In Toronto

I am in Toronto for a few day's consulting work. I've visited about half a dozen times over the last few years and I've always enjoyed coming here. A big part of that enjoyment is due to knowing people on the local improv scene.

When I travel I make an effort to gig wherever I can. Not only is it good for the bragging rights, it makes me question the 'comedy assumptions' that naturally build up when you only perform to one sort of audience, even if that audience is as vibrant and varied as London.

I didn't get on stage this trip but instead hung out with improvisers, some of whom I've known for years and some I was meeting for the first time. I gave myself the minor goal of checking out small theatres to see if I might stage a Canadian iteration of Scenes from Communal Living in 2010 but really it was as much about hanging out as anything else.

A commonplace observation that I've made before is that because improv is a necessarily collaborative craft, improvisers tend to have more social skills than stand-ups. I doubt that the Toronto stand-up comedy tribe would be anywhere near as welcoming of a foreign producer in town to set up a show.