The Constant Struggle

JESS GRANT is an improviser and improv teacher living in Toronto. Originally from New Brunswick, Jess takes TCS on a journey through her discovery of improv through to her process of using physicality to inspire her amazing scenework along to how the rules of improv helped her through her treatment of Hogkin's lymphoma. With a clean bill of health, she reflects on some of the clarity she discovere...

Clint Murphy is a sci-fi screenwriter living in Toronto with his wife and two daughters. He recently made it to the 2nd round in an HBO-sponsored one-hour original pilot contest at the Austin Film Festival, where he returned with a wealth of knowledge and insight he was happy to share with TCS. Clint spoke to Nick and Brie about his writing and structure processes, about the art of pitching and th...

#SPOILER ALERT!  In this episode, we talk a BUNCH about Star Wars : The Last Jedi. So if you haven't seen it yet, we're warning you ahead of time. Everyone's saying 2017 was a garbage fire, and in many ways it was. But creatively, for Nick and Brie, things seem to be headed in the opposite direction. Slowly, but surely we're seeing progress on our creative fronts. So this episode focuses on our cr...

JASON LOO is the creator of The Pitiful Human-Lizard, a working-class superhero defending the city of Toronto. Now in its' 16th issue and a part of the Chapterhouse, Jason talks to Nick and Brie about what it's like being a comic book artist in Toronto and creating a superhero who is quintessentially Canadian, all while maintaining a full-time job at a local library. He tells us about the recent o...

JANET DAVIDSON is an improvisor, actor & Second City instructor who's just gone on an epic journey of self-discovery to Vancouver and is returning to Toronto with a brand new perspective. Nick & Brie caught up with Janet one evening in the Second City Training Centre to find out more about Janet, her passion for both playing and teaching improv, her struggles with dyslexia and hypersensitivity, an...

MONIQUEA MARION is an improviser, character actor and YouTube creator embarking on a new project, in which she plans to travel across British Columbia on her motorcycle and document her experiences along the way in a webseries. Nick and Brie caught up with Moniquea shortly before leaving on this adventure to talk comedy, career and ego-checks. With fun chats along the way about foodieism, travel a...

It's a hostful episode, folks! This time, Brie interviews Nick about how his book is coming along as well as his new sugar/gluten-free lifestyle and Nick interviews Brie about how she just LEFT HER JOB FOR A YEAR to pursue her comedy FULL TIME!  So yeah... lots of ground to cover. Tune in and check in with the hosts of the Constant Struggle's constant struggles!    

DINA SENIOR: Improviser, Actor, Voice-Actor, Improv Teacher, Daytime Vampire. DINA talks to Nick and Brie about being a performer in the Niagara Region and the plethora of opportunities that exist in the thriving community theatre scene. She talks about her struggles finding the time to realise her creative goals while juggling a full-time job as well as her side-businesses in fermented health foo...

  CAMILLE CÔTÉ talks to Nick & Brie about finding her voice in stand-up comedy, her style of writing as well as her experiences in the Toronto comedy scene. She opens up about a heckler who attacked her personal values at a Hamilton club and dishes about the inside scoop working in a hair salon to pay the bills and to balance her life as a hustling stand-up comic. Follow Camille on Instagram: @cot...

  BAXO (visual artist) talks to Nick & Brie about his signature artistic style "Aluminism"; how he discovered it and how he creates masterful pieces that look vastly different depending on how it's hit by the light. He also talks about what it's like to be an artist in Welland and the Niagara Region, where a thriving arts community is growing as well as the balance of art and lifestyle.  #Struggle...

In  our latest episode, we chat with Matthew Shmid, all the way from Philedelphia, PA! Matt was in Toronto recently for the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival and we caught up with him to chat about some of the #struggles involved with being sketch comedy writer and performer in the USA. We discover how Matt came to comedy performance; his slew of bizarre and sometimes abusive side hussles, and the co...

This edition of TCS was recorded LIVE at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival and featured an interview with emerging sketch comedian Vance Banzo & 10-year veteran of the scene, Dave Barclay.   We talk about the #struggles involved all throughout a sketch comedian's journey. Or at least, the first 10 years of it.

