YORKTON - If you’re looking for some laughs Tapp’s Sports Lounge in Yorkton is the place to be Nov. 25.
On that night a trio of comics will perform; Lachlan McWilliams, Shawn Cuthand, and Brittnay Lyseng.
Lyseng, who hails from Calgary, did not look to comedy as her immediate career path.
“I started comedy after a 12-year career in the trades,” she told Yorkton This Week. “I was a journeyman elevator mechanic.”
Lyseng said she had an interest in doing comedy, but it was a big step.
“Comedy was always something I always wanted to do but with a blue collar upbringing the arts were not something I had much exposure to,” she said.
It took a push for Lyseng to take the plunge.
“I started comedy after my father survived a heart attack,” she explained. “I figured life is short -- might as well do what ya want with the time we have.”
So, Lyseng took to the comedy stage.
“I started at an open mic in Calgary called ‘Comedy Monday Night’ at a bar called Broken City, and it kind of took off like a rocket,” she said. “Right time, right place I suppose.
“I was signed with Yuk Yuks Comedy Club within six-months.”
From there Lyseng’s career has remained on an upward trajectory.
She appeared on Just for laughs within two-years and recorded her debut album five-years in.
But why comedy as it is often referred to as a very hard sort of performance?
“It’s absurd in nature I suppose too ask people to listen to you try to be funny,” said Lyseng. “And to make a room full of strangers all agree at the same time. It’s so counter intuitive.”
“My family inspires and influences a lot of my material,” offered Lyseng. “They are funny, irreverent people.”
Often the jokes just come out of the blue.
“Often I think of something while driving or doing something -- a story from growing up or somebody says something that cracks me up,” said Lyseng.
“Then I the work out the flow of it on stage. The audience's reactions guide me in forming the joke.”
In terms of comedians Lyseng said “Norm Macdonald, Sarah Silverman and David Letterman have always been among my favourites.”
As for style Lyseng said she strives for casual.
“I try not to think about it too much,” she said, adding she probably sees herself as a storyteller.
The career has certainly taken Lyseng on the road including; the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto for Canada's Next Top Comic, the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, recording her first album in Vancouver and second one in Victoria.
“But some of my favourite shows have been on the smallest stages and the smallest towns,” said Lyseng.
The Tapp’s show will be Lyseng’s first visit to Yorkton.
