Female Jewish Comics: Fighting Double the Double Standards

It’s no joke that female Jewish comics put themselves out there, exposing our vulnerabilities and frustrations while pushing boundaries and making us laugh. Join us in celebrating Purim and International Women’s Day as Laura, Natalie and Rachel chat Judaism, feminism, and breaking through the male-dominated stereotypes of stand-up comedy at this special live taping of the CJN podcast Shticks and Giggles – we’ll have door prizes, homentashn, prizes for best costumes and more ‘fun in store’!

Co-presented by the MNjcc and the Canadian Jewish News

Featuring comedians Laura Leibow, Rachel Manson and Natalie Norman

Laura Leibow has used her wit and laid-back comedic style to become an in-demand comic in the Toronto stand-up comedy scene. She has performed at festivals such as JFL Montreal and has opened for Todd Barry and Bonnie McFarlane. Laura is a dynamic performer who can expertly perform on the club circuit, in alternative rooms, and in theatres. She has impressed crowds from Toronto, to New York, to LA and has performed in legendary clubs like the Improv and Micky’s in LA and Gotham and Broadway Comedy Club in NYC. She can be seen on CBC’s upcoming “New Wave of Standup” series. She can be heard frequently on SiriusXM and on the Just For Laughs produced album “Stand-Up Rivoli: Square Until Pear”, as well as on 604 Records’ comedy compilation album “The Great Canadian Comedy Rumble.”

Rachel Manson is a Canadian and American comedy writer out of Toronto. She is an acclaimed stand up comedian and has been featured in San Diego Comedy Fest, Dallas Comedy Fest, Seattle Comedy Fest, Milwaukee Comedy fest, and much more. She has opened for Judah Friedlander in New York, and more recently opened sold out weekends for Jared Freid. She will be opening for him again in Vancouver in February 2023. Rachel also has been working in writers rooms and TV development for over 6 years, having gotten her start writing for Sam Raimi and Debbie Liebling at Skydance in L.A. She was a top 5 finalist in the stage32 writing competition in L.A, and her pilot Nerotica was an official selection at MIPTV in Cannes and received CBC Relief Funding. She currently writes features for TUBI/Marvista, one of which called Dying for Admission, will be available to watch in early 2023. You can catch her in What We Do in the Shadows, WAYNE on Amazon Prime and commercials for No Name, Pepsi, Interac and more.

Outrageous, witty, and unapologetically outspoken, Natalie Norman’s long-running weekly LGBTQ+, feminist-friendly show The Crimson Wave at Comedy Bar has made her a prominent fixture in the Toronto comedy scene, and she has performed her stand-up series We Will Date You with Nour Hadidi in venues across Ontario. Her decade-plus career has included appearances at comedy festivals across North America, including Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs in Montreal and Toronto, Sled Island, Guelph Comedy Fest, and her debut comedy album The Big Reveal was released on Howl & Roar in 2019.

What does it mean to be a Jewish comic in an era when ‘Jewish’ is no longer synonymous with ‘stand-up’? Is there still room in Canada for prominent Jewish comedians, or are they all feeling to the States? How has Jewish comedy changed in an era of changing attitudes towards what’s funny? To find these answers, comedian Laura Leibow sits down with the world’s best and brightest Jewish comics who were willing to appear on this show in a brand-new comedy interview podcast from the Canadian Jewish News (CJN), Shticks & Giggles.

For more information, and to enjoy Shticks & Giggles podcasts, visit https://thecjn.ca/podcasts/introducing-shticks-giggles-a-new-cjn-podcast-about-jewish-comedy/