8/13/2019 Emily Pearlman to be playwright-in-residence at GCTC

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Page 46 Ottawa Jewish Bulletin August 26, 2013 shana tova

known in Ottawa. And, if

Im known in Ottawa, then

it would be nice to beknown in Ontario. And, if

Im known in Ontario, it

would be good to be known

in Canada. So well move in

levels, Kamil said.

With Yuk Yuks seeing

more than 100 would-be

comedians signing up for

amateur nights each month,

amateur comedy in the cap-

ital is booming and compe-

tition is at an all-time high.

Howard Wagman, who

owns the local franchises

and co-founded Yuk Yuks

in 1976 in Toronto with his

uncle, Mark Breslin, has

undeniably played a part.Yuk Yuks, which helped

launch big-name comedians

like Jim Carrey and Howie

Mandel to stardom, has

been in Ottawa for 30 years,

offering the microphone to

both up-and-comers and

comedy veterans, which,

traditionally, has included

many Jews.

From Rabbi Rotenberg

using Seinfeld references to

spice up his Torah lessons,

to stand-up comedys histo-

ry as a Jewish-dominated

industry, Jews and comedy

have tended to go hand-in-

hand. But why?Jewish people are gen-

erally very well read and

very perceptive of the social

and human condition so, in

my opinion, they make

great comedians because

theyre such keen observers

of real life, Wagman theo-

rized.

People say humour

comes from pain and suffer-

ing. And who suffers more

than the Jews? If you dont

laugh, youre going to cry.

(Continued from page 45)

Comedy: Jews are such

keen observers of real life

Shana Tova

Penny Torontow and Glenn Wolff

vcuy vba

Itzy Kamil is one of the youngest up-and-comers on Ottawas comedy scene.

By Ilana Belfer

The Great Canadian The-

atre Company (GCTC) has

named Ottawa playwright

Emily Pearlman its play-

wright-in-residence for the

2013/2014 season.

Supported by the Ontario

Arts Councils Playwriting

Residency Program and the

City of Ottawas Creation

and Production Fund for Pro-

fessional Artists, the residen-

cy provides artists with

space, resources and finan-

cial means, allowing them to

dedicate full attention to their

craft.

In the arts, you often take

on a million jobs because

youre scared of not being

able to pay your bills, so to

have the luxury of time is

wonderful, said Pearlman,

32. She is also a freelance

director and producer, and

teacher at the University of

Ottawa and Algonquin Col-

lege. Many will remember

her as director of the

Soloway Jewish Community

Centres Purim shpiel in

2009.

The residency comes with

the validation of being recog-

nized by a credible institu-

tion like GCTC.

Its often very difficult,

in the area of theatre, to feel

like you are a grownup doing

it, she said.

Pearlman has written and

perfo rmed award-winning

shows, such as Countries

Shaped Like Stars and Live

from the Belly of a Whale. In

2009, she received the Prix

Rideau Emerging Artist

Award. Her newest work, We

Glow, co-written with Brad

Long, recently won both

Outstanding Duo and Out-

standing Production at the

Ottawa Fringe Festival.

After earning a bachelors

degree in theatre and religion

at Concordia University in

Montreal, and a masters in

interdisciplinary studies at

Simon Fraser University in

Vancouver, Pearlman ret-

urned to her hometown to see

what she could bring to the

Ottawa scene.

Theres something nice

about going into a smaller

community, because you can

actually help to change [it],

she said. [And there is]

something really impor-

tant about going away, learn-

ing things, and bringing

them back.

Pearlman founded the

award-winning Mi Casa The-

atre Company with Nicholas

Di Gaetano in 2009, putting

concepts she learned in her

graduate studies how to

blend different types of artis-

tic disciplines into practice.

I like to think of what I

do as a hybrid, said Pearl-

man, who considers herself

to be foremost a storyteller,

rather than a theatre-person.

[Di Gaetanos] background

is music, so we think a lot

about how theatre can be like

a rock show, and thats why I

like the broader term of per-

formance.

In a way, Pearlman said

Emily Pearlman to be playwright-in-residence at GCTC

Emily Pearlman says she writes to f igure things out.(Photo: Matthew Parsons)

(Continued on page 64)