Say yes to everything. Don't bullshit yourself. Own who you are. Push past your past. These are some of the tidbits heard at the Top Ten Event, run by Stuart Knight Productions last week. Proceeds for this event went to the Stephen Lewis foundation. Speakers were prominent Canadians who took the path less taken, from Hana Gartner to Jully Black to David Miller. The former mayor of Toronto looks pretty spiffy when you have Rob Ford talking about the perils of recyclable bags.
All of the speeches were inspiring, with completely different tones. Ajay Virmani had more than one person crying with laughter (and his own family in the balcony shielding their faces with embarrassment) when he declared "Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has them and they all stink." He was followed by Melissa Fung, the CBC reporter who was kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2008 who quite poignantly said "Forgive. Walk a mile in the shoes of the person who hurt you."
To create some levity, the energetic Stuart Knight came on the stage acting like Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream. He beat-boxed. He danced. He even got the crowd to give the other half of the room a round of applause. The rest of us were instructed to look smug and deserving. Oddly, this was not too difficult.
Later, Mr. Miller came on and allowed the laughs to keep rolling. He said that he received advice that he would like to give right back to us: "If you want to be the mayor, when you pass a washroom, use it." He then pretended to walk off the stage.
After he "reluctantly" returned, Miller went into stories of his post mayoral career. He spoke of listening to grieving mothers in under-serviced areas of Toronto. Miller also spoke about young men in Toronto who were able to become carpenters and felt that they could look people in the street in the eye, due to pride in their occupation. He spoke about money going to the right programs, the right areas. Miller seemed proud of his place in life, and in days before Mother's Day affirmed that we too, should listen to our mothers. After Miller, the last speaker was comedian Sandra Shamas who quipped "I am only a comedian if people laugh. If they don't, I am a dramatist." She stressed the importance of truth and then we were off. I stayed behind to chat with the speakers, and to drink a glass of wine and to have a mini cupcake. No regrets, right?
Writing by Courtney Sunday. Photos courtesy Christopher Porto Photography.
Now that the majority of the CONTACT Festival's exhibits have opened, it's a great time to take stock of what's been shown so far. The fest's theme of "public" has led to some wonderfully diverse interpretations, as artists both local and international explore the significance of surveillance and occupied space. And with work displayed on city billboards, building facades, and TTC video screens, the theme has definitely been driven home. For a slightly more low-key CONTACT experience, the following three shows avoid the "public" and instead present a more intimate and reflective kind of photographic practice.
Something Romanticized at Forgetus Collective In a welcome change of pace from the street photography and photojournalistic bent of many CONTACT's most prominent exhibits, Toronto's Matthew Tammaro and Sweden's Agnes Thor have instead created images that seem to exist in our subconscious rather than in any recognizable space. With their show Something Romanticized at the Forgetus Collective, the two artists have crafted a photographic conversation without ever having met one another. United in a goal to create work where subject, location, and photographer are all inferred rather than directly depicted, the photographs are both otherworldly and intimate. Romantic and hazy, this is photography as poetry rather than journalism.
"Something Romanticized" runs until May 27th. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 12-5pm
The Dark Room at 918 Bathurst Analogue photography may now be relegated to iPhone apps and Lomography cameras/fashion accessories, but there is at least a few major holdouts at CONTACT 2012. Case in point, the mandate of The Dark Room group show at 918 Bathurst is to challenge photography's increasing reliance on digital processes. Polaroids, pinhole cameras, and various types of developed film all make appearances, but while the techniques may be old, the vision is uniformly modern. Momoko Allard's graphically stencilled take on the Junction Triangle and Peggy Taylor Reid's eerie pinhole shots are particular highlights.
"The Dark Room" runs until May 12th. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 1-4pm.
Photographie at Arsenal Toronto On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Photographie group show at Arsenal Toronto features the recent work of a Montreal collective of photographers, all of whom were fascinated by the technological developments of the early 90's. Stretching the boundaries of what commonly defines photography, the groups' images are alternatively combined with sculpture, scale models, painting, video, or computer-generated manipulations to explore the effects of new digital media developments on their Postmodern sensibilities. Conceptual art can often feel cold, but the collective manages to maintain both the beauty and emotion of their subject matter, making for a truly exciting show.
"Photographie" runs until June 10th. Gallery hours are Friday 12-7pm and Saturday 12-5pm, or by appointment.
