Anna Gustafson has loved Gilda Radner since her childhood in a tiny BC town. She treasured her Gilda Radner live record album, doing impressions of Rosanne Roseannadanna to make her friends laugh. She feels as if she has always been pointed towards Gilda’s Toronto in some way, especially after she lost her mom to cancer.
Anna has been part of the Gilda’s Toronto family for years. Now, she is bringing together some of her funny friends for a special event to support Gilda’s Toronto on November 13 at the Comedy Bar in Toronto. The line up includes Kristeen Von Hagen, Laurie Elliot, Arthur Simeon, Judy Croon, Chuck Byrn and some surprise special guests. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at comedybar.ca/shows/best-of-never-mind-comedy-show.
Anna has been running a free comedy show for Gilda’s Toronto members for many years; at first monthly at Gilda’s Toronto when it was 24 Cecil Street, then online, and back to in person this year at the Palmerston Library Theatre. She is planning to make the “Best of Never Mind Comedy” an annual event.
“It was so special to be able to be just have these little bitty shows in the clubhouse basement and folks would show up with their family and friends and have a social break from everything they were dealing with. It was so fun. We’ve recently been doing them live again.”
Anna admits she was a little naïve when she first came to Toronto to make her living as a stand-up comic.
“They were having the “It’s Always Something” Gala for Gilda’s Toronto. It was the peak comedy experience for a comic to get on that show. I phoned the clubhouse and said, “I’m coming to town and I’m a comedian and I’d like to be on the show”. They said, uh, no.”
Anna is so glad that Gilda’s Toronto exists. “Thank goodness the conversation about how cancer affects your mental health is being normalized because when my mom got cancer everybody was too scared to ask questions. There was no advocating for your own care. Some of the best care my mom got was when she stayed at a place for out-of-towners in treatment. There were 8 or 9 other people that she bonded with, quite a feat since as a Scandinavian, she wasn’t a big bonder. She made good friends just because they all had this common experience that they could talk about in a safe place.”
With only 140 seats available, don’t miss this chance to support Gilda’s Toronto and get your tickets now for the November 13 show at the Comedy Bar by going to: https://comedybar.ca/shows/best-of-never-mind-comedy-show