In this episode, we chat with the lovely and talented Candace Meeks; improviser, sketch comedian & contributor to many other creative projects, like two webseries & multiple other comedy projects. Candace talks to us about the difficulties in balancing many projects, a day job, relationships all while trying to figure out what makes her happy.  Keep an eye out for her latest monthly serialized imp...

In this episode, we chat with comedian & radio host Allison Dore (Ward & Al, SiriusXM Canada) about her struggles navigating and overcoming addiction & depression and we chat career choices (acting, stand-up comedy & radio.) We discuss healthy ways of battling depression, including our favourite meditation apps and tools for self-care.  We also go into a bit of a sermon about Canadian television,...

This episode features an interview with children's author, sketch comedian and improviser Tyler K Morgan. We talk about his book, "The Big Ball of Mud," his struggles with acceptance, the difficulties surrounding collaboration and the problems of being spread too thin. We also take a look into Tyler's Winnipeg origin story, his move to the big city of Toronto for comedy and acting, and his recent...

2016 has been quite the year! Looking back on it, we discover it may not have been as bad as everyone's saying it is. At least, not for these two #strugglas. We were published, saw the birth and survival of new shows and projects, and things seem to be looking up for next year. Take a listen and let us know what you've got in store for 2017. xoxo Brie & Nick #StruggleOn

In this episode, Nick & Brie chat with comedian, writer & voice-actor Ned Petrie about the voice-work he's done for some awesome animated shows, his many writing projects, and some of the crappy gigs he had to take when he was starting out in the biz. Everything added up together makes up his comedy patchwork; a way to sustain oneself as an artist / comedian  & to keep yourself busy! Ned's origina...

In this episode, we chat with Alannah McConnell; a woman of many (hard) hats. We met Alanna while she was a tech at the famous Comedy Bar in Toronto, but while chatting with her, we found out she's a woman of many more talents than finding that perfect at the blow of your improv set. Take a listen and find out about her work at Canadian Stage, her building projects as well as a sneak peak into som...

Our latest episode is a chat with sketch, stand-up and improv comedian Marc Hallworth as we explore the struggles involved with finding just how little you can survive off in order to pursue your passion. Marc talks his night and day switches from Bully to Theatre Actor, and from Engineer to Comedian.  Join us as we navigate the muddy waters of relationships, both romantic and professional with a...

A host-cast edition of The Constant Struggle where Nick and Brie catch up one-on-one for the first time since January.  One of Nick's stories was published in a book!  Brie's headed to Boston! So many updates & so much fun.  #StruggleOn, everyone!

Nick and Brie went to the Providence Rehab Facility to visit improviser and graphic artist Robert Ariss Hills, designer of our logo, and a great friend of Brie's. Almost two weeks ago, Rob suffered a massive stroke. He still can't move the left side of his body. But is able to make Nick and Brie howl with laughter with talk of heavy metal music, Arnold Palmers and life inside the hospital. Take a...

In our latest episode, we chat with Holly Wyder and Allison Harris, writers & actors of the Fringe play "Getting Odd". With Fringe in full-swing here in Toronto, we find out about the Fringe play writing process, long-distance writing partnerships, the importance of a good team. We find out about this team's background in musical theatre & chat about their future performing as a duo. We talk about...

Nick and Brie chat with theatre artist Laura Anne Harris about playwriting, solo-performance and writing and directing Fringe productions; from her first Fringe hit "Pitch Blonde" to plans for her newest production in the works. She gives some Fringe tips and dishes on her favourite Fringe Festivals in the country. Super approrpriate as we go into Summer Fringe Season! We chat about what it's like...

Tuesday was an epic day for the improv community in Toronto. The end of an Era. The last  Wheel of Improv  ever. We were lucky enough to chat with the creator of Wheel,  Natasha Boomer , about closing out this chapter of her life and about what comes next. We find out about her McDonalds-fueld pre-performance life, her introduction to improv, playwriting and the eventual creation of the Wheel. We...

In Episode 22, Nick and Brie chat with screenwriter Luke Coles about his writing process, his "struggle-job" (which is actually pretty cool) and the importance of spirituality in writing. We talk about the importance of finding one's voice, being honest and finding your POV and we learn about an important teacher who helped Luke get and stay motivated.  We tackle the issue of addiction as Luke sha...