From MuchMusic’s Video on Trial to Flashpoint, Sabrina Jalees has crossed over from the sublimely hilarious to the downright dramatic.
The Toronto-raised comedienne, who is now based in Brooklyn, N.Y., is familiar to many Canadians having appeared on a number of comedy specials, reality shows, such as YTV’s In Real Life, and more recently, on serious dramas (the aforementioned Flashpoint and Lifetime’s Mom at16.)
However, it’s on a stage in front of a live audience where she thrives. So it’s fitting that Jalees is this year’s headliner for the eighth annual celebration of International Women’s Day, I Am Woman, Hear me Laff, at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre, Thursday.
“There will be a certain unity in celebrating International Women’s Day in that it will be a lot of fun and definitely unique,” said Jalees, who will be joined by fellow comics under the Laff Riot Girls banner.
Half Pakistani and half Swiss, Jalees was raised Muslim and draws strength in comedy from retelling cultural and family traits in a hysterical way. Even her website tagline reads “if you don’t like me, you’re probably racist.”
Her career started at the tender age of 16 when she stepped on the stage during amateur night at Toronto’s Yuk Yuk’s comedy club. Soon after, she was skipping class to tour the country, eventually appearing on a CTV Comedy Now special, performing at Montreal’s Just for Laughs, and breaking Mike Myer’s record as the youngest improviser ever hired by Second City.
Besides her burgeoning acting career, Jalees has shared her comic timing and knowledge as a subject in international publications (Cosmogirl, Marie Claire Italy), which has led to the birth of a budding career in motivational speaking.
Since moving to the U.S., she has toured colleges across the country, and turned some important heads (NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Logo’s Year End Review, Animal Planet’s The A-List) and she’s working on turning a few more when she performs in Vernon this week.
“I’m pumped for this show. There will be many LOL moments, at least five OMG moments, and three ROFL (FYI, that’s rolling on the floor laughing) moments,” she said.
Also joining Jalees will be Laff Riot Girls Julia Stretch, Susan Hansen, and Larke Miller.
Currently based in Vancouver, Stretch grew up in Innisfail, AB, and began performing stand up while living in Calgary.
Since then she has performed everywhere from corporate Christmas parties to Prairie legion halls, tricked-out basements, gay campgrounds in Texas, and at Toronto Pride.
She has appeared on CBC, Sirius XM, OUTtv and NBC’s Last Comic Standing. As an improviser she is a member of the Bobbers troupe, and appears in the televised and live versions of their show Tops & Bottoms.
Hansen is a new comic who burst onto the scene this year after coming in second in the illustrious Laff Riot Girls’ search for the Funniest New Female Comic in B.C. competition.
Miller has been working mostly in the U.S. for the past few years, and has appeared on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Tonight Show and Last Comic Standing.
I Am Woman, Hear Me Laff takes the stage at the Performing Arts Centre Thursday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30/adult, $27/senior, $25/student, $5/eyeGO at the Ticket Seller, 549-7469, www.ticketseller.ca.
