So, why are snakes cool, anyway?
I mean just look at them. There’s a reason Eve listened to the snake in the Garden of
Eden and not the chipmunk or the gopher. Those goobers couldn’t convince their way
out of a paper bag. I think snakes are cool because they are slippery liars but so
unabashedly duplicitous that we almost respect it. We may not like all of the cheats and
schemers in the world, but we are certainly entertained by them. Plus they hiss and
some of them spit venom. They SPIT. VENOM. And that venom is just there inside their
bodies. That’s so metal.
 
Tell us a bit about how Snakes Are Cool came to be?
Well in Toronto I was primarily focused on writing and performing comedy. I managed to
get into a sketch group called The Sketchersons, which were kind of the ‘house band’
for probably my favourite comedy venue in the city. We would do a weekly sketch show
and you were required to come with at least two new sketches every week. So when the
pandemic hit and I moved back to New Brunswick, I ended up with a lot of material. I
really wanted to create a showcase for my comedy writing that I could take on the road.
Ryan Griffith approached me about doing a show with Next Folding Theatre Company.
He directed an early version of the show and was instrumental in taking it from a loose
collection of sketches into an actual show. I am really grateful for the amount of work
and support he and the rest of the Next Folding crew gave me.

As for the title? I had no idea what the show would be built around, so I reached out to
the heavens for some kind of divine inspiration and all I got back was “Snakes are cool.”
That’s it, nothing else. I was delighted by how stupid that revelation was and I was
determined to make whatever “Snakes Are Cool” is. I also may not have been entirely
sober during this “conversation with God in a thunderstorm.” So that probably
influenced it. It also helped that a lot of the characters I had written were unrepentant,
slimy greaseballs.
After that, I had the full cast version here in NB with Next Folding in 2022, last year in
2023 I did a two person version at the Toronto Sketchfest, and now finally I have
reached my original goal of a completely solo sketch show!
 
How do you do sketch comedy solo, anyway? I imagine most people are
wondering what that will look like.
Think about your usual one man show in theatre. Now take out all those silly things like
plot and character development and replace them with more jokes. Then trim all the
other stuff out and replace that with jokes. Some of the material I’ve included in this was
originally written for multiple actors but I have selfishly swallowed their parts as well.
Now I am all that remains. Me and jokes. One of the things I really like about doing
sketch is that it kind of walks the line between stand-up comedy and theatre. There is
still a fourth wall. However, instead of a set script that is the definitive “Snakes Are
Cool,” it is more of a set list that I can swap sketches in and out of to suit the venue,
area and runtime. Also performing solo gives a lot of opportunity for tweaking jokes and
bits on the fly. One of my goals with sketch is to layer in as many jokes as I can… so it’s
a pretty fast paced show. Please revive me if I pass out.
 
What’s it been like pulling double duty for the mainstage, directing one play and
performing your own as the other? And how does this year’s NB Acts experience
compare to others you’ve had?
Exhausting but in a great way! Luckily I have been blessed with an amazing cast and
crew and so the rehearsal process for Influentia was an absolute blast. We had one last
run in a classroom while they set the stage up for cue to cue this weekend and
everyone was trying to crack each other up. The pieces came together quickly, so we
thankfully had a good chunk of time to play with the characters. I wanted to make sure
that Influentia was fully formed before I let the Snakes in. “Snakes Are Cool” is mostly
material I have done many times and in many different ways so it’s easy to get back on
that bike. Mostly. I keep forgetting that I am missing other actors, so I found in
rehearsals I would start waiting for cues that were never coming because I had rewritten
them. 
 
What do we all need to do to receive our own prophecy from God?
Well all of these people are in luck! For the low, low price of $20 ($15 for students/seniors/underemployed) you can secure a ticket to this show and you can get your very own prophecy from God. That’s right, we are practically GIVING it away! I guarantee a religious revelation. If you don’t have some kind of divine epiphany watching this show, I will personally direct you to Len Falkenstein, the Artistic Director of NotaBle Acts, for any complaints.