Pump Trolley

"...a beautiful image of people working together"

By Susanne Dewein

Illustration by Karlene Harvey

Upon asking where their name comes from, one answer I get is that it conveys a beautiful image of people working together. And in this case there are many people working together. Pump Trolley Comedy, the self-proclaimed largest sketch group in Canada, if not in the world, is comprised of 12 young comedians who set forth to do something “exciting and weird,” Nicole Passmore said. Most of them come from strong improv backgrounds and met at UBC Improv, which according to Ben Gorodetsky explains the “lively youthfulness of improvisational theatre” in their sketches. Their focus is on the performance art aspect rather than on finding a punchline, which becomes obvious when watching some of their clips online—for example, a two minute video which shows Devin Mackenzie’s dad turning into a pimp, showing off his sparse chest hair and putting on temporary tattoos. “We are trying to define ourselves as doing somewhat experimental comedy,” as opposed to the conventional Corner Gas style, Gorodetsky and Passmore explained. To see them live you can either visit their monthly shows at Cottage Bistro, or of course their appearance at Comedy Waste. Apart from that, many of the members have other projects going on as well.

that magazine from CiTR 101.9fm

February 2012

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Pump Trolley

"...a beautiful image of people working together"

By Susanne Dewein

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