A lot of people think 2016 stunk like poop. And it many ways it did. But if there’s one thing my recent trip down Morning-Affirmations-Lane has taught me, it’s that sometimes is does the body a lot more good to focus on the positive rather than the poop.

So here’s a little highlight of some of the things I consider to be accomplishments from the year 2016 (in no particular order):

• Created/produced a new show called What If? Improvising Your Alternate Universe in which I get to play with some of my favourite people and live out the catharsis of some very interesting storytellers. The shows kicked off at Comedy Bar’s “Festival of New Formats” in January, and we’ve at least a show a month every since then, including a trip to showcase the show in Ottawa in March (and another one coming up in January.)
• Wrote a handful satirical articles that were published on CBC Comedy‘s website.
• Recorded 16 episodes of my podcast The Constant Struggle with my brother Nick, and we got to know more about many of our artist friends and the hard work they do to create their art.
• Placed on a Longform Grad Team at The Second City Training Centre alongside some wickedly talented performers. We’re called Chakra Khan and we perform regularly on Thursday and Sunday nights at the John Candy Box Theatre.
• Asked to produce one of the coolest shows in the Second City Longform Program’s new Thursday night line-up. It’s called POPAGANDA and I get to work with my bae, Antonis Varkaris, who hosts the show with an unmatched flare. To date, we’ve booked so many of my favourite improvisers, I think I may have lost count. (That’s a lie, I have a spreadsheet keeping track of everyone who’s performed.)
• My show Guess Who’s Coming to Improv? continues to bring improvisers together outside the classroom and with some of our improv heroes.
• Asked to participate in a review of my college program; where I feel my opinion was genuinely considered.
• Performed in a duo with my wonderful friend Ashley Seaman.
• Accepted to perform in the Big City Improv Festival.
• Spoke on a festival panel about producing.
• Awarded “Female MVP” on my comedy softball team. ❤ Jokebox.
• Asked to be a model for the first time in my life & got to walk the catwalk at the Halton / Hamilton Bridal Show thanks to Bella Mia Bridal.
• Performed in my first international festival alongside my bud David Lahti with The Utilidors at the Boston Comedy Arts Festival and got to play in the All-Star Traveller’s Improv Jam which was total chaos and complete fun!

• Travelled to Calgary for the first time in over 10 years to Emcee my first wedding (OMG how has it taken this long, this is my dream “job”) for 2 of my very good friends, Colleen Chan & Philippe Laroche.
• Pitched a show to CBC with my great writing partner Chris Hedrick.
• Asked to produce Monday shows all summer long for alumni of the Humber College Comedy Program.
• Graduated from the Second City’s Longform Program alongside some wonderful baes.
• Travelled to Ottawa to teach a sketch comedy writing workshop for women.
• Formed a duo with one of my favourite improvisers Leanne Miller.
• Performed on a team in a French improv league in Toronto.
• Performed in the SheDot Festival alongside my platonic life wife Gillian English.
• Was featured in a live promotional radio interview.
• Was asked to be on a comedy radio show that also featured the Kids in the Hall’s Scott freakin’ Thompson! (And the delightful Stephanie Herreira)

• Produced and performed in my second annual World War One-themed improv show to raise funds for the Vimy Foundation.
• Asked to host shows for the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival.
• Took a road trip to NYC & got to see a taping of Late Night with Stephen Colbert, ASSSCAT 3000 at UCB and Dave Attell at the Comedy Cellar.
• Performed an out-of-town stand-up show for a birthday party in Kitchener, ON.
• Produced a night of stand-up and storytelling where comedians openly spoke about mental health issues; as a fundraiser for the Canadian Mental Health Association.
• Helped a friend develop a concept for a new improv show in association with the Second City Training Centre. She’s still running it today!

On top of all that, I spent quite a bit of time planning my biggest show of the year; the one where I married my best friend; my partner in silliness Dan Dingwall.

2016 was a pretty big year for me. And I can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store.

Happy New Year everybody!

 

 

The Social Capital Theatre is such a great place to go to feel tremendous support from a huge variety of your fellow improvisers in the community. It’s unpretentious, collaborative and so positively uplifting.

My advice: go there more.

My cat just came up to join me as I was deciding to write about a decision I recently made to stop working for a company where I hope to one day work in a more significant capacity, but which for the moment was providing me with more challenges, stress and difficulties than benefits.

The cat is chewing on my sunglasses, which I will now place in my desk. (The cat or the sunglasses? You decide.)

Sometimes l don’t know what decision is the right one to make for my future. So much of what I read in terms of motivational literature has to do with choosing your own path, and being in control of your own life’s successes and failures; not being the victim of circumstance.

But in an industry full of gatekeepers, it’s sometimes difficult to truly believe you’re the captain of your own ship. It’s like, sometimes I just want to dock my ship at a cool space station, but space-parking is full, and maybe I’m too space-early, or space-late to ever be allowed in.

Everything will happen for my highest good. That’s one of the affirmations I try to remember when I get to feeling this way.

It’s just that sometimes I just wish my highest good was at that damn space station.