Vancouver producer, writer, and director Shana Myara doesn’t come across as a subversive agent of change. With her sense of humour and humility, she’s can be underestimated. After all, revolutionaries are not known for their love of pranks. They tend to be serious folks on a serious mission.
But make no mistake: Myara is forging an original path in reshaping Canadian attitudes. Her meticulously researched yet lighthearted 2020 documentary, Well Rounded, tore back the scab on fatphobia in Canada. And it revealed its poisonous effects. Anyone who watched it never looked at obesity the same way again.
Now, Myara she’s challenging conventions of standup comedy. She created, produces, and directs Killjoy Comedy, which began its second season on OUTtv.com on Friday (July 25). It features six queer and ally comedians who challenge the status quo by embracing humour for social change. Rather than punch down on the marginalized, these entertainers use the stage to challenge norms. In the eyes of Myara, they are reclaiming the word “killjoy”, which she feels is often weaponized against those who speak truth to power.
“I’ve been obsessed with comedy since I was a teenager,” Myara told the Toronto Spark over Zoom. “I was always late for school because I was up late watching Letterman and waiting for the comedians to come on. Or watching An Evening at the Improv… So, it’s been this kind of lifelong obsession.”
The late Indigenous comedian Candy Palmater inspired Killjoy Comedy.
“Improbably, she said ‘yes’ to being in my first documentary,” Myara said. “She had a huge effect on my life. While I was editing her segments for Well Rounded, I thought…my next project has to be dedicated to comedians like Candy who use the superpower of comedy to make the world a little bit better.”
This season’s featured comedians are Jackie Hoffart, Marito Lopez, Niki Mohrdar, Baby Syrup, Mark Thomson, and Joanne Tsung, who also appeared in Season 1.
“Standup is kind of like a high-wire act,” Myara says. “Or maybe like juggling with knives. You have to get so many things right to be good.”
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