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Oakville Beaver 26 · WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22,2006 Did you hear the one about the QEP grad at Yuk Yuk' s? F o r m e r c la s s c lo w n is y u k k in g i t u p a s a s t a n d - u p c o m ic By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Mark Forward has a tough time describing his stand-up comedy, except to say that it's "observational mixed with ridiculousness" and "not 100 per cent clean." "There's no costumes, no role play," he said. "No magic either." Named the Best StandUp Newcomer at the 6th annual Canadian Comedy Awards last October, the Oakville native and Queen Elizabeth Park grad is the headlining act at Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club in Toronto from tonight until Saturday. His show, he says, is about "everything and any thing." "I don't do a lot of per sonal stuff, I don't talk about my life, `or `Hey, what's the difference between men and women?' There's not a lot of sex jokes, and no airplane material," he said. "It's everything else." The 31-year-old, who grew up admiring comics like Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Farley, says his humour is a mixture of their styles. "I try to be smart, but I also try to be silly," he said. Forward was the "clown- ish type" in high school, but is relatively new to the stand-up scene. After gradu ating from Humber College's theatre program, Forward went on to special ize in the Comedy Program. He's been performing at Yuk Yuk's for the past three "He has a years. phenomenal "Mark is r a p i d l y becoming a favourite on the Yuk Yuk's circuit across Canada," said Yuk Yuk's CEO, Mark B reslin. " W e ' re thrilled to have such a great up-and-comer head lining at Yuk Yuk's." Forward started out on Yuk Yuk's fast track, which gives beginner comics five minutes on stage every Monday night without pay. "You're getting a definite five minutes, which is great, because when you're an amateur, it's hard to get stage time," he said. He did well there and was promoted to the `middle' the guy who goes on for 2030 minutes before the head liner. "When you're a comic, one of your goals is to head line a show," he said. "Some people never headline." Forward has now head lined a number of shows, and was recently a finalist in Yuk Yuk's Search for C a n a d a 's Funniest New Comic. knack "He has a for pointing out phenomenal the funniest human knack for flaws and cracKing pointing out the funniest audiences up at their human flaws own short-comings." and crack ing audi Yuk Yuk' s CEO ences up at Mark Breslin on their own Oakville comic sh o rt-c o m Mark Forward ings," said Breslin. He was the spokesperson for the Molson EX Too Much Sex' campaigns, which featured him saving his friends from over indulging in sex and luring them back to a life of drink ing EX with the guys. Forward has also been the focus of ads for McDonalds, Canadian Club, Rogers and more, and his humour has won him appearances on TV shows including The Newsroom and The Sean Cullen Show. While he jokes he does "anything to pay the bills," Forward says comedy is a competitive business and he's happy to be able* to make a living out of it. "If you'd asked me 10 years ago, I probably would n't have thought I'd still be doing this," he said. "I have no plans to be anywhere in the future, I really don't. I'm just enjoying everything that comes along." One of his favourite parts about the job - other than the fact that he likes making people laugh - is being able to see the country. In April, Forward will be in the Halifax Comedy Fest, which airs on CBC, and in July, he'll be in Montreal for a Just For Laughs show. Mark Forward headlines at Toronto's Yuk Yuk's Downtown Comedy Club, 224 Richmond St. W., from "He's completely in his ele ment when he's on stage, and it shows." The show Forward is per forming now - which he finds hard to explain opens with a joke about sleeping at work. "It goes from there to me having sex with cheese," he said. "That's the beginning, and that's the end. To find out the in-between, people have to come and eat the sandwich of coiftedy." Forward is a familiar face not only in the world of stand-up, but he's also often recognized as a commercial acton Oakville stand-up comic Mark Forward March 22 - 25. Wednesday and Thursday's shows start at 8:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday are 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. starts. For tickets or more information, call 416 9676425 or visit www.yukyuks.com For more on Mark Forward, visit www.markforward.com. M ortgages * L o a n s * L in e o f C r e d it T h a n k y o u fo r y o u g e n e r o s ity d u r in g y e a r 's c a m p a ig n , T o g e th e r, w e c a n b u ild a s tro n g e r a n d h e a lth ie r c o m m u n ity . 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