Fort McMurray pops up a lot in conversation with Erica Sigurdson.
The Vancouver comedian, who will be with Patrick Maliha and Ivan Decker for a special Mother's Day show in Coquitlam on Sunday, talks about how CBC Radio tracked down her mom - who, at the time, was living in the Alberta oil region - on Mother's Day to get her take on being a parent to a funny girl.
And only two months ago, Sigurdson was in Fort McMurray with Maliha for a routine before families of the oil sands workers. The pair was asked to play it up at the close of a winter festival, in a modern high school theatre built by Suncor Energy. "Being up there is a lot different than in Vancouver," Sigurdson said. "It's not the kind of Wild West you think about. In fact, it's more reserved than down here. They are more religious and more conservative."
Sigurdson, who performs four nights a week on average, said Lower Mainland comedy clubs can sometimes be off-putting, with more alcohol consumed and audience members getting into big conversations at the table and not paying attention to the comic on the stage. By contrast, a theatre venue such as the Evergreen Cultural Centre is more friendly because of the seating, lighting and sound arrangements, she said.
For the Coquitlam show, titled Triple Threat Comedy, there will be a cabaret-style set-up with Decker as host; each comic will have around 30 minutes to entertain.
Decker, who was voted the best comedian in the 2011 Vancouver Comedy Showdown, will ponder teen angst and other modern-day struggles while Maliha will follow with his quick impressions.
Sigurdson, a regular contributor to CBC radio programs including The Current, Definitely Not The Opera and The Debaters, will close with "rhetorical questions and jokes," she said.
Tickets for Triple Threat Comedy at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam) are $35/$30/$15. Call the box office at 604-927-6555 or visit online at evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
