A cross-Canada Fringe friendship has resulted in a new and uncommon collaboration between local and visiting artists at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe Festival.
Serious Comedy is the brainchild of local comedian Quinn Greene and veteran Fringe performer Adam Bailey from Toronto. The show will feature a rotating cast of performers joining Greene and Bailey onstage for a series of longform improv shows riffing off the life stories of audience members.
“It feels weird that we don’t do more of this, actually,” says Bailey, adding that the community of performers from Winnipeg and away often gather socially throughout the festival. “I’m shocked that there aren’t more, but if it takes Quinn and me to initiate doing something like this, then let’s do something like this.”
Mutual admiration show-ciety
Greene says that he and Bailey “met a thousand times” over the course of many Fringe Festivals before they truly got together this this idea. Both men immediately recall all the bits they would do just hanging out with other performers between shows.
“Whenever we hang out, it’s almost like a mini-improv riff happening on the spot,” laughs Bailey, adding that it was moments like these that eventually compelled them to put a plan to paper for Serious Comedy.
Greene is excited at the prospect of deepening their friendship as the run of the show begins in earnest this week. “This show will be an opportunity for us to learn more about each other on stage, which is always super fun, and sharing that experience with the audience,” he says. “This is a one-night-only experience for those audiences coming to see the Fringe.”
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Longform improv blends humour and heart
While both Greene and Bailey come from comedy backgrounds, they both also have a more serious streak that will serve them as empathetic improvisers working with stories given to them by the audience in a form of improv called Armando, a type of blend between improvisation and monologue elements similar to stand-up comedy.
“We’re very grounded as people. We’re very emotional as people, I think,” explains Greene while underlining that the comedy is the element that will remain front and centre. “We’re serious about it being funny. It’s got to be funny… but we can take moments to be emotional, to maybe have our audiences tear up, get into some arguments on stage, let the fire come out, just playing with the form because improv can be many, many things.”
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Source: Winnipeg Fringe Festival.
With an hour to fill with Serious Comedy, Greene and Bailey are betting big on the chemistry of their Fringe friendship to carry them through the show.
“Improv is sort of like, in this case, an hour-long trust fall,” says Greene. “You just start doing things and you ‘yes, and’ each other and you look each other in the eyes and make sure that, ‘Hey, whatever you say, I’m with you. Whatever you do, I’m going to roll with that.'”
The Winnipeg Fringe Festival officially opens on July 15 with Serious Comedy opening the next afternoon at the Rachel Browne Theatre in the Exchange District. Showtimes, tickets and more details can be found at the festival’s website.