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.
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?!
Bring it, Yuk Yuk’s.
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A seat belt on a bicycle. What was I THINKING?
I confess it was somewhat of a weird night at the Black Swan, where a friend/colleague of mine just started what will hopefully be a successful regular half booked show/half open mic. It was run by the wonderful Amber Harper-Young, who unfortunately had to absent herself mid-way. Nevertheless, the show is called “Hardcore Girls” and it seems as though the premise is about getting mainly women (and some dudes) up to perform in an encouraging space where they feel comfortable enough to talk about what terrible human beings they are… um, in a good way. In a funny way! The show doubles as a fundraiser for “Because I Am A Girl” – a charitable organization set to empower women in Canada and around the world.
The audience was composed of performers and maybe one or two of the performers’ partners/friends. It was not a particularly receptive crowd – but it could be because they were so few in numbers. OR the heat. Yeah. Let’s blame the heat.
I took the bullet, which I (and every other comic on earth) hate – although it did lead me to realize that I need to try taking it more so I can get better at pumping up a crowd very early on in the night, because it’s a really tough thing to do. Part of me feels responsible for the low energy of the room tonight. Part of me blames the heat.
THAT being said, the chairs! OMG, the Black Swan has some comfy ass chairs, which is highly unusual for a comedy venue, considering it seems the venue owners seem to want their clients to feel as uncomfortable physically as they do internally when they see a comedian bomb on stage.
It was nice to catch some performers I’d never seen before too. It’s nice to broaden the social network. Speaking of which, Erin Rodgers will be pleased to know that I did engage in an incredibly awkward conversation afterwards with the sound guy because I’d admitted to absolutely detesting the song he played when I was brought up on stage. (Seriously, KT Turnstall makes my stomach turn. She’s awful. Fuck!! She’s bad.) … I didn’t need to bring it up again after my set. Why did I bring it up again? Sometimes I just don’t know about myself. It’s almost like anxiety medication permits you to say things you wouldn’t otherwise say – both in a good way AND in a terribly humiliating way. And to Natalie Norman, who also performed tonight. I hear you loud and clear about the chair sweat.
Here’s me wishing best of luck to Amber on her Hardcore Girls project! I look forward to hitting the spot up again soon and hopefully the word will get out and more and more people will come check out this awesome show!
I’d been meaning to go for a long time, but I finally got around to attending Toronto’s Indie Comedy Hour, a fun monthly half-booked, half-lottery open mic on College Street hosted by two awesome babes; Catherine McCormick and Arleigh Curran. Annnnnd it pretty much restored my faith in humanity.
I had a great set, the crowd was amazing, the other comics were fantastic – a lot of whom I’d never seen before, which was also refreshing. If you’re a comic in TO and you haven’t tried this room out, you’re just wrong. And if you’re not a comic, and you need something to do on a Wednesday night once a month, you should definitely check this show out because I guarantee you will laugh.
I was asked to come back next month and perform on the booked portion of the show, which was amazing and I’m honoured. Yeehaw! Bring on Spring and Summer nights of comedy around TO. It’s gonna a good Summer.
I’m being temporarily optimistic!
But speaking of the summer – I would like to organize a small road trip to Montreal to finally attend the Just For Laughs festival. I’ve never been before and though I don’t have the money to afford it at this point, hopefully by July I’ll have made enough to sustain me in Montreal for at least 2 or 3 days of the festival.
Also, preliminary plans are in the works for a Fall tour with some fellow comics. Stay tuned because that might be really awesome!
In the meantime, you can catch me tomorrow night, I’ll be performing at the Theatre Elusive with my pals The Young Geologists. For more information, check out the Performances section of this blog! Doooooooo it!
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