Did you always want to be a comedian from a young age?
ELVIRA: “I think I did. My sense of humour was first and indelibly shaped by a combo of Saturday morning cartoons and the comic strip Peanuts. I’ve come to realize that Bugs Bunny was actually a mentor to me. Bugs taught me comedic timing, to embrace absurdity and showed me how to be a dynamic performer. Charles Schulz reminded me every day that disappointment can be funny. Beyond that, the TV shows I connected with most as a little kid were comedies that had female leads, like Lucille Ball or Carol Burnett. I’d watch them, then spend hours in front of the bathroom mirror ‘starring’ in my own
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"…I’m an only child so comic books were my best friend and the TV ended up being my babysitter, my escape and sibling all in one.”
show. I’m an only child so comic books were my best friend and the TV ended up being my babysitter, my escape and sibling all in one.”
Is there a moment that stands out to you when you said yes, this is what I want to do with my life?
“Not really. The only thing I can say with absolute certainty about anything in my life, is that I’ve always loved being a stand-up comic. After 35 years, I love it even more now than I did when I first started and I can’t ever see myself not doing it. I for sure got a kick out of performing in my high school assemblies, doing my take of Gilda’s Rosanne Rosannadanna character; but I wasn’t as into being a character with set lines. It wasn’t until my
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[University of Toronto] years, going to the comedy club up the street in Yorkville, that the light bulb went off for me that stand up was something I maybe could, probably should, try my hand at. At that point, I hadn’t yet heard of Second City or even knew we had one in town, despite being a huge fan of SNL. If I had known there was an improv/sketch factory in town, I might have gone there first instead. Though I’m not sure what it would have changed since the moment I finished my first ever set of stand-up comedy on amateur night, I was hooked. I found Second City eventually, or rather, it found me; but by then sketch and improv would only ever be ‘in addition to‘, never ‘instead of ’. I didn’t know it back then, on that first open mic night, but stand up was very much aligned with who I am as a person and a performer.”
REVEAL Niagara Leisure Magazine • Volume 2 Issue 2 • 2019/2020
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How would you describe your comedic style?
“In the moment. Authentic. Animated (as in athletic). Freewheeling, deep diving takes on life as I live it, with pretty much every human experience dissected and all the feels explored.”
Where is your favourite place to perform? Do you have a favourite city to perform in?
“Long Answer: I don’t really have a preference of venue or city per se, what I remember are audiences and the ones who come ready for anything. A full venue being ready and willing to just go anywhere, that is my dream crowd. With that kind of open and engaging energy what we create (me and the audience together) is a thrilling, rollicking, unforgettable joy ride. The best shows always come from a vibe like that and those are the shows that linger in my mind and soul for a good long time. Short Answer: St. Catharines, duh.”
What has been one of your favourite experiences as a comedian - thus
“This past July, my teenage daughter (she does not like her exact age to be revealed, which I respect but also, eyeroll) came with me to one of my shows. The details aren’t important except to say it was a really special show for me in that I really wanted to do well for this particular audience and I was doing almost the entire hour with untried material I had written expressly for them and the occasion. Taking such a huge risk (45 minutes all new!) requires every ounce of my energy to stay fully present so as to remember it all and unspool it just so, exactly the way I saw it unfold in mind while writing it. From the corner of my eye I could see where my daughter was in the audience but from the effort of harnessing my focus, I couldn’t do