Simon Pegg kicked me in the arse
Metaphorically speaking, you understand. I’d been going on and on to my husband about “Shaun of the Dead” for ages so finally I went to the video store and rented it. It was a depressing experience. Not, I hasten to add, because it wasn’t a good movie – on the contrary I laughed my arse off and so did my old man – but because it made me realize just how much I’d not been concentrating on my career. Simon has worked his skinny butt off ever since we...
Read MoreDelaying gratification for my art
I’ve decided that the only way to really motivate myself to write all the time is to reward myself for good behaviour. If I write (or at least sit at my computer/notebook without looking at email or the internet) for an hour then I get half an hour’s knitting as a reward. Yes, it’s come to this – I’m rewarding myself with knitting. It’s a trick I’m trying to teach my kid right now – get your chores done first and then you can play as much as you...
Read MoreTrying to be Eddie Izzard
I think I’m trying to be too clever. You see, I’m always impressed by comedians who weave stories in and out of other stories and bring back themes or gags that you haven’t thought about in a few minutes to get a second or third laugh. I don’t know if I’ve expressed that very clearly, but if you watch Eddie Izzard you’ll know what I mean. I’ve got some themes I’d like to explore in my stand-up act and I want to try and integrate them so that quite...
Read MoreWhy testing your material rocks
Would you rather get your ass kicked in front of a live audience or get constructive feedback from a group of your friendly peers? Whether it’s stand-up or an audition piece always consider giving it a go in front of your mates. I don’t do it often enough and every time I do I wonder why I don’t do it more. I go to an artists’ salon that my friend Inge (pictured left) runs out of her house each month – we share our stuff and get feedback. It can be anything –...
Read MoreWhat to do when you don’t feel like writing
This week I’ve been a right lazy bastard when it comes to writing. I haven’t felt like it. I’ve been doing everything else but. Especially knitting. I’ve knitted three dishcloths and a mohair teddy bear. But no writing. Not a sausage. I know I have to write more material for my stand-up routine, but I’ve been avoiding it. I haven’t been writing in my little black book. I haven’t been inspired. Tomorrow is my class. Today I knew I had to write. So I sat...
Read MoreLoving the writing process
Pretty psyched after my stand-up class this evening. Don’t want to give too much away because Dawn‘s class is completely skill (that’s English for awesome) and you should really check it out yourself if you want to learn how to write, but I’m excited to be getting an idea of how to pare down the material until there’s no fluff – just the good stuff that’s going to get the laughs. Josh had the same question as me – how do you decide what style to...
Read MoreEverything is stand-up
Okay, so I’m officially losing my mind. Andrea said this would happen. Once you start thinking in terms of “What’s funny about this? Is this a good seed for a routine?” everything becomes a potential stand-up gag. The cat’s antics, my sweaty chest, Facebook, the dishwasher, knitting, laundry – it’s driving me nuts. And that bloody notebook follows me everywhere – I’m walking down the street and I have to pull it out and write something down....
Read MoreDawn was right about the notebook…
Last night I was so jazzed after Dawn Whitwell‘s stand-up class that I couldn’t sleep. That was after telling my husband that I had no energy for smooching because I’d been running around like a blue-arsed fly all day (cartoon voice-over, audition for an HBC Rewards commercial, stand-up class). So I lay there having all kinds of wonderful ideas for routines. All kinds of wonderful ideas that I can’t remember now, dammit. I’ve heard many people explain how they...
Read MoreMarilla who?
I am a British-born actress and stand-up comic who does lots of voice work (for commercials, cartoons and corporate clients) and sometimes, when I'm very lucky, tv and film. When I was in England I did mostly theatre. Now I'm in Canada I spend the majority of the time writing and performing stand-up. When I'm not making episodes of Talking Bollocks, that is. And that's me for you.