The P.E.I. Writers’ Guild’s upcoming workshop is a great way to combat the winter blues by diving into comedy.
Whether a beginner at standup comedy, someone prepping for a fringe show or a person who just wants to tell better stories at parties, Heather Jordan Ross is here to help.
Comedic Storytelling takes place online, over the course of three consecutive Tuesdays in February. Facilitator Jordan Ross will lead participants through joke structure, performance technique and story-shaping. Participants will workshop their way from landing a joke to crafting a great story.
Jordan Ross is originally from Fortune, P.E.I., and currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her personal, acerbic storytelling has been featured on OutTV, CBC’s the Doc Project and BBC Radio 4.
“I wanted to focus on comedic storytelling, rather than standup comedy because I think storytelling is so important and it's used throughout our lives – especially as Islanders,” Jordan Ross says.
This workshop is for anyone interested in humour.
“This class isn’t just for comedians,” she says, “it’s for all creatives who want to tell funny stories. It’s about landing jokes, it’s about getting personal, and it’s about making a story airtight. And it’s about remembering all of that when you finally have a group of people standing in front of you.”
Throughout the workshop, Jordan Ross will draw on her own experiences as a comedian and performer throughout Canada and the U.K.
“Because of COVID-19, we’re sticking to online programming for now,” says P.E.I. Writers’ Guild president Christine Gordon Manley. “An advantage of hosting events online is that we can connect with facilitators living in other parts of the world. We’re so excited to be able to host Heather Jordan Ross and have participants benefit from her wealth of experience.”
The guild is offering two bursary spots for this workshop and encourages members from the BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ communities to apply, as well as anyone experiencing barriers that prevent them from taking writing workshops. To apply, those interested should email [email protected] explaining why they’d like to take Comedic Storytelling (include the word bursary in the subject line).
Comedic Storytelling takes place via Zoom on Feb. 2, 9 and 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m. The cost for the entire workshop is $40 for guild members and $50 for non-members. To register and for more information, visit peiwritersguild.com.
