What a splendid evening of comedy last night at The Second City as friends etc. gave their send-offs to main stage cast members Ashley Comeau, Carly Heffernan & Alastair Forbes, all people I got the pleasure of watching during my stint as a host at Second City and who have now become softball buddies & confidants during tough-life-decision-making-moments.
I was thrilled to get to see some of the sketches from their previous shows, those I hadn’t got to see because I still lived in Ottawa and/or was too dumb to come see Second City revues.
If you missed the show last night, well that’s a big tough titties. BUT, this NOW magazine article written by Glenn Sumi will hopefully make you feel a little better as you get to know a bit more about the newly added alumni of the Second City Toronto:
Click & be magically taken away to the NOW Magazine article.
I had the chance to catch up with some of the amazing acts performing on this show to ask them how they REALLY feel about mustaches and facial hair:
“There are those for whom I think it’s essential: Cult Members, Cult leaders, Indie Folksters, Wizards. For others I believe it is appropriate without being strictly necessary: Cowboys, Ring Leaders, Dock Workers, Henchmen. And, of course , there are those for whom facial hair is an absolute no-no: Babies, Police Officers, Amateur Ironists, Anglican Priests.” – Scott Montgomery, Falcon Powder.
Here’s another opinion about who should and shouldn’t have facial hair:
“Facial hair’s pretty neat, unless it’s on a girl.” – Ben Miner
(I’ll be sure to make an appointment to get my upper-lip waxed – AFTER tomorrow’s show!)
What do the mo-sistas think about facial hair?
“LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Love it. Seriously. LOVE IT! Oh my god. Even thinking and typing it makes me happy. I am a beard lover, but I also love an ironic mustache!” – Debra DiGiovanni
Well, you are going to LOVE the ‘staches at Comedy Bar tomorrow night Debra because comedians are only capable of growing mustaches ironically. Little known fact.
Check out this coming-of-age-and-stache tale:
“We didn’t realize it was quite so much work! All of the waxing, flexing, watering it every day, etc. We feel a new respect for people that wear them all year round. The biggest problem is that it wakes us up all the time. We roll onto our faces as we sleep and it pokes us. Rolling onto your face as you sleep is normal, right?” – Marc Hallworth, Vest of Friends
Just as long as you continue to breathe, Marc. Just as long as you continue to breathe.
Wondering whether or not any of these acts have grown mustaches this Movember? Come to the show and find out! Here are a few hints for ya:
“…didn’t grow my mo this year- stupid electrolysis- so now I have to overcompensate with my eyebrows. It’s kind of a double mo!”
“…we grew bristles just above our lips. But they PASS as moustaches.”
“…I didn’t grow a mo this year because I already had a beard and didn’t wanna mess with my head shot for auditions and such.”
“No I did not. My reason is simple: I fear my mustache would, by virtue of its sheer wispiness, discourage people from donating and/or participating in this and all future Movembers. I’d hate to be responsible for something like that.”
Finally – if you were on the fence at all about coming to the show tomorrow night, maybe because you’re offended that people have been calling you ferret-face all month, and they have, read on to find out why these hilarious comics think YOU should be there:
“Its the end of another Movember and it needs to be glorified. Plus, Movember is for a good cause, laughing is awesome and it’s Wednesday. what else are you doing on a Wednesday, jerk?! :)” –Debra DiGiovanni
“Because making prostate cancer and subsequently this yearly blight of terrible moustaches a thing of the past is a doubly good cause.” – Scott Montgomery, Falcon Powder
“Beacuse we heard that Tom Selleck, Hitler, AND Ned Flanders will be there! How can you miss those classic staches!?” – Marc Hallworth, Vest of Friends
And finally…
“People should come to Laughstache tomorrow because if they don’t Rob Ford will light a flaming bag of his own poop on your doorstep. He has a lot of free time these days.” – Ben Miner
And ladies and gentlemen, I really do NOT want a piece of shit on my doorstep, OR the flaming bag!
So come on down!
Tickets are $15
All proceeds from ticket sales are going directly to the
I had my Level D improv show last night at the Second City Training Centre – it was a lot of fun despite my being tired from having just driven back into town from Niagara in a rental vehicle with New York license plates than I’m paranoid I will ding because I’m a terrible parker. But there you have it, the show went well and I got to spend the rest of this Sunday evening as far away from Grey Cup nonsense as possible! (SO glad I left King/Peter before the game let out. SO. glad.)
The newest episode of CatChatz was released to the world today. This one guest stars my buddy, the very funny and talented Erin Rodgers as a Pet Psychic/Therapist who tries to help Melanie Marble (Paige McIntyre) get over her separation anxiety resulting from her catless move to the big city.
I hope you enjoy it! Share it with the people in your lives who love cats. (ie. Everyone, amirite? #catsrule)
Speaking of which, I’m taking Peanut to the vet on Thursday because she keeps scratching her face so much she looks like Heath Ledger’s Joker. Pet ownership is the greatest! Now, where’s Dad’s credit card, again?
Last night was the first time I performed on the actual Amateur Night at Yuk Yuk’s downtown Toronto. I don’t know why it took me so long to get my ass up on that show, but nevertheless, it happened last night and it went… meh. It was, alright.
It was a much less forgiving crowd than the Yuk’s experiences I’ve had so far with Humber nights. Also, I had to take the bullet. Which I hate, even when someone as awesome and hilarious as Mark Little is hosting the thing.