For more show recommendations, check out our previous review post and our festival preview.
Photos (in order) by Gwenaël Bélanger, Agnes Thor (x2), Edward Eastman, and Alain Paiement.
There are times when the imported talent steal the spotlight, but not this week. Then again, I would recommend checking out the video of Jamie Lissow getting electrocuted on stage when he...ah, you'll see.
MON MAY 14 / HOUSE OF TSANG / COMEDY BAR / 945 BLOOR W / 730PM / $5
Let's focus in on one of the acts on this card, Ben Miner. I caught his act a few weeks ago and was amazed--with enough time and practice, anyone can put together funny material, but a funny act, on the other hand, is something that requires years and years of practice. Ben took the stage and improvised a few jokes based on the act before him--a classic move used by most professionals. Then, he started doing some crowd work with the front row, a ballsy move as one usually wants to get the crowd going before taking chances. After settling into his material, he noticed the awkward running-shoes-and-fancy-socks combination of someone in the front row and said, "Man, if I didn't know what day it was, but saw your socks, I would know it was a Saturday night. You're ready to party!" Everyone was dying, but Ben wasn't done. He went back to his material, and then out of nowhere casually referred back to the dress socks joke, in an improvised callback to a joke that originated from crowd work. Ben Miner, ladies and gentlemen, is a STUD.
TUES MAY 15 / DON'T GET BORED OF US AND LEAVE / The Ossington / 61 OSSINGTON / 9PM / FREE
If I could go to one show over the next seven days, this would be it. David Dineen-Porter and Tom Henry host/produce a powerful show, packed with more talent than should be allowed in two hours. First of all, David is a monster comedian/actor. I saw him close the show last month with an improvised song while he sat comfortably in a female audience member's lap, channelling every single clichéd pop song vocal riff ever recorded. Tom is a perfectly deadpan foil to David's energy, surprising the audience with his consistent, quiet mumbling. His act is more about what he doesn't do...it's something you have to see. Oh, and Kathleen freakin' Phillips is on the show--she's only my favourite actress doing comedic character work in the world. I refuse to believe that someone can do it better than her.
WED MAY 16 / THRONE OF GAMES / COMEDY BAR / 945 BLOOR W / 930PM / $12 Game of Thrones? Good. Improv comedy? Good. Out of this world ensemble cast? Fantastic. If you haven't seen the wildly popular Games of Thrones show from HBO, you've probably been living behind the wall for far too long. And if you haven't seen Nug Nahrgang, Kris Siddiqi, or Rob Norman, you're like Peter Dinklage at a concert; you ain't seen nothin' yet. Do yourself a favour before the show runs its course. Oh, and since there aren't any videos of Throne of Games, you'll just have to imagine how good it is.
WED MAY 16 - SUN MAY 20 / ADAM RICHMOND / YUK YUK'S / 224 RICHMOND W / 8PM / $11-20
Adam Richmond is living the good life. He's doing sets at California's best clubs--from The Laugh Factory and Comedy Store to the Ice House--not to mention entertaining troops around the world and doing a feature at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival; and that's just his stand-up resume. Adam's energetic on stage, leveraging his background in sketch, tv, and voice work to vary his act from doing impressions to storytelling to bragging on his Jewish background.
WED MAY 16 - SUN MAY 22 / JAMIE LISSOW feat. TED BISAILLON / ABSOLUTE COMEDY / 2335 YONGE / 8PM / $6-15
Lissow is the type of comedian that made me want to do comedy in the first place. He's as easygoing on camera as he is on stage. Oh, and he got electrocuted while doing stand-up. I'm so super cereal right now (shout out to the South Park fans!). In fact, I'm going to keep this review short so you can jump to 1:45 of the above clip.
About the Author: This is Michael Jagdeo, and I refuse to write about myself in the third-person. My blog, Diary of a Stand-up Comedian, teaches you how to be - and how not to be - a comedian in Toronto.
A new 36,000 square foot arts hub is coming to the area dubbed the West Queen West Triangle — and longstanding community group Active 18 has their fingerprints all over the project. To be built at the bottom of the still-under-construction Edge condo at Queen and Lisgar, future tenants of the space already include Gallery TPW, the Toronto Media Arts Cluster (TMAC), Interaccess, Le Labo, the Canadian Film Distribution Centre, Charles Street Video, the Toronto Animated Images Society, and the Images Festival.
