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| Jo-Anna Downey hosts two of the most successful open mics in Toronto |
Downey has also been hosting the uber-popular Toronto comedy institution, Spirits Comedy Night, every Wednesday at Spirits Bar and Grill for the last 15 years.
”Pro comics will also ask me if they can do an Eton House set, because they know it’s a smart crowd... and if you have a new bit you can try it out,” she said.
Before an established comedian ends up on Just For Laughs, HBO, Conan, or Letterman, they often need a place to work out and refine their act. Sure, standing in a truck stop bathroom, staring at the mirror with an old comb might work, but nothing beats a live audience to see if these new jokes will fly or not.
The longevity and success of Downey’s shows has introduced her to pretty much every pro and amateur comedian that has passed through the city in the last 15 years. This is why they often seek to grace her stage.
More than half-way through Tuesday’s show, Downey tells the crowd she has someone new to the room coming up next.
“I don’t usually put first-timers on so late during the show,” she alerts everyone.
She then introduces Canadian comic veteran, Derek Edwards, to the stage. To the surprise of many, Edwards gets up there and not only does some of his older jokes, but tries out brand new material as well.
“He has been here before, but has never performed. He was so excited to perform and came up and thanked me for giving him a place to do new bits,” she said.
Nights like this are more common than the average mainstream comedy fan might think.
The audience can get something from it too.
“When the audience sees a comic come up with something new on stage and then sees it a year or two later on TV, they feel like, ‘I was there when a joke was born.’ It’s exciting,” Downey said.
Toronto-based actor, Brad Wietersen, recently checked out the show for the first time with some friends.
“It’s always different seeing stand-up comedians in this setting, still working out their jokes and reading off their notebooks,” he said. “It’s fun watching them work on new stuff.”
In Jerry Seinfeld’s 2003 documentary, Comedian, Seinfeld throws his old tried-and-true act away and hits the club scene to try out new material. Performing somewhere, anywhere, is an apparent need he can’t shake and he surprises numerous crowds on several nights with not only his presence, but often with material that doesn’t always work.
This may be surprising to some who only know him from television, but it’s just another day at work for a stand-up comic.
K. Trevor Wilson has worked as a stand-up and sketch comedian for more than 10 years and has performed all over Canada.
Wilson is often on the weekend bill at the Absolute Comedy club in Toronto. and this night is not unlike any other big night. For the bigger paying gigs like this, he is armoured with his A-list material.
His longer, polished sets are a product of a desire and passion that drives him no differently than some of the biggest names out there.
“I feel lazy if I’m not a doing a show. Whether I’m getting paid for it or not, I feel like I should be practicing.. Polishing old jokes, working on new jokes, “ he said. “It’s like, a baseball player doesn’t have a game every day, but he probably works out on his days off. ”
The crowd is in hysterics within moments of him taking the stage, as he recalls a tale of him, his brother and a less-than-holy game they used to play in church. He is polished, hilarious and doesn’t miss a beat.
“There are some jokes that have taken years before they leave the notebook and show up on the set-list... The story I did tonight, I turned that into a bit in about a month,” he said. “Sometimes when you write them, you think it’s funny, but you haven’t decided yet how to make it funny for everyone or where to put it... That’s why open mics are so important.”
-Leslie Marciniak
Posted in: open mic
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