Stephen Karmazyn brings a loose, fearless energy to the stage, blending sharp crowdwork with written material that swings from dark and political to joyfully stupid. Influenced by comics who let go and take risks, no two of his sets are ever the same—each shaped by the room, the moment, and a healthy dose of spite-fueled honesty.
How would you describe your comedy style?
Free. Been hosting a lot of shows lately and been honing my crowdwork – no two sets are the same that way. Written material can be dark, political, stupid; runs the gamut.
Who are some of your influences?
Geoffrey Asmus, Joe List, and Maria Bamford are comics that are able to deliver really unique, interesting material (that’s funny). Hard to do, especially with all the comedians out there now.
Who was your favourite comedian growing up?
Louis CK.
Who is your favourite comedian now?
Geoffrey Asmus – the way he plays with the crowd, does crowdwork, and generally lets loose is amazing to watch.
What is your pre-show ritual?
Remind myself that no one in my family believes I can do this and run entirely on spite.
What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?
Keys Comedy Club by a mile. There is no crazier place to perform where you’ll truly see a show like no other. Backroom Comedy has also been great to me (and is a fantastic room), but Keys is so unique.
What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?
A joke about Oprah as an unstoppable dictator (it’s a bit more dark than that, but I’ll leave the specifics out here, come see the show!). Was the first joke I really felt like myself on stage, and one where I truly believe that only I could have written it – felt great.
What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?
Watching local shows. You see so many great up-and-coming comics, and you also get a chance to catch headliners. Instagram/social media broadly are great.
Tell us a joke about your city.
Lol, go watch a show, you cheapskate
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?
Dimi Kolovopoulos and Shanil Patel
