Joanne O’Sullivan, a Veteran in Standup, Explores How She Grew Funny

She Grew Funny was a hit at the 2017 Toronto Fringe, and sold out the last three shows. We are thrilled to give audiences one more chance to catch Joanne O’Sullivan in The One More Night Festival.  The autobiographical show – a mix of the funny and serious –  asks: “What did losing your mother so young do to you?” She Grew Funny is a look into the age-old connection between tragedy and comedy and how our pasts can irrevocably affect our future.

We asked Joanne to tell us why audiences love this show, and she kept us giggling with her answers.

What will we see in your show that we haven’t seen before?
Me, three months older.

What emojis best describe what you see on audiences’ faces when you perform this show?
Is there a “everyone’s face is completely obscured because I’m staring into a spotlight” emoji?

If I followed the main character of your show on Instagram, what would my feed be full of pictures of?
Two enormous cats and her very cute 7-year old daughter.

What would Donald Trump tweet about your show?
“At first I was like, who writes a show about their dead mother? Sad. But then I found out the dead mother was HOT. Tremendous play.”

If your show had a Tinder profile, what would you put on there to make me Swipe Right?
Joanne. Holding a mic. And when she’s nervous she really grips it.

What does your show give me that cat videos on Youtube can’t?
I’m not sure. Few things are better than cat videos on Youtube. But at 50 minutes in duration, She Grew Funny won’t keep you from cat videos very long.

Tell me what I should know about the playwright. Bonus points if they rhyme.
Joanne is a comic who wrote a play,
It’s the third that one she gets to say,
It was the hardest to write, but her pain did pay,
’cause Brick and Mortar gave her one more day!

As you leave the theatre, Joanne hopes you will be left thinking about how her tale relates to your own stories.

She Grew Funny plays Friday, October 20, at 9pm
The Commons Theatre
587 College St Toronto
Get your tickets HERE

NNNN – Now Magazine
“Top 12 Fringe Pics” – Derrick Chua, Intermission Magazine
“O’Sullivan is a true original” – Toronto Star
“What an amazing, inspiring night. Thank you, Joanne O’Sullivan. I was deeply, deeply moved.” – Jacklyn from Toronto

When a person deals with loss and tragedy at a young age, what do they become? Writer for CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes and The Baroness Von Sketch Show, Joanne O’Sullivan tells a touching, funny and true story of how her life changed when her daughter turned 6, the same age she was when her own mother died of Cancer.

🤣😳😭😍 #LaughAndCry #Comedy #SoulOTheatre #BringTissues

Written and Performed by: Joanne O’Sullivan
Directed by: Chris Earle

BikeFace will make you want to set out on an adventure of your own!

BikeFace is a two-wheeled adventure of Canadian proportions, spinning strange-but-true tales from a ride across the country! This intimate-style storytelling show has never been performed in Toronto – that is, until now! The One More Night Festival is very excited to have this award winning show as part of our lineup. We chatted with creator Natalie Frijia to bring you the details about BikeFace.

Why Toronto, why this show, and why now?
1. I don’t see enough shows with women in adventuring roles. I don’t seen enough adventure on stage period… but at this moment, seeing a woman in a story like this, I believe is important.
2. The show touches on issues of sexual assault and consent, which is clearly an important topic being discussed in the city.
3. We’re somehow still in a time when women are cautioned about what is safe / unsafe for them to do. “Why now” is because it’s time for that attitude to take a hike, permanently.

If your show was on Netflix, which category would it be in?
Adventure!

What would my 90 year old Grandma love about your show?
90-year-old grandmas have seen this show before, and the thing they say most afterwards is, “Oh, what a story! I remember this one time…” and then they proceed to tell me about the most adventurous thing they’ve ever done. It’s a good story-generator!

What would my 90 year old Grandma hate about your show?
… But grandmas also routinely tell me I should be more careful and maybe not meet so many scary people on the road. 😛

What does your show give me that cat videos on Youtube can’t?
I want to say “cats can’t ride bicycles”, but really… if they wanted to…

Tell me three things I should know about the playwright.
I’m working on a PhD in theatre and environmental studies.
I stage manage circus shows and I take classes in trapeze!
Most of my stories come from people I’ve met or places I’ve been while traveling on my bicycle. 🙂

“BikeFace is so much more than the story of a woman crossing Canada on a solo bike trip. It’s the tale of any woman who has sought to do something that might be a little more adventurous than society is comfortable with” – The Vue

