I was always a big fan of stand-up comedy even before I stepped foot in Humber College. When I was a kid I used to love watching the comedians on "Comics " and "Just for Laughs". It wasn’t until my Grade 11 year in high school however, that I actually began contemplating a career in comedy. Thanks to the encouragement of a terrific drama teacher, I eventually joined my school’s improv club and began performing in high school plays.
They like to stone face kids during their auditions.
One day, while leafing through a number of college pamphlets in the guidance counselor’s office, I stumbled upon Humber College’s 2-Year Comedy: Writing and Performance Program. To get into the Humber program you had to submit a letter of reference, a portfolio of comedic writing and perform a humorous monologue. I auditioned for the head of the program at the time, Allan Guttman, and his assistant Linda Ellis. I performed a sketch entitled “Canadian Idol” which was a parody of American Idol (This was a year before the actual Canadian Idol show debuted) and did impressions of Gordon Lightfoot, The Tragically Hip and Stompin’ Tom Connors. Allan Guttman didn’t crack a smile during my incredibly hacky sketch (Tip: They like to stone face kids during their auditions) so I was on edge until the day I received my letter informing me that I’d been accepted into the program.
Courses
Courses taught include – Improv, Acting, Physical Comedy, Sketch, Scriptwriting, History of Comedy, Le Jeu (Clown) and obligatory Gen Eds. (Humanities, Philosophy of Love and Sex, etc.)
Some courses and teachers are obviously better than others. I wouldn’t feel comfortable bashing any of my former teachers online so, instead, I’ll tell you which courses I found most helpful to me personally. The courses I found the most helpful were Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch (you’ll put on four sketch shows during your two years, including an industry show that a few agents attend), History of Comedy (once you get past all that boring Commedia dell’Arte crap you probably already learned in your high school drama class) and Humanities if it’s taught by Gary Berman, who is a funnier and more engaging professor than most in the comedy program. English with Antanas Sileika is also beneficial for anyone interested in writing.
The best part about the program is that it forces you on stage.
Positive Aspects of the Program
The best part about the program is that it forces you on stage. I’m not too sure I would’ve had the guts to try stand-up if I hadn’t attended the Humber program. Most comics don’t start performing comedy until their mid to late twenties, so the fact that I started performing stand-up at age 19 has definitely been beneficial. Every comedy student has to perform on Humber College’s Humber Night show at the Yuk Yuk’s in downtown Toronto. Humber Night runs from 7:30-9pm every Tuesday and is followed by the “Launching Pad” amateur showcase from 9:30-11:30pm. After seeing me perform on a Humber Night show, Jack Norman, who used to book the amateur showcase, made me a regular on the “Launching Pad” show and got me to showcase for Yuk Yuk’s founder Mark Breslin. Upon graduating Humber, Mark Breslin signed me to Yuk Yuk’s professional roster.
The program is also located in Toronto, which, as much as I’m not a big fan of the city, is the best place to start performing comedy due to the enormous amount of stage time available. A lot of comics out east or west are lucky to get on stage 2 or 3 times a month, where as in Toronto it’s possible to be performing almost every night.
Another positive about the program is the chance it gives you to make friendships with people who share the same goals as you. Growing up in a small town, I didn’t know anybody who wanted to become a professional comedian. Coming to Humber and seeing a class room full of students with the same aspirations as myself was definitely reassuring.
Finally, since I graduated Humber, Andrew Clarke has become the director of the Humber School of Comedy. Andrew is a renowned comedy critic and author and the school is in good hands with him in charge.
Negative Aspects of the Program
The program, as one might expect, is a bit of a gong show. Some classes and professors are useless and several times during my two years I thought to myself “Really, I’m paying four thousand bucks a year for this?”
While a lot of the kids in the comedy program are funny, an alarming number of batshit crazies and terribly unfunny people make it into the program as well.
Also, while a lot of the kids in the comedy program are funny, an alarming number of batshit crazies and terribly unfunny people make it into the program as well. Since Humber wants to make money, a student cannot be kicked out the program for simply being unfunny, which is why the school is looked down upon my many in the comedy community.
I’m not sure how beneficial the second year of the comedy program is either. The actual certificate you receive upon graduating means nothing (one of my friends has his proudly displayed above his toilet) and I think the first year of the program covers all the essentials needed to begin a career in comedy. I stuck around for the second year though as I was having so much fun creating and performing with my friends.
The Verdict
Since graduating the program I’ve gone on to become a professional Canadian comedian. I’ve won a couple of awards and work for Yuk Yuk’s traveling the country performing stand-up comedy. I’ve done some acting work as well, appearing in two movies, a few TV shows and several commercials. That being said, while I’m proud to call myself a professional comedian, I barely eke out a living doing this. I would not recommend a career in comedy to anyone who is fixated on making money right away.
As far as the success rate is concerned, a few of my friends have agents and still perform comedy, but many of the people I went to school with have gone on to pursue other endeavors. While Humber does churn out a lot of garbage, several fantastic comedians are graduates of Humber’s Comedy: Writing and Performance Program. Mark Forward, Kyle Radke, Debra DiGiovanni, Graham Chittenden, Nick Beaton and Dylan Gott are just a few of the names that come to mind.
The program is a great way to ease your way into the comedy scene and it definitely made me a funnier person.
In conclusion, I had a great time in college and I would recommend this program to anyone who has ever thought about performing comedy but has never had the guts to try it (high school plays and improv clubs don’t count). The program is a great way to ease your way into the comedy scene and it definitely made me a funnier person. I would not recommend this program to anyone who is wishy washy on pursuing comedy as a career. If you’d like to be an actor, I would recommend taking an acting course, same goes for screenwriters or creative writers. I would also not recommend this program to any established comedians (If you’re already performing sketch, stand-up, or improv regularly, I would consider the Humber program to be a step backwards due to the financial hole it might put you in, although scholarship options are available.)
You can see some of my routines and acting work at http://www.jeffmcenery.com.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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