Although a firm opening date remains elusive, the target is fall late 2013. At present, the development that will house the hub is little more than a foundation. When complete, the space will occupy the second and third floors of the condo.
The news represents a significant accomplishment for Active 18, who's fought to retain the artistic character of the area in the wake of the condo boom that's taken place over the last five years. While they were ultimately unable to prevent the demolition of 48 Abell — the crusade for which the group is best known — this is much more than a consolation prize.
Along with the Artscape Triangle Lofts, which occupy the first three floors of Urbancorp's 150 Sudbury development (a.k.a. The Westside Lofts), the new space should ensure that the arts remain a vibrant element in the community from both a residential and commercial standpoint (i.e. galleries, cinema space, arts organizations).
The cost of the arts hub is currently pegged at $12 million. According to a press release, "the space will be built out by the developer and 'purchased' by TMAC subject only to a $3M take back mortgage." The key to the deal is that Urbancorp was granted the zoning rights to build its Edge and Epic condos to a greater height in exchange for the art space.
Choosing not to dwell on the past, Active 18 characterizes this development as a "happy beginning." It's hard to argue against the idea that this will serve as an excellent addition to a neighbourhood that, with the exception of 99 Sudbury, lacks for cultural life south of Queen Street. And, as far as trade-offs go, the additional height is unlikely to change the character of an area that's already thoroughly defined by tall towers.
Lead photo by the author / ground level photo-diagram by Michelle Gay
The 2012 CONTACT Photography Festival is well underway with a host of promising gallery exhibitions to check out around the city. As has been the case for number of years, in addition to these more traditional shows, there are also a number of public installations to check out, many of which look stunning in the urban milieu in which they're presented. Here's a quick guide to the must-see public installations at CONTACT 2012.
Scott McFarland Scott McFarland's portrait is of a repatriation ceremony for a fallen Canadian soldier who was killed while on active duty in Afghanistan takes the marquee spot in the MOCCA courtyard this year. At 21 by 59 feet, the photo is stunning for its detail and scale. Andreas Gursky, eat your heart out. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, 952 Queen St W, April 25 - June 25.
Tim Hetherington - Sleeping Soldiers Perhaps the most compelling public installation this year comes from the late photojournalist Tim Hetherington, who died in Libya just last year. His portraits of sleeping soliders can be seen on billboards on Lansdowne Ave at Dundas St. and College St. (in both cases on the northeast corners). These portraits are of American soldiers during their time in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan, which were shot during the making of the Oscar nominated documentary Restrepo. They portray a hauntingly intimate and human side of soldiers that's easily lost to the grand narratives of war.
Sabine Bitter/Helmut Weber - Super Students #1 This is the public component of The University Paradox, which is also showing at the University of Toronto Art Centre. Sourced from an archival photograph of a student protest at Vancouver's Simon Fraser University back in 1967, the artists have replaced the architectural elements of the photo with line drawing, which serves to highlight the manner in which the participants occupy space. A companion piece can be found that UTAC. The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, South Facade, 231 Queens Quay W, April 25 - June 18.
Melanie Manchot - The Continuous Still Also a must-see, Melanie Manchot's work pays tribute to the Distillery District's rich history. She combines portraits of Distillery's staff with corresponding historic photos, which underline both the similarities and differences between past and present. Distillery District, 55 Mill St, April 25 - May 31.
Contacting Toronto: We're in this Together This public installation features the work of six Toronto-based photographers (Alyssa Bistonath, Aaron Vincent Elkaim, Debra Friedman, Ruth Kaplan, Brent Lewin, Robert Poulton) on subway station posters throughout the system. Not overly complex from a thematic standpoint, these photos represent the way the artists view Toronto, which makes for a welcome change from the ads that typically occupy these spaces. The second component of this installation involves LCD screens on station platforms that showcase photos submitted by the public. You have until May 30 to submit photos of your interpertation of what We're in this Together means.
OTHER INSTALLATIONS
So Alex walks on stage and proceeds to get heckled by someone knocking from the second floor. How does he respond? Follow me as I show you how a real comedian handles a heckler in This Week In Comedy...
MON MAY 7 / ALTdot COMEDY LOUNGE / RIVOLI / 332 QUEEN W / 9PM / $5
Like clockwork, ALTdot brings the ruckus with a solid line-up of talent. This week, let's focus on Alex Pavone. About a month ago, I saw him do a set at Anto Chan's Oh Pun Mic at The Central. Now, Alex is a professional comedian, and pro comics typically only go to open mics when they are trying out new material. Before his set, I couldn't help but notice him badly popping and locking to what I can only imagine was Chris Hardwell's Live at the Ultra or Rustie's Essential Mix. Anto announced his name, and Alex stepped up to the mic.
