Review: (Toronto) Strapless (Fringe)

More Than Just the Jiggle
by Dena Jackson
@DeenDawg

I was delighted when I found out that I was going to see Strapless during the Toronto Fringe Festival this year. As an ex-West coaster, I was more than excited to see these Vancouver-based comediennes perform. I sat down to a nearly sold-out show to watch Jackie Blackmore, Amy Auchstaetter, Lauren Martin, and Megan Phillips dance their way onto the stage in strapless tops that were often falling down and exposing their boobies. Yes, I saw naked comedy within the first 5 minutes of watching this show and it was delivered via highland dancing and a lot of jiggle!

Reviews: (Toronto / Comedy) SheDot wrap-up - SheSktechProv, SheFresh, SheMom, SheStories, SheUnleashed

Wrap-Up

SheMom
by Dena Jackson
@deendawg

I’ve always had a close relationship with my mother, but it wasn’t until watching this talented group of Mom Comics or “Momics” at the SheDot Festival that I fully understood what moms are thinking. From what I can tell, parenting has its funny moments and these moms found ways to share their views in very unique and hilarious ways. 

The show began with the host, Martha O’Neil (creator of SheDot) sharing her experiences as a Mom and onlooker on the subway that had the audience in stitches. Martha engaged with her audience in such a way that made us felt like she was our very own step-momic!

Martha was followed by Rachelle Elie who shared the joys of being able to say phrases like, “Don’t forget to wash your balls!” to her kids and the audience couldn’t get enough. Kate Conner discussed the joys of a sexless marriage and what it means to be an extrovert married to an introvert. Amy Sloan blew her audience away with stories of trading places with her teenagers and reflecting on days when she was so frustrated that she asked a police officer for a drink…while he stopped her roadside.

Review: (Toronto / Comedy) SheDot TDot

So Much T[Dot]alent!
by Dena Jackson
@deendawg

What a line-up we had last night at SheDot TDot! There was so much talent in one room and an (almost) packed house, bringing great energy for the comics. Sara Hennessey hosted the show with her natural comedic charm and kicked off the show by inviting the entire audience out to brunch afterwards. I have already RSVP'd. 

I don’t know whether it was Julia Bruce’s comparison to the smell of farts and hot dogs or Candice Gregoris’s compassion for Rob Ford (as he’s basically Toronto’s Lady Diana) that made me giggle harder. Keesha Brownie’s witty commentary on food courts being the perfect place for judgment and Hoodo Hersi’s ability to engage her audience while defining racist compliments had me both laughing and pondering at the same time. 

Interview Karen Mitten and Who (else) To Watch at SheDot

Karen Mitten speaks and Who (else) To Watch at SheDot
by Dena Jackson
Introducing Dena Jackson: Writer, Comedian, Cheese Lover, Weirdo 
My friends have often asked me why I decided to get into stand-up comedy and the answer is simple. I love getting up in front of an audience and facing most people’s greatest fear. An odd thing about me is that situations that tend to freak me out (driving, taking exams, looking people in the eye) are situations that most people can handle and yet I struggle with them. The stage lets me deal with these struggles and other random thoughts in my head in a funny way. When I look at the performers in the SheDot Festival, my heart becomes very warm. I am comforted in the fact that there are tons of other women who feel the way I do about comedy. It is literally one of the greatest things I have ever tried and will continue to try until I’m old and in a remote control chair, poking people in the bum with my cane (and blaming it on others, naturally.) And even then I will probably still perform for anyone who will listen/look in my general direction. Comedy to me is like being a marionette on a balance beam. You are both the puppeteer and the marionette and the balance beam is your set. You can easily get thrown off while you are performing and it’s your job as a comic to adapt to the situation and get back on. Some of the best comics in the city, many of whom will be performing at SheDot, all make it seem so natural. In each set a comic prepares, they are perfecting their timing, engaging with the audience, considering the lighting, the room, previous acts and changing line-ups at the last minute if needed. It’s festivals like SheDot that continue to influence and encourage the female comedic voice as they perform. I’m proud to call myself an amateur comic in Toronto and it is a true honor to share the stage with some of these female comedy geniuses. I can’t wait to watch them shine this weekend. Dena’s Twitter

Interview with Karen Mitten (SheDot TDot/She Sassy)

by Dena Jackson

Karen is a favourite in the Toronto comedy community as a daytime schoolteacher who runs her very own comedy open mic at night. You will often see Karen around the city telling jokes about her experiences from being bitten by a geriatric dog to attending modelling school in New Brunswick, only to lose a beauty contest to the richest girl in town, how convenient. Karen’s positive approach to comedy can be defined as refreshing and hilarious.

As a light-hearted teacher from small town New Brunswick, you wouldn’t necessarily assume that Karen Mitten has a colossal stock of comedy in her back pocket. In the working class background where Karen’s from, studying “the arts” is a nice thought that someone might pause briefly for before getting back to work.

When I asked Karen how she got started in comedy, she told me that she studied stand-up at Humber College in 2005. But it wasn’t until a few months ago when talking to friends Dawn Whitwell and Lianne Mauladin (fellow comics and SheDot performers) that she was able to immerse herself into comedy. Whitwell teaches a well-known all-female stand-up comedy course called “Comedy Girl” that Karen attributes to helping her find her comedic voice.