It was fun to see some fresh newbies who’d never ever done stand-up before as well as a variety of comics more, shall I say aged…, than those I’m used to seeing at the open mics around town.
IN SUMMATION, it was a mediocre first time.
Womp womp.
BUT, what better motivation to work harder and one day win over the Amateur Night crowd?!
It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve been back from the Ottawa/Montreal leg of our Comedy Before the Frost tour and I still haven’t had the time to post any of the photos or videos. But I’m working on it. I promise.
I had my first Level D class at the Second City Training Centre this past Monday (Rob Baker‘s my teacher – So excited! Uh… the comedian, not the dude from The Tragically Hip – although that would also be cool.) Afterwards, I huddled and dodged the hurricane over to the Main Stage to check out the last little bit of the 2012 Cream of Comedy show, where those 5 performers who were selected from Fresh Meat got to battle it out one last time in hopes of winning the Tim Sims Engouragement Fund Finally, Christi Olson was declared victor and was awarded $5k & a scholarship to the Training Centre. Good on her. She’s hilarious and totally deserves it. Also, I hear she needs money to buy meds, so… good. Comedy’s literally keeping this girl alive.
Kudos to the producer Deanna Palazzo for putting for the hard work she put into Fresh Meat and CoC this year. They were both really fantastic performances, which ran smoothly, professionally and hilariously, just as planned.
I don’t know why, but because I didn’t know Tim Sims, I derived great pleasure out of recognizing him from the old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups commercials where he played Rory Tate, the scientist tracking mysterious peanut butter and chocolaty crop circles. I REMEMBER those! I guess it makes me feel better because I can acknowledge that though I never got to see Tim perform live, some element of his performance has been ingrained in my memory – so I feel better about being nominated to be in a competition for award in his name. Does that make sense? I don’t care. It does to me.
IT DOES TO ME!
Anyway, C0C was hosted by Kristeen von Hagen, who is hilarious. And, having heard she was in town, the wonderful Jess Beaulieu snagged her up to headline her and Laura Bailey‘s popular CHICKA-BOOM show, on which I got to perform with some other fun sketch and improv comedians and none other than Royal Canadian Air Farce veteran, Luba Goy.
The Canadian Ukrainian Princess
“What? Brie, that’s amazing!”
I know. You don’t have to tell me that. I feel it too.
She performed a great little bit of stand-up and included some of the fan favorites, including Kim Campbell & Donald Duck. After the show, Luba kept us out too late for a Sunday, telling the hosts they need to hurry up, get married and have babies (not with each other…) before their parts dry up. She then picked up what is probably the Free Times Café owner’s family heirloom, a sweet old accordion, without permission and went to town on it – telling us tales of her own one-of-a-kind childhood accordion, which her friend traded in sans permission. Tragedy, right?
Who could say anything though? She’s Ukrainian Canada’s sweetheart!
Also, Luba tells me I’m no longer allowed to drink sweet white wine, so… I have to settle for Pinot Grigio these days.
YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT LUBA SAYS!!!! BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN OTHERWISE.
I read this article in shedoesthecity.com about JokeBox lounge producer (and good friend) Deanna Palazzo and couldn’t help but give it a re-post. It feels good to read great things about ladies who work freakin’ hard in this business and to hear about the good things they’ve got coming up.
Click on Dee’s face to read on…
“Jokebox Comedy Lounge brings an inclusive night of laughs to Comedy Bar on Mondays. Producer Deanna Palazzo tells us what it’s all about…”
If I didn’t mention it at all, I’ve been spending the weekends this summer playing on a Comedy Softball league, which in and of itself does sound like somewhat of a joke – but all jokes aside, we were actually a pretty good team! Put together by the producers of the JokeBox Comedy Lounge (my good buddies Dee & Jimmy-Jams) and comprised of many current and former employees & performers of the Second City – and a few other comics here and there – ended up in 2nd place in the league! I hadn’t played softball since my last summer in Ottawa and am always looking to play in the summer – so this was a fantastic opportunity to play and to meet (and drink) with some fantastic members of the community.
Here we are…
Team JokeBox 2012
Close…but no cigar, gang!
(I was totally looking at the camera in one of the blurry ones.)
You should have seen the size of the champions trophy! Comedy Bar does not skimp out on its sports awards! *Sigh…Oh well, there’s always next year, team!
***
On the not-so-sad side, another one of my pieces was published on Bite.ca today. You can totally check it out by clicking the link below:
Two Years of fun. Pessimistic, passive aggressive fun.
Happy 2nd Birthday, Clown College Confessions!
There are two things I would have liked to have ready to post on this, the second anniversary of my little blog:
The First: to have had enough money to finally convert it to its own domain name and;
The Second: to have been able to post photos from Fresh Meat and talked about the upcoming Cream of Comedy show.
But as it turns out, I’m still broke and I didn’t make it onto Cream of Comedy…
SO…
…this adorable teddy bear will have to suffice, OK? ALRIGHT?!?!?! What’s wrong? A cute teddy bear NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YA? Well we’ll see about THAT!!!!
Somebody get me some chocolate cake.
_____
The author of Clown College Confessions is experiencing some technical (see: psychological) difficulties. Please try again later.
Fresh Meat is over friends. We can all breathe again! Inhale some of that delicious oxygen! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand breathe out. Nope, not working. Still on edge! Well, I guess it’s time to sign up for a new yoga class, Brie!
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.
Brie Watson 