Disabilities and pain make for revealing comedy
FFWD Magazine - June 12th 2003 Steven Smith
It's a fundamental approach to comedy - take what's intriguing or unusual about your life and reveal it onstage in as raw a package as possible. Take the examples of two this year's FunnyFest performers, Amy Trofimuk and Big Daddy Tazz. Each has had to contend with what most would term a disability - one physical, the other mental. And though neither would deny that they have drawn their share of dark days, both would also tell you that they have been blessed with a unique source of comedic fodder!
Born with the brittle bone disease Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Type 1?) local comic Trofimuk has literally suffered many bad breaks in her life, but she puts a positive spin on things.
"It's great material," she says. "I mean, lots of people can't use that!" Trofimuk, originally from Canmore, quickly became a proud Calgarian when she moved to the city five years ago. Her great appreciation for our town makes her a logical choice to represent Calgary in FunnyFest's Battle of Alberta Comics, in which she will take part in on Friday June 13th.
Now a three year veteran of stand-up, Trofimuk's entry into the craft was a sudden one. "I was just thrown up on stage at FunnyFest," she recalls. "I wasn't even ready or anything, but it was sort of now or never." She says it was so nerve-wracking that she only managed a tight three minutes, but a highly positive reaction to that brief performance was enough to encourage her to continue on as a comic. "When I first started, I really didn't like to talk about my bone disease," she says. "I wanted to see if I could make people laugh without bringing in my personal stuff. Then once I was in a wheelchair, I had no choice and it actually worked out very well!" The comic nicknamed "Hot Wheels" confesses that hitting the stage for the first time in a wheelchair "was a learning experience". "Half the time I didn't know if it was sympathy laughs I was getting," she says. "Still, I got a lot of great material out of it."
Hearing about a man's desire to end his life may be as challenging as hearing a small fragile woman recount a childhood that was as Amy Trofimuk says, "tough, because I was broken all the time." But in hearing that level of honesty in a comedic performance, one becomes part of a great embraceable factor.
When we listen to Amy Trofimuk and Big Daddy Tazz we learn that we can find humour in any element of ourselves as long as we keep looking.
Rocky Mountain Outlook Feb. 27th, 2003
Local comedienne Amy Trofimuk will once again take on her hometown crowd with a new show at the Drake once a month.
Trofimuk, a.k.a. Hot Wheels, will host every Yuk Yuk's show, now officially "Amy Trofimuk's Comedy Cabaret", starting on Thursday, March 20. The Funny girl, who was born and raised in Canmore but moved to Calgary nearly five years ago to launch her career as a comedienne, is thrilled with getting her very own show.
"I'm really excited about it," she says. "It feels really comfortable. I have no fear of being on the stage. I've got so much positive feedback from so many people," she says. "All the comics I have met in my short time in the business have been very uplifting."
Her Canmore debut took place last September at the Drake, and it was a huge success.
Manager of the Drake Brian LaPointe brought Trofimuk on board because he needed someone talented to direct Yuk Yuk's.
"We had a huge response from the local community," he says of her September performance. "We really found ourselves struggling for an identity, so we thought it would be a nice fit and we'd give it a try."
According to LaPointe, the March 20th show is going to be big, featuring talented Oregon-based comedian Auggie Smith.
"He's extremely funny and it's a great chance for Amy to take ownership of the show. We're really confident on the calibre of comedy Amy can bring to the table. It's a good deal for all of us."
Trofimuk continues to keep busy with steady gigs at various clubs in both Calgary and Edmonton. She will be live at the Drake on March 20th and then every month until the end of June, and back again starting in the fall.
November 7th - 13th, 2002 FFWD Weekly
"A comedian who has benefitted from the national exposure to standup and the growing number of local opportunities is Amy Trofimuk, who first appeard at FunnyFest in 2001.
"The first six, seven months it was slow," the Canmore-raised comedian says. "The last eight months have been out of control!" She's performed at other comedy festivals in Canada, has been recruited for work in the U.S. and is being booked for corporate gigs as well.
Trofimuk admits she's had a strange life that lends itself well to comedic material, but also uses observation of others for her routine. And that approadch to life, SCTV favourite Joe Flaherty says, is the key to Canadians being funny."
