Pivot Schmivot

This year, Nakai Theatre decided that instead of the usual Comedy Fest they usually put on - they would replace it with something called "Pivot" - an extreme theatre event. From the press that touted this new festival, words like: "Groundbreaking, extreme, and out-of-the-box".
From Tara McCarthy's article in the Jan. 25th issue of What's Up Yukon, David Skelton mentions that Nakai was finding that Whitehorse audiences: "were moving away from being as satisfied with the stand-up and sketch comedy" and that one of Nakai's responsibilities: "is to expose Whitehorse audiences to a high quality of professional theatre"
That's some pretty bold statements there, and if you're a regular Yukon culture vulture - you might agree that Pivot would have to be pretty impressive indeed for all that pomp to ring true.

I'll admit, I only went to one evening of the Pivot festival, but I saw the bulk of shows that were being offered. And honestly, I felt a little guilty for having comp tickets, only because I felt so damn sorry for the few people who paid. Let me stress the "few" part of that statement.
It's not my intention to point a finger at Nakai and laugh, but boy, Pivot certainly added to the Hindenburg-like qualities that Nakai has slowly been building.
The shows at Pivot were pretty much the exact kind of fare anyone could see at any Fringe festival in North America. The difference being that one has much more choice at a Fringe festival - so you're likely able to see something you like.
There was nothing likeable about the shows at Pivot (mind you, I didn't see "This is Cancer - Live" and I'll go out on a limb and say it was probably good - Bruce Horak has some cred). David Bateman's monologues were so disjointed, obviously unrehearsed and pretty dull. Gay guys talking about their mothers and comparing them to glamourous stars of the past - it's actually kinda cliche. I did make a good mental grocery list during his show though - so thanks.
He couldn't handle his props, and didn't seem to have a grasp on where he was going. It was pretty unprofessional seeming - not unlike a crappy Fringe show.
"Lounge" was better, but that's not saying much. It was split up into two acts, and the second certainly killed what little momentum the first had.
Neither show was groundbreaking, extreme or thought-provoking.
Taking a look into the crowd, you could see the usual folks who go to Arts events in Whitehorse. We've all seen stuff like this before, and we've seen it done better. I've seen more entertaining things done at Homegrown.
This festival had no heart, and no drive. Just the fact that there were so many free tickets handed out should be telling.
Last year, me and a little group of like minded amateur comedians put together two nights of sketch comedy. We had the Westmark ballroom filled with people, and we put on a pretty decent show. While we certainly had some low moments, this was relatively new to us, and we had a lot of room to grow.
Nakai couldn't even fill one third of the ballroom, which was their main venue.
Just add that to the growing list of things Nakai has lost money on.
While I'll completely agree that Nakai should be the last people to run a comedy fest in the first place, at least they were trying before. Now - not so much. If they can pull people like Ron James and Cathy Jones up here for fundraisers (that they lost money on by the way), one would think these people would be perfect anchors to build a comedy fest around.
Pivot was a pretty uninspiring festival, right where we needed somethign bright in our dead of winter. This has me worried about Homegrown, and if Skelton will have his hands in what shows will be put on.

Then again, as they say, if you want something done right...

Family Ties kicked Growing Pains' Ass.

Just needed to get that out.
And c'mon, Tom Hanks as the drunk uncle - drinking vanilla and marashino (sp?) cherry juice - priceless.
But as usual, I digress.
This past Monday saw the return of Comedy night at Coasters. I not-so-sneakily parlayed the leaving of my partner (she's gonna get some edumacation) into getting more people to show up for some laughs. Thankfully, it worked.
It was a good night, with a lotta laughs, and some great comics. From where Chris McNutt started, yelling over people talking to their beers at the Whitewater Wednesday Open Mic Jam nights - to where we are now is pretty nifty.
There are now comics who are close to on par, and occaisionally better than us *cough* pros. There's Logan, who on his first time on stage, blew everyone out of the water with his presence, and his material. We have Rob, who really is a nautral, as long as he can get over his nervousness and the trend to mimic popular comedians. Though, we should worry, cause once he finds his own voice - he's going to kick all our asses.
And then there's Scott. This guy has his own thing going, and it's going very well. He's a natural at the mic, although he usually mentions how nervous he is. When I say he's a natural, I mean he has a presence that says: "This is who I am." Whereas, most comics will come on to the stage with some proto-persona of themselves, Scott is wholly real. And watching him - you can see the power of coming from such a real place.
So those of us that have been doing it for a while, our days might just be numbered. We'll have to make sure we step up our game once in a while. Not that I plan on being competitive, far from it. We need new, good comics to keep this thing alive. Our audience is one fickle sonofabitch. So the more, the merrier. It also keeps everyones brains churning for new material - and that's always good.