WHO TO WATCH: JEN GRANT

The Fabulous Jen grant

Jen Grant preforming at JH5's Chickles

Twelve years ago, a young woman already experienced in the performance arts was asked to try her hand at comedy.  A friend supported her in her first endeavour with stand up, and helped her get the confidence to give it a try.  As Jen Grant hit the stage at a New Talent night, it was clear to everyone that she already had the stage presence to go far, and it was clear to Grant that she was already in love with the thrill of being on stage and making people laugh.

Throughout her 12 year road with stand up comedy, Grant has had a range of experiences; from throwing up before an important gig before performing 15 minutes of material to a silent and hostile audience, to flying to Egypt and Israel to perform for Canadian troops!  She has had these experiences, and everything in-between.

Grant was scared her first time on stage, but performed quite well.  Given her experience in Second City Acting classes, she had and still has a natural ability on stage.  When watching Grant you see an extremely talented stand up comedian who flows from joke to joke with the ease of regular conversation.  She performs on average four times per week, and no longer feels the jitters on stage.

Grant’s process for developing material is to get inside her head, isolate, and try it on stage.  She states there is no other way to find out if a bit works than to try it a few times.  Grant’s peers actively challenged and pushed her to improve her craft, and with focus and hard work she has evolved into an amazing performer.  Her advice to new comics is to separate yourself from your material, no matter how personal.  One thing she never engaged in, and advises aspiring comedians to never do a ‘hackey’ joke just to get a laugh.  This can become habit, and it is better to write and find your own voice and be confident in who you are.

Grant started out in Ottawa, but now lives in New York City.  She comes home regularly to visit family and perform for her home town.  She also enjoys performing with some of her colleagues in the business, such as Don Kelly, Wendi Reed, Julien Dionne, Alex Wood, and Martha Chaves among others.  It is in Ottawa she is truly home, performing sold out shows to audiences who can’t get enough of Jen Grant.  You can watch her act many times over and there is always laughter!

One experience Grant shares is performing for the troops in Egypt.  The English speaking Canadian troops totalled 25, out of an audience of 200.  Most of the other performers on the tour were singers and dancers.  Grant went on stage, gave the performance of her life to entertain the hard working Canadian men and women, who responded with laughter and applause.  The rest of the non-English speaking audience thought Grant was just a long winded woman introducing the next dancing act!  It is a good thing she is attractive as well, or this crowd of non-speaking individuals may have gotten a bit rowdy!  These experiences she has in life could only have been brought to her through her hard work, determination, and natural skill.

Grant loves performing comedy, and thinks the best thing about comedy is that she doesn’t work in an office, confined to cubicles.  She knew from an early age that she was creative and free and needed to find a career to match this.  The challenge to being a full-time comedian is the instability of the lifestyle.  To make it as a comedian, it requires sacrifice and determination, along with time on stage.  Jen travels across North America to a variety of audiences.  This must be done to work consistently and wait for the “big break”.

In an ideal world, in ten years Grant will  be the biggest star anyone has ever seen or an organic farmer in Wakefield, Quebec.  She jokes, but she is talented, hard working, and ambitious, and will likely end up far in this business.

Grant is still a young woman, and has an amazing career ahead of her.  JH5 is proud to present Jen Grant as the first “WHO TO WATCH’ segment, and rest assured, when Grant is in town, JH5 will let you know.  If you have not had the pleasure, you are in for a wonderful treat.