Meet Rebecca Payne, the Toronto comedian, writer, and actor who is equally comfortable in stand-up, sketch, and improv.
Rebecca describes her unique style as “wacky and bleak”—a sardonic, self-deprecating approach that she uses to show her true feelings through a “clownish” heightened persona. This distinctive voice has led her to open for Mark Little at JFL Toronto and perform with her sketch group, Bleak.
While she credits comics like Conan O’Brien as an early influence, Rebecca is most inspired by the thriving Toronto comedy scene, especially her peers like Tim Gilbert and the lineup of new talent she sees at her open mic for queer, gender-diverse people, and women.
How would you describe your comedy style?
I guess in the broadest sense, I would be more on the “alt” side of things. Not that I am breaking the conventions of stand-up or sketch or anything, but I think I’m probably weirder than what people are expecting when I get onstage. What I hope I am achieving, at least somewhat, is showing my true feelings about things, but reflected through a heightened version of myself that’s pretty clownish, but also sardonic and self-deprecating. I guess I’m trying to be both wacky and bleak.
Who are some of your influences?
I really don’t watch Netflix stand-up specials or know who very many of the famous American stand-ups are, at least from the recent past. I don’t know why I am like that! I just don’t seek it out, I guess. The last special I watched that I liked was Carmen Christopher’s.
I think I am most influenced by all the Toronto comedians that I know and love. All the Laugh Sabbath people (Chris Locke, Jackie Pirico, James Hartnett, Marty Topps, Tim Gilbert, Tom Henry), Nour Hadidi, Jess Beau, Natalie Norman, Brandon Ash-Mohammed, Michael Balazo, Meg MacKay, Jordanne Brown, Isabel Zaw-Tun, Adam Christie, Surer Qaly Deria, Kayla Lorette, Evany Rosen, Tim Blair, Ben Sosa-Wright, Ajahnis Charley, Jacob Greco and Bita Joudaki. I could go on!
Who was your favourite comedian growing up?
When we were little, my sister and I and the kids across the street all loved Wayne’s World and Wayne’s World II, and we would watch them over and over and do all the bits. I think my best friend and I would also do the Coffee Talk ladies. Then, as a teenager, I loved Conan O’Brien, who, I guess, now that I think about it, is also sardonic, wacky and self-deprecating. I wanted to be him! But even still, I didn’t think about trying to be a comedian then. I guess it didn’t occur to me that I could even do that. It took me so long to figure that out.
Who is your favourite comedian now?
Tim Gilbert.
What is your pre-show ritual?
If I’m doing stand-up, I like to walk to the show, so that I can run my jokes in my head while I’m walking. Walking is also, for me, a good time to think of new jokes. Before I get onstage, I like to be moving around, shaking my arms and legs and stuff, because I like to get onstage with some energy.
What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?
I love doing The Disaster, which used to be at The Ossington (RIP) and now is at Wenona. It is a show where comedians do five minutes of whatever they want, as long as it’s not traditional stand-up or traditional improv. My friend and writing partner Alex Kolanko has been producing it for 12 years. It can get nuts, and there are always people on it who are new in the scene and trying weird stuff.
Also, shoutout to Showtime Comedy and Entertainment in St. Catharines, Ont., where I once did a show with Mark Little and Everardo Ramirez for a group of people who I would categorize as “hostile.” It did not even have a stage. I bombed SO hard. Then Mark went up and killed.
What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?
I’ve been doing a character for almost a year now (I first did this character at Laura Cilevitz’s amazing show, Late Bad), who I really love doing. His name is Tony Paris, and he is a lounge singer who wants to go to the moon. That’s all he truly wants, but he also loves performing and imagines himself as a capital-E Entertainer, even though he is, in actuality, not that good. Also, he dies at the end of every performance, like he gets set on fire or something, but he always comes back to life, don’t worry.
Why am I proud of this probably stupid character? Tony is confident and also really not. There’s something about a person falling apart onstage and then coming back together — like the audience is putting them back together, by agreeing that they are funny, i.e. laughing — that is more interesting to me than just projecting unwavering confidence; it’s just funnier to me. I don’t really care as much to watch some confident person who’s just telling me their observations from their confident POV. There is no pathos!
What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?
Like I said, I am really bad at this. But! Bita Joudaki and I run an open mic that is for queer people, gender-diverse people and women, and I like seeing the new people in the scene try out stuff there.
Tell us a joke about your city.
I only have one joke that involves Toronto, so here we go: It’s hard to do comedy now because you have to be making videos all the time. That is all people care about now: video video video video video. It sucks! But, we have to do it. So, today I took my phone, and I went down to the lake, to … kill myself! Just kidding. I could not do it. Lake Ontario was already FULL of bodies … all Canadian comedians.
Do you have anything to promote right now?
I produce a show with Bita Joudaki at Comedy Bar Bloor on the fourth Saturday of the month called Just FOUR Laughs. Come and be a laugher!
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?