Seconds into his set, there was a knock from someone on the second floor, most likely morsing him to keep it down. How did he respond? By personifying the knocking itself, calling it, 'The toughest heckler I've ever faced.' He improvised the next five minutes by interacting with Knock, which had all of us dying in the back. Now that's what I call a true comedian. (Note: clip does not include his moustache, which warrants an intervention)
WED MAY 9 - SUN MAY 13 / STEVE BURR feat. CHET WILD / ABSOLUTE COMEDY / 2335 YONGE / 8PM / $6-15
Your headliner, Steve Burr, got his start in New York. That's code for, 'Don't heckle him.' He's since gone onto perform the world over, including entertaining the troops in Afghanistan and Japan (I thought they were invading Iran next?). Chet Wild (with the weather) is no slouch himself, having opened for Tom Arnold (in the 90's, most likely) and Patrice O'Neil (RIP). Nerds, come support your fellow countryman. He's lectured in college and is pursing his M. Sc. from the University of New York at Buffalo, their version of the University of Toronto at Scarborough.
SAT MAY 12 / THE SUPERSTARS OF COMEDY / COMEDY BAR / 945 BLOOR W / 10PM / $10
Your headliner is Matt O'Brien, some guy who just won Best Stand Up Comedian at the LA Comedy Fest. Wowzers. But do me a favour and pay attention to Craig Fay's set. He hosted Myq Kaplan's recent stint in Toronto a few weeks ago, and I was really taken aback. His appearance was clean cut, all dress shirt, tie, and cardiganned out. As the evening went on, I noticed that he was firing on all cylinders, casually crushing with crowd work and progressively subversive material (subversive for his dress code, anyways). It was one of those performances when you realize, 'Oh, this guy is genuinely funny.' You don't see that everyday.
SAT MAY 12 / MONKEY TOAST / COMEDY BAR / 945 BLOOR W / 8PM / $10
I hate late night talk shows. They're more like late night monologue shows with, if you're lucky, a moment or two of people actually having a real conversation. Fortunately, Monkey Toast has done away with the idea that you need a pantheon of writers to make a show work. The show consists of three guests interviewed by Ron Tite, who was named one of the Top 10 Creative Canadians by Marketing Magazine. For comedic variety, improvised sketches are injected in between the interviews, drawing their inspiration from the topics discussed. It's unreal. You have a sketch troupe improvising a sketch based on what they hear seconds before they take the stage. Come early, because the last show sold out well before showtime.
Most of the openings for the 2012 CONTACT festival are this evening, but a few major galleries have already put the goods on display. While you're hopping across town in search of more free wine and cheese platters, be sure to check out these three exhibitions, all of which focus on the symbiotic relationship between urban buildings and urban residents.
Patrick Cummins: Full Frontal T.O. Toronto was recently named the 17th most photographed city in the world by a Cornell study of Flickr albums, which also noted the staggering repetition in the landmarks chosen. By focusing on the city's often-overlooked buildings, Artist Patrick Cummins has created a far more realistic and affecting snapshot of Toronto's identity without including any of its residents. Cummins, who estimates he's taken approximately 75,000 photos of the city since he started shooting in the mid-seventies, has also documented the staggering changes downtown has undergone in a relatively short time span. Equal parts art show and civic studies lesson, it's a great entry point into exploring Toronto's history. For more on the accompanying book, read our review.
Patrick Cummins' Full Frontal T.O. runs May 1st to 31st, with the opening launch May 9th at 7pm at the Urbanspace gallery.
Andrew Rowat: Crumbled Empire Photographer Andrew Rowat, whose slick style has landed him portrait assignments in Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, has now turned his lens to decidedly less glamorous subject matter in countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. From a portrait of a drug baron embroidered into a tapestry, to the grim façades of Soviet architecture, Rowat, like Cummins, focuses on what can be gleaned from a city devoid of its people. It's not just the usual bleak portrayal of Eastern Europe commonly imagined by Westerners, however. Rowat also celebrates the marvels of the region, including Uzbekistan's holy temple Registan, whose architectural glory remains intact despite its nation's volatile political history.
