Grindstone gives fresh talent a new space
Grindstone renos theatre to showcase fresh talent
It has never been easier to discover what’s in a Girl Brain. That’s because the three female talents behind the local sketch comedy group will reveal all Saturday, when Grindstone Theatre presents the troupe’s show at the latest comedy venue to open in Edmonton.
Long an underground improv favourite, The Grindstone has surfaced with a freshly renovated, 75seat theatre, located on the city’s south side in the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Ritchie. Since the new venue (10019 81 Ave.) opened last month, Girl Brain is just one of many local sketch, improv and standup acts now making the move from their basements into public view.
Tickets to all Grindstone shows are a mere $10, and the venue programs 14 comedy shows, six nights a week. Offerings range from relative newcomers such as Girl Brain, to established local comic artists.
“In the entertainment industry, you’re waiting around for someone to give you an opportunity,” says Heath. “This space gives people independence and freedom and a space to do the things they want to do.”
At 9 p.m. on the third Saturday of every month, Girl Brain promises great guffaws about topics women discuss obsessively, including dating, anxiety and depression, and what happens when those two mental health irritants show up on dates. Other acts take the stage at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., including Up Late by Dana Anderson, a new talk show by one of the pioneers of the improv scene, yes, Dana Anderson.
Weeknights, fans can catch groups such as Coyote Comedy, an improv collective seen on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and starring Edmonton favourites Neil Grahn, Donovan Workun and Kathleen Rootseart. Other groups, such as a high school improv showcase, and a group that improvises with Shakespeare, have regular slots. Pub Choir is a monthly gig that sees one musician come in with a pop tune, and teach whoever shows up how to sing that as a group, over beer.
Byron Martin, 28, has been Grindstone’s theatre’s artistic director since founding the group in 2011. His weekly improvised musical, The 11 O’Clock Number, was a standard at the Varscona, but moved to Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Old Strathcona when the Varscona closed for renovations.
While Martin was grateful for the church space, it wasn’t ideal. So he looked around for alternatives, did some research on comedy club models and decided to pursue a venue that would gather numerous kinds of comedy (plus some burlesque and other hard-to-label acts such as Pub Choir) in the same space for many shows a week.
An actor with a master’s degree in musical theatre performance and years of experience with local improv troupes including Rapid Fire and Oh, Susanna, Martin says Edmonton’s comedy scene is smaller than in centres such as Toronto or New York, but the talent here is just as awesome.
“We went to the New York musical improv festival three years ago with a small showcase,” recalls Byron.
“There were companies from all over North America at The Magnet Theatre, and we watched all the shows for inspiration, and we killed it there.”
Talking to other artists in New York made Byron realize a regular venue was a huge benefit.
“If you have the space and the training and the opportunity to get in front of an audience, then no matter what performance niche you are doing, that’s how you get better.
“Hopefully, this space will expand the community.”
Certainly, the price is right for small, independent acts. Producers pay $80 to rent the stage, and receive the proceeds from the box office, minus a $2 service charge that goes to Grindstone.
“It’s crazy cheap,” says Byron. “We want to cover our costs and that’s all it does.”
Extra revenue may come from the 50-seat restaurant and bar onsite, selling what bar and restaurant manager Joses Martin calls “high-quality concession food.”
There are a couple of riffs on hotdogs and nachos, as well as soups, sandwiches and desserts. The menu (designed by Woodwork chef Phan Au, and executed by Grindstone chef Dick Hemphill) is a throwback to yesteryear, with nostalgic items such as the After School Special (naturally, grilled cheese with tomato bisque soup). The go-to dessert is called The Complete Breakfast, a waffle bowl of Pinocchio ice cream, custom-crafted on a breakfast-cereal theme, such as Captain Crunch.
“The bathroom is bigger than the kitchen,” says Joses Martin, 31, Byron’s brother and partner in this effort. “So we’ve built a food menu with really fun stuff that’s quick and easy.”
Variety is the hallmark of The Grindstone. Improv fans will see unique collaborations and many takes on fun, some of it in development. Neil Grahn, for years the head writer with the now defunct The Irrelevant Show, is getting down and silly with Donovan Workun and Kathleen Rootsaert on Thursdays with Coyote Comedy. The new work sees actors ask the audience for a single word. Then they interview someone from the audience about that word, and create a comic situation around it.
“It’s super-focused on being in the moment, and saying yes to ideas,” says Grahn.
He says it’s amazing for the audience to be in on the birth of something new, calling Grindstone “a gift for everybody.”
“It’s a gift for the artists, like me, to explore and try something new with people. And it’s a gift to the audience members, who have a personal experience in a new, new space for only $10.”
For more information about Grindstone Theatre, and to purchase tickets, go to grindstonetheatre.ca or call 780-244-9076
This space gives people independence and freedom and a space to do the things they want to do.