BLOOR WEST: Comedian explores prenatal education at Fringe Fest
Growe said his wife Julie experiences "show anxiety" as a childbirth educator similar to what he feels before taking the stage in front of a comedy club audience - she even calls her classes 'gigs.' The couple rehearse their material on each other and have been known to goad each other about who can play the other's role better. After all Growe is a father of three and has heard Julie's curriculum time and time again.
"The play was born, no pun intended, on my wondering if I could actually teach one of her classes," Growe said.
In his play, Growe's character has to teach a prenatal class "at one of those places where people pretend it's possible to prepare for parenthood," when the actual teacher, his wife, is running late and he can't track her down. He chooses to step in and is surprised by what he delivers.
"I open with my tried and true material about being a parent and it quickly unravels from there," Growe said, without wanting to give too much of the plot away. "There's some really silly stuff, some slap stick. I have a poignant moment about what the whole thing means to me."
Writing for theatre is different than writing stand-up comedy, Growe said. He had never before developed a character, or a plot, or a story arch. He's not a trained actor either; although, he has done some acting for television.
Keeping an audience's attention for more than an hour wasn't the problem. After all, he has headlined across North America performing corporate gigs and on cruise ships. The difference is, "it's not jokety jokety joke. There's a beginning, middle and an end."
He leaned on his director Marjorie Malpass for her theatrical expertise.
"It's been so much work, but so fun. The Fringe is a great opportunity to see what kind of legs this show has," he said.�Growe honed his craft in high school and university where he was on student council, hosted events and performed skits in drama class, but he never dreamed it would become a career. He was well on his way to becoming a social worker when it occurred to him that he didn't want to wonder 20 years later 'what if?'
He enrolled in a broadcast program at Humber College and began working in radio. While working at radio stations across Ontario, he began dabbling in comedy, performing at clubs on the amateur circuit. His comedy, he said, is 'so Plain Jane.'
"It's about observations of life. My comedy comes from every day life," Growe said.
The Mom and Pop Shop plays at the Theatre Passe Muraille - Mainspace, 16 Ryerson Ave. (east of Bathurst, North of Queen) starting July 2. All seats are $10 or less.
Contact the Fringe Hotline at 416-966-1062 or visit www.fringetoronto.com for showtimes.
