Day jobs are for musicians

Funny lady Chantel Marostica headlines comedy taping at the Park Theatre

Reaching out: Go deep into the darkness of comedy with Chantel Marostica. Supplied

Chantel Marostica is a full-time comedian and wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I tried to have a day job, but I would be so tired by the time I got to comedy that it wasn’t the focus like it should be. When you’re working from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., you’re just so flipping tired. So I thought, no I’ll just be really poor.”

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Marostica laments the lack of paid gigs available for professional comedians in the city, and has decided to take matters into her own hands to make a few bucks.

“I do shows like every day in Winnipeg, but they’re unpaid or just kind of practice for something else. Nothing much happens in Winnipeg in the sense of comedy festivals, so I thought I would do something for myself, and try to build my career in Winnipeg on my own.”

On Feb. 19 at the Park Theatre, Marostica will headline Keep It Going, a live stand-up special hosted by local comic Tim Grey, with guest appearances by Jordan Melwood and Benjamin Walker.

Keep It Going will be taped and later released on DVD by the team at Devious Productions.

Marostica hopes to launch her official website in conjunction with the DVD release, and to then have her material available for purchase online.

“I wanted to do like a download thing, like you get to pay what you think it’s worth,” she says. “I just want it to be out there. I want to be like Radiohead (with the pay-what-you-want In Rainbows). Give me a buck!”

Having worked as a comedian for seven years, four of which were spent in Winnipeg and three in Montreal, Marostica feels she’s finally ready to fill a room as a headlining act.

“You pay your dues. When I lived in Montreal, I paid my dues for two years and then got a show in (prestigious comedy fest) Just For Laughs, and then Just For Laughs paid me a hundred bucks for two shows. So it’s all about exposure, it’s not about getting big money.”

A three-time performer at the CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Marostica also hones her improv skills as part of the cast Soap Scum, a weekly improvised soap opera that plays on every Monday night at the Park Theatre.

For Soap Scum’s seventh season, Estate of Affairs, she’s pulled out all the stops in terms of character development.

“I’m the daughter that went away and didn’t want to be a part of the family, and then my mother died, so I came back and I’ve been willed half of the estate so I have to stay there,” Marostica discloses.

“Have you ever seen Tabatha Takes Over? That bitch that comes in and is like

‘I’m going to make this place better!’ ... I came in (dressed like Tabatha) and they’re like ‘Chantel, you look like a lesbian!’ So, basically I look the same, but with red lipstick.”

Catch Chantel Marostica’s headlining debut in Keep It Going at the Park Theatre, Tuesday, Feb. 19. There will be an early and a late show at 7 p.m. (doors at 6:30 p.m.) and 10 p.m. (doors at 9:30 p.m.). Tickets are $15 and can be ordered online at www.parktheatrecafe.com. For more info, “Like” Chantel Marostica on Facebook or follow her on Twitter: @ChantyMarostica.

Published in Volume 67, Number 19 of The Uniter (February 7, 2013)

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