Veteran comedian Debra DiGiovanni set to make Lethbridge laugh with the Snowed In Comedy Tour

DiGiovanni’s career in comedy began twenty years ago, when she studied in Humber College’s Comedy Writing and Performance course during its inaugural year as a program at the school.

“At the time I was working at a TV station in Toronto and I was like, basically answering the phone, kind of like a switchboard operator,” she said.

“The women that I worked with were constantly like ‘you should try stand-up, you should try doing stand-up’, and I ignored everyone because I was like ‘I’m scared, I can’t’, and one day I was in the newsroom and a press release about Humber College literally just came across the desk.”

She said taking stand-up classes was a game changer for her during her studies.

“It was just like oh yeah, this is it, this is what I’ve been waiting for,” she said, later describing her first stand-up show in front of a live crowd as “magic”.

“I don’t know how else to say it, like it really was. It was just that moment of ‘and this is what I’ve been looking for’, and it just went from there, I never looked back from there.”

She added how grateful she is for that Humber College program, and it served as an excellent launch pad for what would become her career.

During her time at the school, she had the opportunity to learn from Steven Rosenfield, whom she referred to as a “stand-up guru”.

“He was IT for me. That was the thing, like I went to the program just for those four weeks with that man. He was a writer, he had worked on famous TV shows and been on Carson and stuff, he just was really the thing that I needed. He taught a lot of the stand-up course and that was really beneficial to me. I’m just really grateful I met him,” she said.

LIVE PERFORMANCE

Contrary to what many may think based off her on stage style, DiGiovanni said she’s actually quite shy.

“It’s hard to explain. I think I’m at my most comfortable in front of a large group of people,” she said.

“It’s strange to hear but I’m shy…I’m good with groups of four or standing in front of a crowd of strangers, that’s kind of how I operate.”

She said there’s immediate gratification being on stage because “you feel alive”.

“There’s opportunity for success and failure and it’s different every time…I think live theatre would be on the same level as stand-up which is something I’ve never done and would love to try because it’s happening right there. It’s very in-the-moment,” she explained.

“It’s just nice to feel alive. I know that sounds weird but it’s true. You know, you’re in a bad mood [and] you do stand-up and you feel better. You’re in a good mood and you do stand-up, you feel amazing. It’s very cathartic, it’s very therapeutic and I still love it. I’m still not bored after 20 years.”

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT COMEDIANS

DiGiovanni touched on some of the misconceptions people can have about professional comedians, and that’s that comedians are always being funny and putting on a show, even when they’re off stage.

However, she did say that there are some that are always “on”, but she’s not one of them.

“I would say, gosh, at least 50 percent are like ‘we only want to be in the spotlight when we want to be in the spotlight’, like if I was in a crowd somewhere watching whatever and someone was like ‘let’s get her on stage’, I’d be like ‘no, no, I’m not doing that’,” she explained.

“I don’t want to be volunteered. When I want the spotlight is when I want the spotlight. I feel like a lot of comedians are shy, I feel like a lot of comedians are introverts and we just come alive when it’s our turn to get behind the mic.”

She described herself as an extroverted introvert.

“I’m extroverted when I need to be then I’m an introvert the rest of the time, so that’s how I do. When it’s time to be on, I’m there.”

DiGiovanni added that someone she’s recently become a fan of in the business is Rory Scovel, known for his stand-up specials on Netflix and his role in the 2018 Amy Schumer film I Feel Pretty.

“He is absolutely one of my favourites. He’s just a perfect comedian. He is a balance of good writing, and silliness and he is also really in the moment, you know, if something happens, he’ll do his whole set on something that happened in the room and drop his [already prepared] material,” she said.

“He’s getting a lot more TV and movie [roles] and stuff and it’s wonderful because he’s so talented.”

SNOWED IN COMEDY TOUR

The Snowed In Comedy Tour is celebrating its 12^th anniversary. DiGiovanni said it was conceived years ago by fellow Canadian comedian Dan Quinn.

“He said, ‘I just want to do comedy and I want to snowboard, what do I do?’, so he got a couple of friends together…a couple of comics that [he knew] and just like [said] let’s go see if we can set up some shows in towns where we can snowboard,” she explained.

The first year featured about six shows. It’s now grown to well over ten times that as of this season. The 2019-2020 tour marks DiGiovanni’s third with the traveling group.

“Dan actually invited me to do the tour years ago, like maybe five or six years ago. At the time, I was like ‘I don’t snowboard, don’t waste [the spot] on me’ and he’s like, ‘you don’t have to snowboard, it’s okay’ and I was just like ‘no, I’m probably not a good fit’,” she told LNN.

“Then [about] four years ago, he actually set up some shows for me in British Columbia…so I did a little tour with him as the producer and then I was like ‘oh yeah, he’s not messing around’. So, I joined the tour the following year and that year I think I only did [about] 20 shows, last year I did like 35, this year I’m doing 45 and it’s building.”

One thing that amazes DiGiovanni about the tour is that people return to the show year after year.

“[Dan Quinn] has a rule, he lets people know that no one does the same material,” she said.

“We all do 20 minutes [on stage] and it’s all new material from [the] last year. If you went last year, and you’re coming this year, [you’ll hear] new jokes. I think that’s why people return because it’s like they know us, but it’s new jokes.”

TRAVELING THROUGH CANADA

DiGiovanni said she’s had people ask her why they visit certain small towns across the country. She said it’s a way for these smaller areas that sometimes get neglected by larger shows to host a fun event.

“I’m getting to see Canada in a way that I have not had a chance [to before] because like in former travels, it’s always like Vancouver-Victoria, Saskatoon-Regina, Calgary-Edmonton, Winnipeg and that’s it. There was no Red Deer…there wasn’t Courtenay, British Columbia and now I get to do those and that’s what’s so nice, too, that it’s not just the main city centres.”

On the road, DiGiovanni said the crew doesn’t really get on each other’s nerves.

“We’re all grown-ups. It could be different if we were all in our twenties but we’re all in our mid-to-late thirties, you know early forties, so it’s very respectful. We enjoy each other’s company, we have fun,” she said, adding the performers make sure to get time alone if they need it.

“There are days where it’s just like ‘you know what, I’m taking the day to myself’ and no one is mad.”

She said Quinn has set up the tour schedule to offer time off.

“We go six or seven shows and then we get a day off…so he’s done it [scheduling] well. After about a month, there’s a week off, then we all come back. He’s done it in a way that keeps the sanity.”

She added that being on the road with such an experienced group also results in the comedians learning from one another and improving their own skill sets.

As for whether or not the crew has been snowed in, like the tour name suggests, DiGiovanni said that’s certainly something they’ve dealt with.

“Last week in Nanaimo [B.C.], the snow was so bad like 300 people couldn’t come to the show, but we had to go. Our drive was supposed to take us an hour, it took us three and we just went ‘alright, let’s get there’,” she said, noting it’s certainly a ‘show must go on’ mentality on the road.

She added that there have also been times in British Columbia where they’ve been driving and have been turned around due to events like an earthquake.

“Last year, I literally got snowed in in Kelowna. I literally got stuck. Everyone else got on their flights but I didn’t. My flight didn’t go, and I was trapped in Kelowna for two days. Literally, we’ve actually been snowed in.”

The Snowed In Comedy Tour is at the Yates Memorial Centre in Lethbridge on Friday, January 31 and will feature DiGiovanni, Quinn, Paul Myrehaug and Pete Zedlacher.

For more details on the show, visit snowedincomedytour.com.

by Justin Goulet

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Veteran comedian Debra DiGiovanni set to make Lethbridge laugh with the Snowed In Comedy Tour

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