say it though, I think my highlight of the night was the moment I walked out of the green room after my performance and thought: “PHEW!! It’s DONE! Now I can just sit back and actually ENJOY the show!” I think DJ Demers, the host, summed it up pretty nicely when he commented on how a bunch of the comics were puking backstage because they were so nervous. It was a nerve-wracking show. And a healthy dose of competition is good, sure. Fine. But this isn’t athletics. It’s not like we all go at once and then the fastest, or the furthest wins. I do not envy the performers who had to sit through the entire show, seeing all the performers kill and think – “Oh jeez, I have to do better than him, and her, and them etc.” Whereas I got to just rip mine off like a Band-Aid.
Most of the time, I like to go last or near-last at a stand-up show, but definitely not in competition, I learned.
It was great to see the members of the community, once again assembled to celebrate and encourage those starting out in the business. It’s great to hear that that’s what Tim Sims was about – because it’s not an easy thing to get into and to continually rationalize and justify as your debts pile higher, but your gigs get better… slowly. Slowly. And you work well into the night – performing, writing, re-writing, rehearsing, hounding down colleagues to coordinate stuff, producing, etc. It’s not easy. But is it worth it?
Three minutes, we got on Monday.
Three minutes to myself on the Second City main stage.
You’re damn right it was worth it!
Brie Watson 