Shoeless, already one of the largest-in-size sketch comedy troupes in the city, got a little larger when acclaimed Toronto comedian Ron Sparks joined the team late last year. In addition to Sparks, the troupe landed another comedic coup: they’re headlining a comedy series at Hard Luck Bar. We talked to Shoeless’ Andrew Kines about the influences and history of this troupe, which could end up becoming the next Picnicface.
Established:
January, 2008.
Current Cast:
Inga Breede, Andrew Kines, Stan MacDonald, Ned Petrie, Ron Sparks (newest addition), David Tichauer, Ryan Turner, Kyra Williams and London correspondent Jamie Murray.
Influences:
The Second City, SCTV, The Kids In The Hall, SNL, Mr Show.
Biggest Achievement to Date:
The 2009 Canadian Comedy Award nomination for best sketch troupe, which we received barely over a year after forming. During the whole awards week, we thought it was all an elaborate prank -—one that Gordon Pinsent and Sean Cullen were in on, apparently. That and being invited to play at Toronto's Just For Laughs in 2010.
Where did the cast receive its comedic chops?
The original members of the troupe met at The Second City Training Centre. We learned through improv and going through the [Second City] process. We aren't beholden to it though, and we generate material in any number of ways. Whatever chops we have, we have from spending a lot of time together performing frequently and under difficult circumstances (10 people on a postage stamp-sized stage) and finding ways to make it work. We've also spent a lot of time performing for each other and finding ways to make our work better and mostly doing it without bloodbaths and knife fights.
How would you describe your style?
After polling the group you'll notice the word “silly” shows up a lot. But the answers look like this: “Absurdist with flashes of heavily choreographed dance numbers,” “Classy, yet destructive” or “two chicks, seven dudes — you figure it out.”
How did your troupe come about?
As much as you would like to hear a fantastical story where we came from the ends of the earth blah blah blah, we all took Second City classes together, and then Ron just appeared one day.
What would you tell a newcomer to expect at your show?
Expect to see a lot of different styles and tones, like a nice visit to the art museum. Some of our scenes are long. Like, “bring popcorn” long. But we also manage to fit in choreographed dance numbers, even though I don't think any of us have any formal dance training. We all come from different backgrounds and have slightly different styles of humour, so I think the show appeals to a wide range of audience members. That, or people will think we're not consistent. I'd like to think it's the former.
What’s the hardest thing about doing a show like yours? Controlling such a huge cast! We're a lot bigger than the typical Toronto troupe, and sometimes it's like wrangling a bunch of crazy monkeys.
Funniest thing that happened on stage that wasn’t supposed to be funny?
There was a time early in our career where we did weekly shows in a small theatre. For the first five or six shows, only one person ever showed up: a woman who would bring a footlong sub sandwich. She would sit and look at us while eating said sandwich —without laughing — and leave as soon as it was finished. By the last scheduled performance, we couldn't face the sandwich lady so we decided to just not go. We went to a bar and got a call from Andrew's girlfriend that a dozen random people were there. We ran back and had a pretty good show.
What’s next on the horizon?
Other than introducing Ron as our new member? We're headlining more shows than ever. Having a few big shows every month is going to keep us pretty busy. We're also going on the road to Montreal and New York. We're doing these regular once a month gigs at the Hard Luck sponsored by Bite TV. We're also hoping to do another revue show sometime this year. There is talk of doing shows in NYC but that's still in the planning stages with nothing confirmed.
Jan. 24 and Feb. 28: The Hard Luck Bar, 772 Dundas St. West, 416-617-4973
March 13: The Rivoli, 334 Queen Street W., 416-977-5082