Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON – ‘Live from the Annex’ is pleased to announce a special co-production partnership with the Canadian Comedy Foundation for Excellence for its cabaret on September 1st. In advance of the Canadian Comedy Awards show on September 13, the ‘Live from the Annex’ event on September 1 will feature live performances by 2015 CCA nominees Keesha Brownie (Comic Artist), Tony Ho (Sketch), Sarah Hillier (Improv) and Matt Folliott (Improv). Also, Brian G. Smith (MC) will do a special guest interview of CCFE/CCA president Tim Progosh. This Live from the Annex special event will also mark, for the first time in 15 years of CCAs, a ‘Salon des Refusés,’ the live-audience screening of select submissions from CCA Short Film and Web Series media categories. ‘Salon des Refusés’ is a film festival tradition dating back to the late 1800s, where submitters that are not chosen for featured festival screening hold their own screening and party. In addition, the show features Lisa Merchant directing Brunswick Stew (Annex Improv) and Lee Cohen (keyboards). The ‘Live from the Annex’ show runs the first Tuesday of every month, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m., and takes place in ‘The Garage,’ at the Centre for Social Innovation - Annex location, 720 Bathurst Street, Toronto. $15 tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at livefromtheannex.com. Follow on Twitter #LFTAnnex and Facebook. For information, call (416) 619-4621 or send an email to livefromtheannex@gmail.com. The comedy and music show is broadcast live to the world-wide web via Dailymotion.com/YouAndMedia.
"Live from the Annex is a great promoter of Canadian comedy, so we're more than happy to partner with them on this fabulous CCA showcase,” says Tim Progosh, President of the Canadian Comedy Foundation for Excellence. The “Winner Takes All!” competition, LFTAnnex’s version of the infamous Salon des Refusés, will see the in-studio audience view and vote on select short film and web series from submissions that did not get nominated to the CCAs. The $75 cash prize to the winner is equivalent to the CCA submission fee! “The 'Salon des Refuses' is a great way to offer a live-audience screening for some of the many worthy CCA media submitters that we weren't able to include in this year's nominations. Also love the livestreaming; a great way to promote our talent internationally." (http://www.canadiancomedy.ca/)
Talent Progrosh is referring to includes CCA Best Female Stand-up Nominee Keesha Brownie, a Montreal-born Canadian with Jamaican roots. A former Second City performer, and a Humber College graduate, Brownie brings a verbal arsenal of humour harmony and business hustle to her comedy. When asked about being in the LFTAnnex lineup on September 1, Keesha Brownie says, "It might as well be an all-inclusive, a 5 star of comedy. StandUp, Sketch, Music, Improv & free hummus! I am so excited to be a part of this showcase! And, I really looking forward to the 16th annual 2015 Canadian Comedy Awards on September 13th." (http://on.fb.me/1gOF0Zx)
Performing sketch comedy in the September 1 show is CCA Best Sketch Troupe Nominee Tony Ho, a Toronto-based sketch group whose core members are Roger Bainbridge, Adam Niebergall and Miguel Rivas. This troupe has been showcased at the San Francisco and Toronto Sketchfest as well as JFL42 and NXNE. Their award-winning film work has been featured on ‘Funny or Die,’ ‘VICE,’ ‘MuchMusic,’ ‘Ain't It Cool News’ and at the L.A. Comedy Shorts Festival. (http://www.tonyho.ca/)
LFTAnnex is showcasing CCA Best Male Improviser Nominee Matt Folliott. Matt is a comedian/actor/writer born and raised in Toronto. Also a NOW Magazine Readers’ Choice Award for Best Male Improviser this year, he is currently a performer with comedy groups S&P, Chad Mallett, and K$M (CCA Best Sketch Troupe nominee) and is an instructor at Second City and Bad Dog Theatre. He has performed in numerous improv festivals, including IMPROVAGANZA (Edmonton, AB), The Vancouver International Improv Festival, The Out of Bounds Comedy Festival (Austin, TX), MPROV (Montreal, QB), and The Seattle International Festival of Improv. TV credits include ‘The Next Step,’ ‘Illusions of Grandeur’ and ‘Rocket Monkeys’ in addition to voicing numerous national TV commercials. (www.mattfolliott.com)
CCA Best Female Improviser Nominee Sarah Hillier is being showcased on September 1. Hillier was named Best Female Improviser by NOW Magazine (2013) and The Canadian Comedy Awards (2011). Sarah started her comedy career at Humber College’s Comedy Writing and Performance Program. She has written and performed for The Second City’s National Touring and Mainstage companies, and is also an alumni of the The Sketchersons (Canadian Comedy Award winner) and The Bad Dog’s Repertory Players (2013 winner for NOW’s Best Improv Troupe).
Folliott and Hillier will be performing improv with Brunswick Stew, Annex Improv’s Performance Ensemble, under the direction of Brian G. Smith and teacher Lisa Merchant: Joe Amero, Matt Corluka, Tom King, Victoria Kucher, Steve Lyon, Laurie Murphy, David Perlman, Denise Pinto, Kelli Thompson and Sasha Wentges with Lee Cohen on keyboard. (http://www.anneximprov.com/sign-up.html)
‘Live from the Annex’ shows take place the first Tuesday of the month (next shows are October 6; November 3; and, December 1, 2015); doors open at 7:30 p.m., with curtain at 8 p.m. Beer, wine and refreshments are offered for sale before, during and after intermission. Hummus and chips are provided gratis.
The series is produced by Sasha Wentges (Mea Culpa), Laurie Murphy (MARRAM Mktg & PR) and Brian G. Smith (Annex Improv) with support from sponsors and partners including Dailymotion, Centre for Social Innovation, Analytical Engine Interactive and Beaus Beer. For ‘Live from the Annex’ video, see bit.ly/LFTAnnex_FILM and a series promo at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2zoqnv_live-from-the-annex-promo-video_fun.
Photo Matt Folliott. ©2012 Shauna Jean Doherty.
2015-08-18
Toronto: "Live from the Annex" presents a showcase of CCA nominees on September 1