tippiseagram’s blog

It turns out Kendall is funny

May 7th, 2009

By Nick Miliokas, Leader-PostMay 7, 2009

Truth be told, Colette Kendall is not the first person, nor will she be the last, to hear the words, “You’re really funny — you should be doing comedy.”

Unlike most people, however, she has taken the compliment to heart, and now, in her mid-40s, she is performing on the fringe theatre festival circuit as her alter ego, Tippi Seagram — the first name borrowed from the American model and film star, Nathalie Kay (Tippi) Hedren, the female lead in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller, The Birds, and the surname a decidedly more straight-forward reference to the longtime Canadian distiller of alcoholic beverages.

This is probably as far as it gets from a degree in biochemistry, which Kendall earned many years ago at the University of Toronto, and it clearly illustrates a devil-may-care spirit of adventure. She was, after all, a stay-at-home mother of three young children when all of this began at the Staircase Theatre in Hamilton, Ont., where she lives with the kids and her boyfriend — the guy who started the creative juices flowing with the aforementioned crack about comedy.

“All the way there, from my house to the theatre, I thought for sure I was going to be sick to my stomach,” Kendall says, recalling her initial visit to the Staircase for a comedy workshop. “But once I got over the nerves, it was like being in a sandbox again.”

To celebrate her 40th birthday, Kendall actually rented the theatre, of which she is now artistic director, and performed a full-length sketch with fellow would-be actors, along with a shorter standup routine. The sketch was received well enough, but it was the solo act that drew the rave reviews.

“People came up to me afterwards and said, ‘You have to do more of that,’ ” Kendall says. And in less time than it takes to add, “Warning: This show deals with mature subject matter and contains material that might be offensive to some,” Tippi Seagram was born. Kendall was soon on the road, first to London, Ottawa and Montreal, and eventually Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver on the western circuit — living what she describes as the “plastic bubble” existence that only a fringe-festival performer can truly appreciate.

“I’m not a risk-taker by nature, or at least I didn’t think I was, but once you hit 40, something clicks in your head and you just don’t give a shit anymore,” says Kendall, who will be in town Friday night to perform Happy Hour at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, as a fundraiser for the Regina International Fringe Theatre Festival.

Kendall, who describes Happy Hour as being “clean and corporate-friendly,” has since written two other shows, Who’s Afraid of Tippi Seagram, a sequel that is a bit more risqué than the original, and Cock Whisperer, which she performs as Colette Kendall, without costume and props, not as Tippi Seagram.

“It’s a love story,” she says, cryptically. “It consists of true stories I’ve made up about myself.”

Friday evening’s fundraiser will also feature music by Skin and Bone and the Best Buddies Blues Band. The emcees will be Rod McDonald and CBC Radio’s Garth Materie. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $30. The price of admission includes appetizers, and there will be a cash bar as well.

The Regina International Fringe Theatre Festival itself is scheduled for July 2-8, and yes, Kendall will be bringing Tippi to town on that occasion also.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she says. “I can’t wait.”

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2009 Making with the HaHa tour

April 16th, 2009

Calgary ‘Fringe Rewind’ Festival March 18-21
The Big Comedy Go To Festival April 16-19
Regina Gala Fundraiser May 7-9
New York May 12
Orlando Fringe Festival May 14-25
The Staircase Theatre June 5-6
Hamilton Pride Festival
London Fringe Festival June 18-28
Wakefield Piggyback Festival June 28-30
Regina Fringe Festival July 2-8
Winnipeg Fringe Festival July 15-26
Calgary Fringe Festival July 31-Aug 9
Edmonton Fringe Festival Aug 13-23
Vancouver Fringe Festival Sept 9-20

So here is a list of my preliminary, confirmed touring dates for 2009…I’ll be out there hocking ‘Tippi Seagram’s Happy Hour’, ‘Who’s Afraid of Tippi Seagram?’ and my new show, ‘The Cockwhisperer’…which is a new and exciting departure for me from Tippi…but don’t worry another installment of Tippi is hot on the heels of this tour as well as some new and exciting ventures!

