Woe, Canada: the plight of the Canadian comedian
Why it’s almost impossible to succeed in comedy in Canada
The post Woe, Canada: the plight of the Canadian comedian appeared first on Laughspin.
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SiriusXM replacing Canada Laughs with Just For Laughs Radio; Canadian comedians bracing for big royalty hit
SiriusXM Canada and Just For Laughs announced a joint partnership on Monday to launch Just For Laughs Radio this spring on Ch. 168, “with a focus on Canadian artists plus comics from around the world.” Sounds great, right? Here’s the …
Continue ReadingSiriusXM replacing Canada Laughs with Just For Laughs Radio; Canadian comedians bracing for big royalty hit
SiriusXM Canada and Just For Laughs announced a joint partnership on Monday to launch Just For Laughs Radio this spring on Ch. 168, “with a focus on Canadian artists plus comics from around the world.” Sounds great, right? Here’s the …
Continue ReadingSiriusXM replacing Canada Laughs with Just For Laughs Radio; Canadian comedians bracing for big royalty hit
SiriusXM Canada and Just For Laughs announced a joint partnership on Monday to launch Just For Laughs Radio this spring on Ch. 168, “with a focus on Canadian artists plus comics from around the world.” Sounds great, right? Here’s the …
Continue ReadingHow sensitive will Canadian comedy audiences (or bookers) get?
Just when you thought it was safe to tell jokes in Canada… Wait. You thought it was safe to tell jokes in Canada? Don’t let the extravagance of Just For Laughs fool you. For all of the “ethnic” and “nasty” shows at JFL Montreal each July, there are comedy bookers and audiences so sensitive they’re […]
Continue ReadingJust For Laughs Founder Gilbert Rozon Steps Down After Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Thanks to the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the women who decided to go public with sexual harassment, assault, and rape allegations against him, there’s been a snowball effect, thanks in part to the #MeToo hashtag, of more and more women – both famous and non-famous – coming forward with sexual misconduct experiences of their own. It’s […]
Continue ReadingChecking in on the State of Canadian Comedy with Mark Forward
Mark Forward has been performing standup comedy for two decades now, and he’s a bit of an anomaly in a number of ways. He’s a Canadian who doesn’t aspire to pack up and move to the United States to grow his career, instead choosing to remain in his native Toronto. From that base, he’s built […]
Continue ReadingEdinburgh star Mae Martin: ‘People refer to me as ‘innocent’, which makes me feel disingenuous’
The Canadian comic may look like she needs ID to get into her own shows, but her Fringe show is her frankest (and funniest) yet
‘I love being gut-wrenchingly honest,” says elfin comic Mae Martin when we meet in an Edinburgh cafe. “It’s so satisfying.” Other standups booked on the same bill as her should consider themselves forewarned. “I find it hard not to say personal things when I’m compering. Like the other night, I was introducing a friend and I told the audience: ‘This guy’s great, we had a threesome once …’ He was, like: ‘What are you doing?’ The crowd heckled him so much. All they wanted to hear about was the threesome.” She gives the sort of bashful, butter-wouldn’t-melt smile that enables her to get away with anything on stage. “I really need to be careful.”
Now may not be the best time to start. The Toronto-born, London-based comedian, who is 30 but would surely need to produce ID to be allowed into one of her own shows, is at the fringe with Dope, her funniest and frankest set to date. It examines addiction in all its forms, from social media to relationships to drugs, and relies for its success on her ability to bring comic effervescence to a heavy subject.
Related: Sara Schaefer: the breakout comic on trashing Trump and bombing on stage
Continue ReadingJust For Laughs Chooses Its 2017 New Faces
The 2017 Just For Laughs festival is currently underway in Montreal, and today they revealed their annual list of up-and-coming comedians to highlight for their “New Faces” showcase. Like past years, the list includes categories for standup (New Faces of Comedy), sketch (New Faces: Characters), and comedians without managers (New Faces: Unrepped), and this year […]
Continue ReadingJust For Laughs Chooses Its 2017 New Faces
The 2017 Just For Laughs festival is currently underway in Montreal, and today they revealed their annual list of up-and-coming comedians to highlight for their “New Faces” showcase. Like past years, the list includes categories for standup (New Faces of Comedy), sketch (New Faces: Characters), and comedians without managers (New Faces: Unrepped), and this year […]
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