There will be good laughs to be had, but it will also be for a good cause next week when comedian Matt Falk comes to Morden for a fundraiser in support of the Kenmor Theatre.
Matt Falk takes the stage in Morden next week to raise funds for renovations at the Kenmor Theatre
Falk will be here on Friday, June 12 at 7 p.m. as part of the Take a Seat fundraising initiative to help support improvements to the historic venue in downtown Morden.
The popular Winnipeg-based comedian was named one of the “Best of the Fest” at the Burbank Comedy Festival in California and placed second in The World Series of Comedy in Las Vegas, but he still very much enjoys taking his show on the road to rural Manitoba.
“Supporting the Kenmor Theatre is a no-brainer,” said Falk. “The arts are so vital for any community. Not only does it enrich our lives as viewers, but as a participant in the theatre, it teaches us valuable skills that we can translate to every area of our lives.
“I absolutely love performing at the Kenmor,” he added. “It’s a phenomenal venue. And Morden seems to know that. And with the continued support of the community, it’ll be around for a long time to come.”
Falk reflected on what drew him to doing comedy.
“For me, comedy started as a defense mechanism of sorts, and it turned into a career,” he said.
“Looking back, it would have been nice to channel all my inner angst into something with a higher salary. Something like neurosurgery,” Falk joked. “The lesson is, if you’re gonna let your childhood pain fuel your career choice, make sure it’s lucrative.”
It’s been a long road toward finding success in making comedy his career.
“Getting established in comedy feels like an ongoing vocation. It kinda feels like you have to keep making yourself relevant over and over again,” Falk reflected. “There’s just so much happening all the time in the world. It’s easy for people to forget about you. It’s not like 50 years ago when there were only like 15 comedians. Now there’s more than 15 comics just from Kleefeld.
“I do think doing the World Series of Comedy in Las Vegas was really helpful in establishing myself as a legitimate comedian in people’s eyes, but the work is always ongoing.”
Is it perhaps not a tough life being a comedian?
“I mean, that’s all relative. This job is tremendously easy when you compare it to people working in the trades, stay at home parents or nurses or something,” Falk said. “But the hard part of comedy is that you have to do everything. You have to advertise, write, perform, network, film stuff, edit, book shows, answer emails and do all the financials.
“That being said, at the end of the day, it’s still gotta rank up there as one of the easier jobs in the world. But I’d trade it all for a six figure salary and vacation pay.”
Falk reflected briefly on what kinds of things or topics particularly appeal to him for his performances.
“I do my best to take my humour from my everyday life,” he said. “But I think, I tend to find big outlandish premises very funny. I try to ground them in something universal and personal. My act now is much more honest and real than it used to be, but it’s still silly, which I’m quite proud of.”
And he will do often some research on the locales where he is performing.
“Like, when I do the ‘Not So Late Show with Matt Falk’ at the Morden Corn and Apple Festival every year. I do a lot of research for that,” he said. “But mostly, I just try to pay attention when I’m in a city or town and express to the audience what I feel when I’m there. Plus, if you listen to locals, they end up giving you a lot of info in a relatively brief conversations.”
At press time there were still seats to next week’s show available. Head to candlewick.ca to book.
