Biography
DeAnne's done lots of really awesome things since she started comedy in 2005, presented for you here in handy bullet point form. She has:
Comedy OFF the Main, Montreal's weekly, alternative comedy series (2005-2009), Tale Spin! , Montreal's monthly story-telling series (2008-present), Stand Up / Strip Down, Montreal's highly successful bi-monthly burlesque comedy show (2008-present), Happenglad's New Hat, Montreal's monthly experimental new work series (2010-present). She also hosts all of those shows. Wow, DeAnne! Why are you so cool?
NBC's Last Comic Standing (2007), The Comedy Network (2009), Good News Week on Australia's Channel 10 (2009, 2010), Australia's SBS (2009). She's also been on the radio! ABC, Triple J, and CBC, where she's appeared numerous times on Definitely Not the Opera and The Debaters. Holy cow, DeAnne! Your media presence is overwhelming!
She won Sydney Comedy Festival's Time Out Best Newcomer in 2008, and was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Newcomer (2008), Adelaide Fringe Best Established Comedian (2009) and represented Montreal in the Just for Laughs' Homegrown Comedy Competition (2009). My goodness, girlfriend! People sure seem to like you!
"Shouting Over Drunks" 2008, "DeAnne Smith Lacks Focus" 2009, "DeAnne Smith: BALLSY" 2010. I bet critics and the show-going public dug those shows, DeAnne! I will read your "Buzz" section to find out exactly how much!
Just for Laughs (2007, 2009, 2010), Melbourne International Comedy Festival (2010), Sydney Comedy Festival (2008, 2009. 2010), Adelaide Fringe Festival (2008, 2009. 2010), Hobart Comedy Festival (2010). She has also toured with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Road Show (2009, 2010). And you did all this within five years of your first open mic, DeAnne? If you weren't already so old, you'd be like some kind of wunderkind!
DeAnne was voted one of Montreal's top three comedians by readers of The Montreal Mirror in 2010. (After being named one of Montreal's top four comedians from 2007-2009.) She was named a Noisemaker by the publication in 2009. Amazing! How do you do it, DeAnne?
Incidentally, DeAnne comes from an alcoholic family and sometimes wonders if this is the real reason she's chosen a career in which she competes for attention in a room full of people with drinks in their hands! In writing bios, she's never sure if she should aim to be funny, informational, self-aggrandizing, or all of the above! Soon, she'll probably quit with the self-affirming list of credits and accolades, and just accept that she is, really, like a real comedian and everything! DeAnne Smith is a powerhouse of hilarity! Please love her! Thank you for reading!
General Buzz
"See her once and, guaranteed, you'll never forget her...Fresh, cutting and decidedly deadpan...One of the finest stand up wits in the country."
"Quirky...fearless and talented."
"You can expect this alternative comic to make some noise and garner a great deal of attention."
"Mercifully unpretentious and pleasantly hip."
"DeAnne has been charming crowds all over the continent with a cynical wit and her conversational style."
"If you think girls aren't funny, you're wrong, and DeAnne Smith can prove it."
"Her lack of cynicism and her exuberance on stage disarms audiences. But then, a twinkle gleams in her eye, and finally she lets out a zinger, landed smack dab in the very space she opened up."
"You look at DeAnne, a petite, soft-spoken sweetheart in a hoodie, and you have to wonder where her energy comes from. In her sets, she's so dead-on that you’re sure, 100% positive, that you’ve thought the same thing somewhere in your brain… but you haven’t. You’ve never heard it, said it, or thought it, perfect as whatever statement or observation it is may be. DeAnne is just that brilliantly quick-witted."
"DeAnne has an immediately likable presence that every crowd relates to
[and] a wealth of range and material. She can do cute; she can do angry.
At the heart of DeAnne's comedy is an original, insightful social satire."
"I think she's smart, original, and funny; she's great. I say yes."
"I don't think she's ready."
"No."
Buzz about 2010's "DeAnne Smith: BALLSY."
"Canada's DeAnne Smith was the Best Newcomer at the inaugural Time Out Sydney Comedy Awards, so it's particularly gratifying to report that Ballsy contains everything that we loved about her two years ago - the wit, the language, the out-of-nowhere sideswipe punchlines - and adds plenty of new elements...Throw in her hilariously incongruous attempt at a mainstream-comedy catchphrase and an extended riff on new racist stereotypes and you have a show that demonstrates that Smith's days as a cult dyke comic are numbered: this gal's ready for the big leagues."
"Just when you think you know where something is going, BAM!, Canadian comedian DeAnne Smith hits you with a curveball. The smart but accessible jokes and engaging presence make a winning combination. Smith's not high-profile yet, but she will be."
"A ridiculously funny look at life, death, testicles and women dating women."
"Surefooted, cheer-filled delivery"
Buzz about 2009's "DeAnne Smith Lacks Focus"
"She covers a wide range in an innovative way. Don't be deceived by the show's title, DeAnne's material is tight and her delivery slick, despite her breezy, carefree exterior. This American/Canadian knows how to play to the crowd. Beware the comedienne who treats her audience like a lover. She has a roving eye and will leave you wanting an encore. * * * *"
"Expect full houses."
"Fast, funny, and highly original."
"Fragmented and fabulous...genuinely awesome."
Buzz about 2008's "Shouting Over Drunks"
"Socially aware and ridiculously, ridiculously hilarious. Next time you see DeAnne Smith's name, run, don't walk, to the venue box office."
"Certainly packs a punch with her worldly observations. DeAnne Smith is considered the new breed of female stand up comics."
"DeAnne Smith is a neat little dynamo. Succeeds by keeping the punches coming."
"Smith’s as deft on her feet as she is with her prepared material."
"Her observations were sharp and delivered well."
"Her ability to establish a quick rapport is a measure of her talent."
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