Tag Archives: Comedy

Elyse Friedman: Author

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Elyse Friedman, author, screenwriter, The Answer to Everything

Elyse Friedman is a Toronto based writer. Her most recent book “The Answer to Everything” received great reviews. She’s won a Gold National Magazine Award and has been short-listed for the Trillium Book Award and the Toronto Book Award.

She’s also participated in Tarragon Theatre’s Playwrights Unit and has written two feature films, one of which premiered at TIFF, the other at the Sundance Film Festival.

Reviewing “The Answer to Everything” the National Post’s Sofi Papamarko wrote: “Tales about people searching for meaning in an empty culture and confusing universe aren’t new, but Friedman tackles hers in a fiercely funny and original way.”

The Toronto Star’s Safa Jinje wrote: “The Answer to Everything is tragicomedy at its best. The novel is packed with sadness, but readers will mostly laugh.”

Among other things we discuss why Elyse dropped out of high school at a time in her life when she was, in her words, “a crazy, hormonal, freaked out teenager.”

In the interview Elyse answers questions submitted by podcast listeners, including one about her favourite dark and funny writers.

Links from the Podcast
elysefriedman.com
The Answer to Everything
Ryeberg Curated Videos
Elyse Friedman, author, screenwriter, The Answer to Everything

Christina Walkinshaw: Writer, Comedian

Writer, comedian and craft beer nerd Christina Walkinshaw discusses her journey from journalism school to becoming a professional comedian and publishing a blog detailing her exploits on Tinder.Christina Walkinshaw discusses her journey from journalism school to becoming a professional comedian and publishing a blog detailing her exploits on Tinder. She explains how a vacation fling in New York made her realize she’d relish similar experiences at home in Toronto.

So she decided to go on 50 Tinder dates and write about them. The result is a hugely popular blog.

Christina made news across North America after she lost a comedy gig for confronting a staff member about being sexually harassed during a performance.

While performing at a comedy club, audience members asked her to “Show us your bush.” Following a confrontation with the club manager, who did nothing to help out, she confessed to her blog readers that she cried.

“I can’t believe I’m confessing to crying on the internet. I never cry. At least I didn’t cry on stage, right?”

Read about it HERE.
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Christina’s Blog: My Week on Tinder

Christina on Comdey Now

Sandy Jobin-Bevans: Actor, Improvisor

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Actor, improviser and writer Sandy Jobin-Bevans discusses his journey as an actor – everything from his early days at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival to his invitation to audition for TV’s “Saturday Night Live” and more.

Sandy has won multiple awards at The Canadian Comedy Awards. He trained and performed at Toronto’s Second City and was a founding member of the improv group Slap Happy, the first Canadian ensemble ever invited to perform at an international improv festival in Amsterdam.

I first met Sandy when he was with the Winnipeg-based improv group The Brave New Weasles.

The group consisted of Ken Cuperas, Sandy Jobin Bevans, Matt Kippen and Ron Moore.

Here’s a program from the group’s first Fringe show.

These days Sandy is busy working as an actor and writer.

In the podcast we discuss his path to success: he left Winnipeg, where he was a big fish in a small pond, and arrived in Toronto with nothing but talent and dreams.

Links in the Show
Royal Flush Improv at The Blyth Festival
The Winnipeg Fringe Festival
Second City
Penn Jillette talks about Dean Martin on The Nerdist Podcast
Bill & Sons Towing
Dave Thomas’ Production Company
Life With Boys – YTV
Deal With IT – W Netowrk