Natural woman

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/06/2016 (3751 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Florence Spence is ready.

But here’s the question: Are you?

The local comedian readily admits her material often tends toward the raw and raunchy, but is quick to add that her standup is an honest reflection of who she is — a 30-something indigenous single mom and grandmother who is continuing to find her voice onstage and is eager to explore truth through comedy.

“This is what feels natural to me right now,” says Spence, one of the featured performers at Empow(HER)ment #3, an all-female comedy showcase that takes place Friday, June 17, at 9 p.m. at the Park Theatre. “I am trying to work on some things that might be a bit more family-friendly, but at this stage, this is me, growing (as a comic).

“I’m thinking, ‘Let’s work at getting really funny first, and then we can work on writing other kinds of jokes.’ I’m not necessarily trying to be vulgar onstage, but what I talk about is very real. And sometimes, people might not be ready to hear what I have to say.”

Empow(HER)ment is a concept that was created last year by former Winnipegger Chantel Marostica, a stalwart on the local comedy scene before transplanting to Toronto in 2014. It was after her move to the Big Smoke that Marostica first came to the conclusion that Winnipeg’s funny women needed a stage to call their own.

“When I first moved to Toronto, I had such a great experience with having a community of women around me,” she recalls. “There are so many female comics there, and it feels more welcoming and more positive. Back in Winnipeg, there had just been me, Dana (Smith), Melanie (Dahling) and a handful of other girls; when I realized how much (being part of Toronto’s female comedy community) affected me, I wanted something like that to happen for the girls back home.

“I just felt that things were changing, and I wanted more women to be involved.”

This third edition of Empow(HER)ment (tickets are $15, available at the Park Theatre or at www.ticketfly.com) is hosted by Smith and features performances by Spence, Marostica, Dahling, Jane Testar, Megan Riley, Ashley Burdett and Rebecca Henderson.

Marostica describes Spence as an important, fast-rising addition to the local comedy roster.

“I think she’s one of the most important voices on the scene,” she says. “She’s the only working (female) aboriginal comic, so she brings some diversity in that way, and she also has children, so she can talk about that. I see a lot of feminist comedians and a lot of diverse comedians, but her voice is unique — she pokes fun at herself, but she also pokes fun at women in a way that makes people comfortable.

“It’s hard to explain, but it’s empowering in a very different way.”

For her part, Spence says she first started dabbling in standup about half a dozen years ago, but it wasn’t until 2014 that she really began a focused effort at building an identity as a comedian. As an indigenous woman (Spence was born in Oxford House but raised in St. James, the oldest child in a family that also includes seven brothers), she had to chart her own course into comedy, since there were no identifiable role models for her to follow.

“When I first started, there were very few women — only Chantel and a few others — so you kind of had to be one of the guys,” she recalls. “But because I grew up around guys, having only brothers, I kind of had an edge when it came to fitting in… I’m glad there are more female comics now, because it allows me to show my gentler side and maybe explore different jokes. Hearing them perform is, I think, making me more sensitive as a comedian — it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I can talk about that — I do have kids and I do have those sensitive moments, and I do have these stories that I can recall and turn into jokes.’ Having other female comics around helps.”

Spence, whose boyfriend is fellow comedian Paul Rabliauskas, says she has gained a lot of confidence during the past 18 months by performing as often as she can and spending more of her offstage hours thinking about comedy and refining her ever-in-development material.

“It took a long time to find my voice,” she says. “I knew the jokes were funny, but I had a hard time letting my personality out onstage. That didn’t happen until about a year ago, after I invited my son to a show at The Hub at the University of Manitoba; when I was onstage, I could see him laughing at the back of the room, and I suddenly was able to say all these other things that I usually only say when there’s no crowd around. That was kind of my ‘Aha!’ moment, and after that I started displaying who I really am.

“And ever since then, I’ve been much more comfortable onstage. Seeing him laugh and feeling that support gave me confidence that I’m funny and that I can convey that, not just to family but also to regular people in a crowd.”

brad.oswald@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @BradOswald