When asked how she would describe her act, Toronto native Steph Tolev says she's "high- energy, self-deprecating and kind of silly. I think I'm saying things that other women are feeling. Hearing a woman talking about her mustache on stage is kind of like, 'Oh, it's OK if we have one. We're allowed to talk about this.'"
Relatively new to the Canadian comedy scene, Tolev says it was two years ago when she opened for Rob Delaney at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto that she finally started to feel she was making it. "There was like 1,200 people and it was insane. I'm like 'this can actually be something if I can make this many people laugh at one time.'"
Besides having time to party in places like New York, Los Angeles and Edinburgh, Tolev now has a different understanding of how comedy works in different places: "You'd think that every joke hits the same way, but different countries find the punches in different spots.
"I don't even plan my set until I get to the crowd and see what they're laughing at. And I'm not afraid to riff and say what's on my mind now. Now I'm doing all unscripted jokes."
Tolev's also the second half of a sketch comedy group called LadyStache with comedic partner Allison Hogg. Tolev may be coming to Halifax alone but she does admit that touring is not as much fun without Hogg. "It's like we're married. We sleep well in a bed together, have the same eating habits and both like to party."
Tolev says she's always felt more comfortable doing comedy than dramas. When she started looking into the Humber College comedy program she had a lot of support from teachers and friends. "Just having people back me up for something like this was so ridiculous. My family was super supportive and then it was like, 'I can be silly all the time. This is something I want to do.'"
Pub Comedy 3:00 show
Saturday, April 26 at 2:15pm, $20
The Lower Deck, Historic Properties