Twitter: @natandthebike
Insta: natandthebike
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nataliefrijia

BikeFace plays Thursday October 19, 7PM
The Commons Theatre
587a College St
Get your tickets HERE

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – The Vue
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Global News
“Will have you laughing non-stop.” – Kings River Life
“Incredible, captivating, engaging, real, funny” – Saskatoon Audience Member

Just a little over 100 years ago, the woman who rode a bicycle was expected to undoubtedly develop a weakened hart, epilepsy, exhaustion, appendicitis, distension, nervous attacks, insomnia, physical injury or, worst of all, the dreaded “Bikeface.”
In this two-wheeled advanture of Canadian proportions, Bike Face spins the tail of one woman who takes a bike trip from Halifax to Vancouver and finds out just how far she’ll go for adventure.

🤣😏😍😳 #Adventure #Comedy #CyclingStories #Suspense #Puppets 

Written and performed by: Natalie Frijia
Directed by: Emma Mackenzie Hillier

Previously Performed: Regina, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton Fringe Festivals and in the US (Fresno, CA).
Links: http://natandthebike.weebly.com/bikeface.html

Get your tickets HERE

Szeretlek is About Making Love, Not War!

The Grand Salto Theatre is the company behind the award-winning play, Szeretlek: A Hungarian Love Story.
They have travelled across Canada, performing their show in 7 different Fringe Festivals.  They have received rave reviews, standing ovations, sold out houses and even an award for “Most Adorable Show.” They are a company based out of Toronto, and yet they have never performed in Toronto.
That is until now!
We sat down with the creators behind Szeretlek: A Hungarian Love Story, to talk about their upcoming, one-night-only performance in The One More Night Festival.

First of all, tell me three things I should know about the playwright and creators of the show.
1) Playwrights/performers Zita Nyarady and Myque Franz are husband and wife.
2) They interviewed Zita’s Grandmother for the show.
3) Everything you see on stage happened in real life.

What else will we see in your show that we haven’t seen before?
The combination of true storytelling, masks, dance and linguistics!

If your show was on Netflix, which category would it be in?
Historical documentary and Romantic foreign film with a touch of comedy

What emojis best describe what you see on audiences’ faces when you perform this show?
😍

What would my 90 year old Grandma love about your show?

Our show is about Zita’s 90 year old Grandma! Grandmas love this show.

That’s true! Why Toronto, why this show, and why now?

The show is about love and how love can grow in dark times.
We are from Toronto but don’t often perform in the city. After performing this show at seven fringe festivals across Canada we are excited to have it’s Toronto debut at OMNF.

If the main character of your show had Instagram, what pictures would my feed be full of?

Stylish hats.

While we’re on the social media topic, if your show had a Tinder profile, what would you put on there to make me Swipe Right?

Pictures of 19 year old Katalin Szabo in 1946 or pictures of 90 year old Katalin Szabo in 2017. She was a hottie. She still is a hottie.

What does your show give me that cat videos on Youtube can’t?

Cat videos don’t teach you Hungarian.

If we were to turn your show into a documentary, we might rename it:
 How to survive ________ in Canada.

How to survive Being Hungarian in Canada

What is the one thing you want audiences to be talking about as they leave the theatre?

“How did they do that?” “Love can blossom in even the darkest times.” “I have an idea on how to perform/write/draw/archive my family stories!”

How can we follow you on social media? 
@TheGrandSalto (Twitter and Instagram)
https://www.facebook.com/thegrandsaltotheatre (Facebook)

Szeretlek: A Hungarian Love Story plays Sunday, October 22nd at 7:00 PM
The Commons Theatre: 587a College Street
Part of The One More Night Festival 
Tickets: HERE

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 – Winnipeg Free Press 
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 – Vue Weekly
“Most Adorable Show” – Ottawa New Critics 
“Charming and Fun” – Theatre in London 
“This was, by far, my fave.” – Ron, theatre-goer from Winnipeg

On the eve of her grandmother’s 90th birthday, playwright Zita sat down with her grandmother and interviewed her about her life. What she didn’t expect was to hear a touching, heart-string-pulling love story about her grandmother’s first love in a tiny, war-torn, Hungarian Village.
Two actors perform a factual and comical re-telling of a beautiful and true love story, set in 1946.

😲😍😂😚  #LoveStory #HungarianCulture #Nostalgia #TrueStory #Mask #FolkDance #Comedy 
Written and Performed by: Zita Nayrady and Myque Franz
Directed by: Maria Wodzinska

Tickets: HERE