JFL Highlights Time: Day 2 The Dessert and New Faces Characters

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Day 2 at this festival is when things really start to speed up blend and blur. This festival is just the right size to trick you into thinking you can do everything. I know this to be the trap. I pick and plan months in advance. But JFL is a tidal wave you have to ride and surf it to enjoy it on your terms. And if you do it right, it can be one of the most thrilling things in the world. But without focus and intention you can drown.

The swirling waters of the hotel bustling with meetings and cameras and semi famous to very famous funny faces begins followed by streams. The looks of judgment can be immense. But you must accept it’s merely people’s jobs to take it all in. If you look for friends and curious cool creatives you will meet them. If you chase people who don’t want to meet you you’ll feel rejected.

I sit alone at the day’s first panel. Toronto comic Heather Mariko slides in beside me I’m happy to see a friendly face. She tells me about the interest in the project she came to pitch.

THE DESSERT PANEL AT JFL PRO

The first and only panel I am seeing today presents the cast and creators of a new sketch show called The Dessert made by the impossibly cool Toronto based production house La Rue. One of the show’s stars Isabella Campbell is a fascinating talent. She is amazingly charming, which makes her capable of getting away with absolutely absurdist murder in the show. In the panel, nestled amongst shop talk from the other creators, she told the story of how a vocal performance in high school took a comedic turn and that’s how she got into comedy. And we’re all glad about that accident.

The panel also featured Shane Cunningham, Co-Creator and star Jonathan Popalis, Co-Creator/Head Writer/ Producer Mike Veerman, Co-Creator/Writer/Director Jillian Smart, Writer/Actor Justin Stockman, VP, and Content Development & Programming, Bell Media

By the time the panel is done the waters of JFL are really swirling I decided to blow it off and go actually swimming. There is a beautiful pool at the hotel it’s a great way to cool off and refocus.  Then it’s off to one of the unmissable shows of the festival New Faces Characters.

NEW FACES CHARACTER

All the New Faces showcases are held at the beautiful Monument-National – Ludger-Duvernay.  It’s the kind of theatre that makes one feel small in scale. People line the towering balconies. I take my red plush floor seat and gaze at the beautiful structural detail I go to this showcase mostly for this gorgeous venue, French English and all the while, the harsh tones of driven people from L.A can be overheard.

This showcase started 45 mins late. At a festival where people are attempting to see a few shows a night, this show– where no one can be bumped– probably should have stated on time. But as beautiful as the venue was I didn’t care to spend 2.5 hours in it.

SNL’s Chris Redd opened up the shop with a very rushed intro– presumably because the show was running so late– and we’re off the horse race that was New Faces Characters.

Chris Kleckner is definitely a sketch talent to watch. All of his characters are good and funny,  and he impressed with straight forward well formed sketch that could appeal to a very wide audience.  A Cheerleader Sketch won me over I didn’t want to like it but I really did. That’s talent. Then, a Chicago cook who lovingly yelled while cooking  was the kind of character that demonstrated great control and comedic accuracy.

Other highlights from New Faces Characters included

Laura Ramoso and her Italian dad Olympics.

Carl foreman jr. as a Pregnant man seahorse

Parker Callahan as an over dramatic T.V psychic who detects gays

Susan Song as a self help Guru selling a program based off Shania Twain.

A very stern piano teacher who had a brief love affair with YoYo ma was also a very strong character from Song.

Evan Mills in a Ukulele serenade about white familes making him drink milk with dinner.

Hannah Pilkes as a women with nothing going on.

Chris Cafero closed out the showcase and brought the energy back up in the exhausted and impatient room with a barrage of accurate to mildly humorous impressions and a very hilarious horse headed Catskills comic who had wrongly been booked in place of megan thee Stallion.

I got some ice cream and went back to my hotel to regroup….I had seen many New Faces and all the people that live in their head.

See you tomorrow!

 

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