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The Big Comedy Go-To

April 16th, 2009

New comedy festival ‘dream come true’ for local comic actor
Thu, April 16, 2009

By KATHY RUMLESKI, FREE PRESS REPORTER

A new comedy festival begins tonight in London and organizers say anything can happen as comedians get set to ratchet up the zaniness.
“A mix of the best local and out-of-town talent will converge on three venues downtown for a four-day festival of no-holds-barred comedy mayhem,” says festival producer Jayson McDonald, who is known for The Boneyard Man, Giant Invisible Robot and Boat Load. Called The Big Comedy Go-To, the event will include improv, standup, comic theatre and music. Also on the bill are panel discussions, workshops and open mics. McDonald toured Giant Invisible Robot and Boat Load across the country and met many of the entertainers participating in the Big fest.
“I thought it would be a hoot to get them all into London for a few days and mix ‘em up with the local comedians,” he says.
“I honestly didn’t expect so many of the artists would be into the idea, but almost everyone I asked said they’d love to participate. So what we’ve got is an off-season festival jam-packed with some of the funniest people I’ve ever met.”
McDonald had the idea for such a festival a few years ago and did hold a one-day, one-venue event. What has been put together for this festival is “like a dream come true,” he says.
Local talent includes Theatre Nemesis and out of towners such as London Fringe Festival award winner Rob Salerno and actor-comedian Colette Kendall.
The event kicks off at the Arts Project tonight with Jimmy Hogg’s show, Like a Virgin, at 6 p.m.
Hogg is followed by Passionfool Theatre Company’s 7 Stories at the same venue. Written by Morris Panych, the comic theatre show is about a man contemplating a jump from a seventh floor ledge as building tenants keep popping up. Passionfool’s production is directed by Eva Blahut.
Organizers say the festival is a chance to shake off winter and laugh your way into spring.
Ticket prices vary and there are a limited number of festival passes and daytripper passes.
A grant from the City of London’s creative city fund helped bring the festival to life.

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The Calgary Fringe Rewind Festival

January 16th, 2009

Thurs Mar 19
Inglewood Community Association
1740 - 24 Avenue SE, Calgary Alberta

7 pm – Colette Kendall, The Tippi Seagram Series
9 pm – Broadway West, Vagina Monologues
11 pm – Obscene But Not Heard, Jihad Me At Hello

Fri Mar 20
The Calgary Opera Centre
1315 - 7 Street SW, Calgary Alberta

7 pm – Broadway West, Vagina Monologues
9 pm – Obscene But Not Heard, Jihad Me At Hello
11 pm – Colette Kendall, The Tippi Seagram Series

Sat Mar 21
SAIT’s Orpheus Theatre
Campus Centre Building

1301 – 16 Avenue NW, Calgary Alberta
7 pm – Obscene But Not Heard, Jihad Me At Hello
9 pm – Colette Kendall, The Tippi Seagram Series11 pm – Broadway West, Vagina Monologues

http://calgaryfringe.carbonpop.com/

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‘Ten for Grandpa’ Official Selection at The 2009 Sundance Film Festival

December 27th, 2008

Ten For Grandpa

SYNOPSIS:

David Karr, husband, father, White House press reporter, film producer, powerful millionaire, defense contractor, Corporate CEO, renaisance businessman… Soviet Agent? A fast paced, introspective look at the enigmatic life of an influential ancestor. Taking a clear-eyed, comedic look at the life of this complex character and the events surrounding his untimely demise, the narrator attempts to understand the forces that push an individual to immerse himself in a nefarious web of danger and infamy.

a BravoFACT! funded short film by Doug Karr

a co-production with Chop Wood Carry Water

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival Saturday January 17th 2009

Screenings:

Sat. Jan 17 6:00 p.m. - VICTO17EE Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Sun. Jan 18 midnight - VICTO18BD Broadway Centre Cinemas VI, SLC
Tue. Jan 20 9:15 p.m. - VICTO204N Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City
Wed. Jan 21 3:00 p.m. - VICTO21SA Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Fri. Jan 23 9:00 a.m. - VICTO23EM Egyptian Theatre, Park City

(Country: Canada; Director: Doug Karr; Writer: Doug Karr;

Cast: David Alpay, David Huband, Catherine Black, Shannon Beckner, David Cormican, Ann de Villiers, Connor Edwards, Colette Kendall)