With COVID-19 in our midst, we’re living in some intense, uncertain, life-altering times right now—and, frankly, we could probably all use a good laugh. Here’s a little smile: a throwback to my first stand-up performance with Dawn Whitwell’s Comedy Girl Level One class at Comedy Bar in Toronto. With thanks to my sis Colleen McKimContinue reading “A smile during wearying, uncertain times”
Tag Archives: stand-up
Toronto Fringe: Exorcising inner demons in the part self-help, part stand-up, all heart Personal Demon Hunter
Velvet Duke. Photo by Tyra Sweet. The Velvet Duke faces off with our inner demons in Velvet Wells’ Personal Demon Hunter, running in the back room on the main floor at the Imperial Pub. Part self-help workshop, part stand-up and all heart, personal storytelling, improv and music combine to create a casual, open-minded spaceContinue reading “Toronto Fringe: Exorcising inner demons in the part self-help, part stand-up, all heart Personal Demon Hunter”
News & upcoming hiatus!
As promised, I’ve got some news, including an accompanying Spring hiatus for the blog… Back in January, I was invited to join the cast of an indie production of The Sad Blisters, a new play by Andrew Batten, directed by Victoria Shepherd. It’s a quirky, funny, poignant family dramedy with an all-female cast—so, of course,Continue reading “News & upcoming hiatus!”
SummerWorks: Pitching vulnerability in the frank, darkly funny, insightful …And You’ll Never Believe What Happens Next
Graham Isador. Photo by Jillian Welsh. How do the stories we tell about ourselves reflect on us? And how do the stories we read shape how we see the world? Pressgang Theatre explores these questions, combining journalism and theatre together as playwright/performer Graham Isador takes us on a journey of personal story pitches toContinue reading “SummerWorks: Pitching vulnerability in the frank, darkly funny, insightful …And You’ll Never Believe What Happens Next”
Discovering & unpacking identity & marginalization in Jivesh Parasram’s entertaining, candid, mindful Take d Milk, Nah?
Jivesh Parasram. Photo by Graham Isador. Pandemic Theatre and b current performing arts, with the support of Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM), present the premiere of Jivesh Parasram’s one-man show Take d Milk, Nah?, directed by Tom Arthur Davis—opening last night in the TPM Backspace. Do you have any Indo-Caribbean friends? Do you want one?Continue reading “Discovering & unpacking identity & marginalization in Jivesh Parasram’s entertaining, candid, mindful Take d Milk, Nah?”
Teige Reid & Darryl Purvis take us to the Church of the Perpetual LOLs in the Teige & Darryl Do A Show Together Show
Last night, a sizeable crowd gathered up in the Studio at Alumnae Theatre for a one night only evening of laughs and celebration for the Teige and Darryl Do A Show Together Show. Featuring Teige Reid and Darryl Purvis, plus a surprise guest, the celebration part was about Purvis’s 20th anniversary as a stand-upContinue reading “Teige Reid & Darryl Purvis take us to the Church of the Perpetual LOLs in the Teige & Darryl Do A Show Together Show”
Toronto Fringe: Trippy good times as philosophy meets stand-up meets storytelling in Graham Clark’s Not Here
Graham Clark returns to Toronto Fringe—or does he?—with Graham Clark’s Not Here, running in the Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) Backspace. Speaking to us via video from a small monitor mounted in front of a masked “surrogate” performer’s face, Clark gives a multimedia talking head performance—and the surrogate provides accompanying posture and hand gestures. Going fromContinue reading “Toronto Fringe: Trippy good times as philosophy meets stand-up meets storytelling in Graham Clark’s Not Here”
Grit, determination & a love affair with the speed bag in the funny, moving, inspiring Newsgirl
Savoy Howe in Newsgirl—photo by Dahlia Katz Tracey Erin Smith and Soulo Theatre celebrated the 5th anniversary of the Soulo Theatre Festival, opening this year’s fest with an Opening Night Gala presentation of Savoy Howe’s Newsgirl. With direction and dramatury by Soulo Theatre A.D. Smith, Newsgirl ran for one night only at the Toronto NewsgirlsContinue reading “Grit, determination & a love affair with the speed bag in the funny, moving, inspiring Newsgirl”
Speaking truth to power in raw, real, fierce & funny Sound of the Beast
Tamyka Bullen (onscreen) & Donna-Michelle St. Bernard in Sound of the Beast—photo by Michael Cooper Hear ye, hear ye let it be known, No one on my block walks alone. Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) closes its 2016-17 season with Donna-Michelle St. Bernard’s (aka Belladonna the Blest) Sound of the Beast, co-directed by Andy McKim andContinue reading “Speaking truth to power in raw, real, fierce & funny Sound of the Beast”
Fathers & sons on a journey of growth & forgiveness in the entertaining, deeply moving Métis Mutt
Native Earth Performing Arts continues its 2016-17 season of compelling Indigenous theatre with Sheldon Elter’s Métis Mutt, directed by Ron Jenkins, at Native Earth’s home in the Aki Studio. Métis Mutt began as an eight-minute piece at NextFest 2001, inspired by teacher Ken Brown and the vocal masque style of solo show. Since then, it’sContinue reading “Fathers & sons on a journey of growth & forgiveness in the entertaining, deeply moving Métis Mutt”
life with more cowbell 