Tracy Sim, Times-Chronicle
A trio of female comedians is prepared to induce laughter at the Venables Theatre in Oliver on March 13, International Women’s Day.
This perfect girls’ night out ensemble performance features some of Western Canada’s funniest comedians. The evening performance, which begins at 7:30 p.m., features host and comedian, Katie-Ellen Humphries.
She’s a stand-up comedian, writer and sketch performer who spends time between Vancouver and New York. Katie-Ellen describes her comedic tastes as somewhere between the library and the locker room.
Yumi Nagashima is a Tokyo born, Vancouver based comedian, actress and writer who made her stand-up debut in 2016. Since then, her talent has taken her around the globe to places like Montreal’s Just for Laughs showcase, the Jakarta International comedy Festival, and Comedy Central Asia in Singapore.
And the headliner for the evening is Erica Sigurdson, a comedian, writer, and producer with Icelandic roots who has also travelled abroad to do comedy—for Canadian troops in Afghanistan. We spoke with Sigurdson, from Vancouver, prior to the trio’s arrival in Oliver to find out more about her first touring show since the pandemic began.
When asked when she knew she would do stand-up, her response was immediate, knowing from the moment she stepped into the lights and heard people laugh at her jokes, that this was her path. But she also knew that the arts wasn’t going to be the safest career choice so she worked to build a set of complementary skills and a business mindset.
One of those complementary skills is writing and Sigurdson has had success here as well, writing for CBC’s Corner Gas animated show. Her other favourite gig has been working with Steve Patterson and the debaters team on CBC radio.
When asked about performing in Afghanistan in 2006, Sigurdson paused, the events still affecting her today. Under the threat of several rocket attacks, she described the experience going there as very intense.
As her plane prepared to land in Kandahar, Sigurdson was issued a helmet and flak jacket and she was immediately birthed into life as a military person for a short period of time.
On the day of her performance in Afghanistan, two rocket attacks had sent them to bomb shelters already, and as soon as it was said to be all clear, she emerged from the shelter and was told right then and there it was time for her to hit the stage. Can you imagine?
She did her set, but still vividly recalls the fear and anxiety she felt, likely imagining a news story about the first comic to be killed in active duty.
Instructed to call home after the show, Sigurdson was affected by the surreal nature of the call centre in Kandahar where she heard soldiers sorting out routine life details like a child’s homework while she was waiting to call her husband to let him know she was safe after several rocket attacks that day.
Given the emerging world situation, we will all be reminded from Oliver’s land of vineyards, wineries, and food growers on March 13 that we live in a safe and free country where we are free to laugh.
