Fresh Notes COMEDY FESTIVAL IS HERE
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Welcome everyone to Canada's largest festival of musical comedy: Fresh Notes. Happening February 23 & 24 at the Social Capital Theatre (154 Danforth Ave, Toronto) this two-day jam-packed fest celebrates musical comedy in all of its forms. We've got some of the best sketch, improv and standup comedians from across the country to delight your eyes and ears.
To make a good thing even better we're thrilled to announce our headliner, Chase Padgett all the way from Portland, USA! He's bringing his incredible one man show 6 Guitars to Toronto for the very first time. This show has broken box office records or won multiple awards at every Canadian Fringe Festival and CBC called him a virtuoso performer after watching it. Intrigued? You should be. Our full schedule can be found below. We recommend get your tickets quick. In past years they went really quickly! And they are all cheaper in advance... If you'd like to get in touch with the festival team, or have media inquiries please email holla@notimprov.com. Time to get fresh Toronto! |
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Saturday, Feb. 24 on the 2nd Floor
Saturday, Feb. 24 on the 3rd Floor
Workshop WITH OUR HEADLINER
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Musical Improv Diagnostics with Chase Padgett
Fresh Notes Festival presents Musical Improv Diagnostics with Chase Padgett. Ever get stuck in your head when you think your musical improv song should be rhyming but it doesn't? Do you get caught up in the story then freeze when you're supposed to be belting out a tune? When you commit to a musical improv scene, nothing else matters. Learn how to strengthen your timing and commitment through personalized feedback. This 3 hour workshop offers great techniques for any individual performer or troupe. Chase Padgett has been called a virtuoso guitar player by the CBC. His smash hit 6 Guitars has broken records and gained 5 star reviews across the North American Fringe circuit and beyond. His straightforward teaching style and ability to create the music that supports the technique make this workshop a very unique learning opportunity. Prerequisite: Its recommended that students have at least 1 year experience of performing musical improv or musical theatre. Register here! |
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Meet the Acts
Chase Padgett
Chase Padgett has been a professional actor and musician for most of his adult life. While attending the University of Central Florida Chase studied and worked at the Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando Fl, one of the best improv companies in the southeast. After graduating in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music he worked at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in various comedic and musical roles including custom song writing for special events. In 2010 he premiered his first solo show ‘6 Guitars’ which quickly became one of the most successful shows in the history of the North American Fringe Festival circuit, receiving numerous awards and setting box office records in almost every town it has played in. |
Death Ray Cabaret
After performing to sold out crowds at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Death Ray Cabaret make their Fresh Notes Festival debut on what “may” be the very last night on Earth. Silly, dark and delightful, come celebrate human life as we knew it with hilarious songs and character monologues while you still can! www.deathraycabaret.com |
Coko and Daphney
Coko & Daphney is a Black-Female improv comedy duo. Together, they explore funny, fresh perspectives in improvised slice-of-life scenes. Together, they have performed all over North America including Montreal, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia, and most recently, Just For Laugh’s alternative festival OFF-JFL/ZOOFEST. They also performed at the Harbourfront’s Annual Kuumba Festival’s first Women in Comedy Showcase: Black Like She. Come watch these two friends explore their funny, fresh perspectives live and improvised. |
NOTORIOUS
Toronto's #1 hip hop comedy act NOTORIOUS rhymes with comedy. Hosting Fresh Notes is just the beginning the funny that NOTORIOUS brings. Check them out at their monthly show 10PM, 2nd Saturdays at Comedy Bar and stay tuned for the release of their debut comedy rap album in 2018! |
Whyte Wyne and Young Reisling
Whyte Wyne and Young Riesling would like to invite you to a tasting! AKA a Hip Hop Sketch Comedy extravaganza. Born in the age of the Soundcloud rapper, this pair of millennials are doing their best to keep it real while taking over the rap game. Problem is, their reality isn't money, cash, and hoes - Its student debt, common-law relationships, and a used 1989 Honda Accord. |