Andrew Rowat's Crumbled Empire runs May 1st to 29th at Elaine Fleck Gallery
Michael Awad: Entire City Project Michael Awad's latest installment of his Entire City Project is the continuation of his decade-long goal to document the entire experience of city life with methods "archaeological, encyclopedic, vernacular and indexical." Though Awad has said that it's the people, and not the buildings, that currently hold his interest, Awad's degrees in architecture and his background in civic studies have clearly informed his work.In his recent treatments of Toronto and Milan, snapshots of runway models and shoppers on an escalator are repeated into infinity, as though the artist is building a visual structure with their images. It's quite a disorienting show, especially when Awad applies his repetitive stacking technique to images of trees. Rather than providing a sense of relief from the urban chaos, the piece only confirms the pervasiveness of our modern, fragmented viewpoint.
Michael Awad's Entire City Project runs April 29th to May 19that Nicholas Metivier
Installation shots of Full Frontal T.O. by Derek Flack. Other photos by the artists in question.
Commerce Court has gotten noticeably brighter these last few days. The King and Bay office building, which houses CIBC and Deutsche Bank, now plays host to an exhibition of international street artists in its large granite lobby.
It's a striking contrast, but the choice of venue makes sense. The Discovery Exhibition is a fundraising event for Dixon Hall's Mill Centre, a program that teaches carpentry and home renovation skills to at-risk youth from selected Toronto neighbourhoods.The works will remain on display until May 5th, so there's plenty of time to see and/or buy them — and all proceeds from sales go directly to support of the Mill Centre.
Wondering how international street art, a downtown office building, and the Mill Centre all came together? Discovery is the brainchild of Well and Good, a Toronto-based curatorial duo who focus their efforts on community fundraising, outreach, and promoting mural production and public space advocacy.Their recent documentary Writing Toronto's (Hi)Story was screened at City Hall, and celebrated the contributions of seven Toronto street artists.
Featuring pieces donated from artists from Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the exhibition is a great look at how international street artists are navigating the jump to canvas. The theme of "Discovery" is followed pretty loosely, with works ranging from abstracted graffiti tags to a vibrant portrait of David Lynch, but the execution is uniformly excellent, as is the cause.
Additional Photos:
The Discovery Exhibition runs at Commerce Court until May 5. Dixon Hall's REBUILDING LIVES 2012 fundraiser is at the Mill Centre on May 16. For more details on both, check out Well & Good's website.
Photos by Scott Snider
The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) is once again set to take over the Reference Library. Since 2003, TCAF has drawn in scores of artists and craftsmen, casual fans and avid enthusiasts. What used to be an event held every two years is now becoming an annual affair as its popularity continues to grow. Speaking from experience, TCAF is a lot of fun because its scale is smaller than most of the cons in Toronto, giving fans the chance to meet, greet, and hyperventilate in front of their favourite artists without having to line up for hours. Here's what to expect.
THE ARTISTS
Guests from around the world will be exhibiting at TCAF, alongside a number of our own Canadian superstars. Bryan Lee O'Malley, creator of the award-winning Scott Pilgrim comics, will take time away from swimming in a pool of money to greet his fans. Nova Scotia's own comic book juggernaut Kate Beaton, creator of the renowned historical-satire webcomic Hark! A Vagrant, will be present, alongside political cartoonist Aislin and scratch DJ Kid Koala.
As far as international guests go, Chi's Sweet Home manga-ka Konami Kanata will not only be signing books at the main event but also giving a talk at The Japan Foundation on Saturday night. We can also expect American superstars Kazu Kibuishi, Adam Warren and Jeff Smith, Brazilian tag-team Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá, French author José-Luis Bocquet and German artist Arne Bellstorf to patrol the convention in search of our jobs and women.
I could read out the whole list, but we'd be here for days. Why don't you take a load off of my back and look at the Featured Guests page and the Full Exhibitor's List? I'll be over here with a hot drink talking about...
THE PUBLISHERS
A number of booths will be set up to represent publishing companies from around the globe as well. French company Cornelius will be twirling its mustache at us, veteran proponent for artistic comics Fantagraphics Books will fly its banner, Japanese genre-fiction publishers Vertical Inc. will...be...vertical...and webcomic publisher TopatoCo will share its space with the creators of Doctor McNinja, Dinosaur Comics, Questionable Content, and more.
Is that not enough? Click here for the rest.
