My first stand-up performance
<–Me and Dawn Whitwell after the show I did it! I got on stage without any notes and I did my whole set word-blummin-perfect! What a buzz. I haven’t done any live performing since December 2007 and I realized how much I missed it. Loads of my friends turned out, which was great – it was a really supportive audience. Thanks so much to Dawn for organizing the course and the show. Upstairs at the Black Swan Tavern is really a great little venue – it was just right for...
Read MoreMy stand-up debut!
Yes it’s true – I’m finally getting up and putting my money where my mouth is. On Tuesday September 9th I will be appearing in my graduation class upstairs at the Black Swan Tavern (154 Danforth Avenue, Toronto – just east of Broadview) at 8pm. Blimey! A couple of my kindly classmates have offered to go through my set with me, since I missed the last three classes because of filming “The Good Times Are Killing Me“, which is incredibly generous of them. I must...
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 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 MoreMy first stand-up lesson
A couple of hours ago I had my first stand-up lesson with Dawn Whitwell. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since I had only seen the results of a previous class at their graduation show. There were eleven of us in all, I think. A few performers, some people who worked in the business but not performing (a copy writer, an ex-props mistress, a producer) and some people not connected with the entertainment industry at all. After the introductions we all had to tell a story – it...
Read MoreI’m doing a stand-up course!
Having seen my gorgeous pal Daniela Saioni in her stand-up graduation show at Second City on Sunday I am about to sign up for the course! Run by Dawn Whitwell, this seven-week class is running care of Bad Dog Theatre. After six months of not doing anything in front of a live audience, my inner performing monkey is starting to act up. I’ve been writing a lot of what I think will eventually be a novel over the last few weeks, but I’m hoping some of it could be turned into stand-up. I...
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.