Chomo and Cash
Chomo and Cash (Ashley Comeau and Carly Heffernan) are two female firecrackers who will stop at nothing to hit you in the face with improv! These two Second City alum pack a powerful punch! Oh yeah, and they love you too. Love hurts. |
Chai-T
Chai-T is filmmaker/comedian Darrell Faria’s (http://www.darrellfaria.com/) Comedy Rap Persona. He is an uber-soft rapper who claims to be #DrakesBestFriend. Chai-T blurs the line between hip-hop and comedy. He performs live, has his own music videos (on Funny or Die) and has dope lyrics just like a real rapper. Except his lyrics are about Full House and Kale Salad. |
Holly Kay
Holly Wyder and her guitar have played various stages across Toronto (Comedy Bar, Bad Dog, Social Capital Theatre, and beyond) strumming tunes with social quirks and societal pet peeves, such as: dating someone because you're too afraid to break their heart, or feeling like a robot when having sex with men. Her comedy teeters between laugh-out-loud funny and owch-that-hurts funny. Follow her at hollywyder.com or @hollyiswyder for more sad jokes! |
Reid Along with Browning
Reid Along With Browning is a critically acclaimed, award nominated sketch duo known for comedy that is both intelligent and wildly unpredictable. Music has featured heavily in their work as Reid was the composer and music director for 19 Second City revues and Browning was the lead singer of the band Schroeder. |
Anesti Danelis
Anesti Danelis is a Toronto based sketch and musical comedian. Armed with a guitar, he serenades you with his delightfully dark tunes that range in style from hip-hop, rock, and pop, and touch on serious, hard pressing issues plaguing our society, such as: slow walkers, space love, haters, mother's day, role-playing, deep secrets, and our constant search for humanity. |
Herbeaver
Herbeaver is an all-female group. Though living in Toronto they use comedy to go back to (and mock) their small town roots.They are fast-paced, feminist, and absurd; using satire and musical comedy to make fun of themselves and the world around them. They've got a cast of characters ranging from aggressive and in-your-face to loveable and charming. Don't miss the show that audience members have called "smart", "unexpected" and "hilariously inappropriate". |
Carson Pinch
A sketch comedian who loves the music medium, Carson Pinch brings you the best musical sketches from his critically acclaimed sketch shows. |
The Pioneers The Pioneers came to this town not long ago with a mission of bringing their love of improvised musicals to the world. Thanks to their intrepid ingenuity and quick wit, THE PIONEERS promptly conceived a spirited song-and-dance number on the spot—a feat never before seen. The crowd cheered wildly. From then on, they put on a brand new revue night after night, and thus began the celebrated career of The Pioneers—impromptu impresarios & lifesavers. |
Twice Upon a Time
Ever wondered what inspired the story before the fairy tale? With the audience suggestion of their favorite fairy tale, we will create a completely improvised musical prequel of that fairy tale! Find out what caused the big bad wolf to be bad or what's the deal with Ariel's dad being so protective or do we actually know the story of Rumpelstiltskin. |
$15 Beer Beer Comedy
One of the hottest improv tickets in town: musical edition. Mark Little, Kyle Dooley, Matt McCready, Natalie Metcalfe, Colin Sharpe and Amanda Parker headline this weekly comedy show featuring some of Toronto’s best improv teams. Featuring special guest Devon Hyland. |
Lil Zazzers
Lil Zazzers is Laura Bailey and Josh Bowman's improv duo. This was a compromise from Josh's idea to give this name to their first child. Over the years they have morphed into a musical improv act by popular demand. They only perform by request, which is not all that often, but people seem to like it. They have performed at West End Girls, the Bed Post Sex Show, and various stag & does, as well as goodbye parties. Every show is a little different as Laura sings and Josh plays guitar and they make up songs together. |
TallBoyz II Men
TallBoyz II Men aim to take sketch comedy to new heights! Measuring in at a whopping 25'2" (collectively), this troupe has quite the perspective to share! Tallboyz II Men is a diverse group of comedians being diverse diversely. The troupe is made up of Tim Blair, Vance Banzo, Franco Nguyen and Guled Abdi. The troupe was formed after they met each other performing in the Toronto stand-up comedy scene, and agreed to combine forces for the greater good. Collectively some of their credits include JFL42, Comedy Brawl, CBC Radio, NOW Magazine and The Colin Mochrie Improvisation Award. |
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