DEBUTS
A bunch of books will be debuting at TCAF as well, everything from Guy Delisle's Jerusalem Chronicles from the Holy City to Jessica Abel and Matt Madden's textbook Mastering Comics. Each book covers a range of topics far different from superhero-related shenanigans most companies deal with. Art books, collections, fantasy yarns, serial killer biopics, tales of existential quandary, surrealist teen dramas, and damn near anything you can think of will be shown off and sold off.
EVENTS
TCAF's not only going to be a trade show. Oh no, there's a lot more happening than show-and-sell. For example, what if I told you that Kid Koala, in association with TCAF and Wavelength, was holding the artiest concert in the universe? On May 3rd and May 4th at 918 Bathurst, the audience will be seated in inflated "space pods" and listen to the concert on headphones as Kid Koala performs the soundtrack to the comic Space Cadet.
Need more incentive? How about an evening with Guy Delisle at Carlton Cinema, celebrating the release of Jerusalem Chronicles on Thursday May 3rd. Friday the 4th will have TCAF Librarian and Educator Day and a launch party hosted by TopatoCo, while Saturday will host and boast the Comics versus Games Creative Jam, the TCAF Queer Mixer, and the 2012 Doug Wright Awards.
And there you have it. The Toronto Comic Arts Festival runs on May 5th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on May 6th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. TCAF is free to enter.
Writing by Robert Iveniuk
I don't care if you have to beg, borrow, steal, finance, lean, or leverage...just do it, because The Seinfeld has arrived. Follow me as I prepare for this auspicious event by sacrificing my best goat in This Week In Comedy.
MON APR 30 / LAUGHABLE / UNLOVABLE / 1415-B DUNDAS W / 9PM / PWYC
Nick Flanagan and Steph Tolev are at it again, booking another killer line-up at Unlovable. This time, they're bringing you Kids in the Hall's Paul Bellini. It'll be interesting to see his stand-up act, considering that his writing has won him a Gemini and earned an Emmy nomination. Wait, Emmy nomination?! Wowzers. Dude, this guy had a fan club in 1992! Double Wowzers. Heavy hitters like Ted Morris and Mark Little (featured in the above clip) are also on the show. I caught Mark's new set at the Rivoli the other day and he KILLED. The writing was so good that, at one point, I stopped laughing and stared in amazement. That's when you know a guy is on fire.
TUES MAY 1 / REVEREND BOB LEVY / RIVOLI / 332 QUEEN W / 9PM & 11PM / $12
If you think that the white girl from Brampton who made a video calling Sikhs, 'Turbinators' was racist, please skip this review. The Reverend, a recurring guest on the Howard Stern Show, has arrived. If the Stern association isn't enough, let me make something perfectly clear: he's no reverend. In fact, he won Stern's World's Meanest Listener contest in 2002 by roasting co-host, Robin Quivers. The bit was so scathing that Howard's producers argued with him, on-air, for 10-15 minutes about whether they should even air Bob's rant. Why were they so afraid to play it on the radio? Skip to 2:10 of the above clip and you'll see what I mean.
WED MAY 2 - SUN MAY 6 / RYAN BELLEVILLE feat. BARRY TAYLOR / ABSOLUTE COMEDY / 2335 YONGE / 8PM / $6-15
Ryan's resume reads like a Toronto comedian's dream career roadmap. Step 1: Win the Phil Hartman Award when graduating from the Humber School of Comedy. Step 2: Be the youngest to play Just For Laugh's. Step 3 (optional): Act on a few shows for CBC. Step 4: Play a recurring character on a FOX TV show. Recently, The LA Complex has been picked up (by the WB, I believe) and he's now filming the rest of the shows to complete the season.
FRI MAY 4 - SAT MAY 5 / JERRY SEINFELD / SONY CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS / 7PM & 930PM / $80-115
When I was in grade seven, I picked up a copy of Jerry Seinfeld's Sein Language and found it hilarious. He talked about driving (I couldn't drive), relationships (I'd never had a girlfriend), and planes (I'd never even been on a plane). That's the power of The Seinfeld: he brought me, a West Indian kid from Malvern, into his world. Top three greatest comedians ever? Yup.
About the Author: This is Michael Jagdeo, and I refuse to write about myself in the third-person. My blog, Diary of a Stand-up Comedian, documents the trials and tribulations I go through as I try to past the just noticeable difference threshold in Toronto's comedy scene.