Seated in a small booth in the furthest corner of Cameron House’s back room, comedy show organiser Michelle Budden noted the talent of one of the performers preparing to take the stage.

“Dylan always makes everybody laugh more than anybody else,” he said.

Then she looked directly to her left where her close friend Sarah Donaldson, the evening’s headliner, stared back at her.

“Sorry.”

The organiser

The 26-year old Budden – a graduate of Humber College’s comedy writing program (like most of the talent on the show) – knows that comedians have a thick skin. In their profession where reputations ride on the audience’s acceptance of their musings and one-liners.

It’s not the easiest lifestyle. A commitment to making it work let Budden and her friends to organise The Stage Show.

“We wanted to be in control for once,” Budden said.

Despite people – including the venue’s owner – admitting that comedy has never worked well at Cameron House, Budden insisted on having the inaugural show there. Then she put a call in to her perennially cash-strapped comedian friends.

“They can’t pay their cell phone bills but they’ll go to the show,” Budden joked. “And that’s the priority of the generation and the demographic that we’re dealing with here.”

The headliner

“Some days I go [on stage] and I think ‘Why did I come out today?’ Then there’s nights when you need to get up so bad because if you don’t you’ll explode. And those are the best nights.”

Sarah Donaldson is only in her mid-twenties but her resume reads like that of a seasoned pro, performing on comedy shows from North America to Europe. She moved to Toronto to attend the same Humber program as Budden, and while Donaldson misses the sociability of strangers in her native St. Catherine’s, the big city does provide her with moments of inspiration.

“Just being in public makes me laugh, because I’m always just watching everybody, especially on the TTC,” Donaldson says.

Donaldson, who envisioned a future in sketch comedy before finding her calling in stand-up, says Toronto also provided her with another major advantage – the support of a local network of loyal and supportive comedians.

“We’re so lucky. We have such a community,” Donaldson said. “It’s like having a party, and work is making your friends laugh.”

When asked about the best audiences to perform in front of, Donaldson admits that, on the whole, she finds Americans hold more admiration for stand-up comics than Canadians. However, playing in front of reserved Canuck crowds does have its advantages.

“Here I find the audiences are more like, ‘Yeah, so?’ which is good too,” Donaldson said. “It’s challenging. Toronto’s a great place to practice.”

And it’s the Toronto comedy fans who Donaldson hopes will make The Stage Show a regular staple at Cameron House.

“I just want them to have us back because I love this room,” Donaldson said. “And because all the people here are incredible comedians. I want more people to see them.”

(Continued)

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