Elite Hasson | Contributor
Featured image: Meg Maguire’s success offers York students hope for their careers in the arts. | Courtesy of Second City
As the school year begins, frustrations hit an all-time high, and we all want to throw a plate at the wall and yell as loudly as we can. Nay, we want to throw all the plates in our cupboards at the wall. We are already overwhelmed and are in desperate need for motivation.
What do we do when we have a deep desire to complain? We remind ourselves of our dedication and duty to society through education. Or we watch a comedy show that does the complaining for us. Fortunately, Toronto is no stranger to comedy, and its producers are closer to home than anticipated.
York alumna Meg Maguire has combined her passion for theatre and production to stage-manage and technically direct a successful show. It currently runs at Second City until January and has received rave reviews from the Toronto Star. Encapsulating themes from 2016 headlines and commonplace struggles, the name “Come What Mayhem!” perfectly captures Second City’s hilarious, improv-filled comedy show.
Vibrant with comedians from all walks of life, the show embellishes topics spanning from Donald Trump, to the struggles of working a retail job to the desperation of post-secondary students to snag some cash.
Maguire has acclaimed quite a bit of success in her short career, but she did not always believe that she would find her place in the theatre world.
“I remember being at York and being very jealous of my friends that knew that they were going to be set designers or costume designers […] and stage management wasn’t even on the docket,” explains Maguire. “It helped me in the end, because I kind of just dabbled in everything. […] I would leave with the basics in a little bit of everything.”
Originally a waitress in Second City’s theatre, and then hired for light production when her abilities came to light, Maguire is no stranger to change and having to acclimate. Along with switching careers and looking for the right place to settle her theatrical roots, she has found comfort and even beauty in the unpredictability of life and, likewise, improvisation.
“When things go bad, it’s so delightful,” says Maguire in relation to the uncertainty of the improvisation parts of the show. “You just adapt. You just have to adapt.”
Maguire even recalls having to abandon their entire show when a studio was out of commission due to water damage.
“We’re going to scrap our show and we’re just going to play improv games,” remembers Maguire. “At the time the set we had was a hockey rink set from another show that was produced here, so we had two penalty boxes where the cast sat, then there was a podium that we used for a referee stand. We had an amazing show that will never happen again.”
Maguire’s multiple paths in life and diverse education allowed her to be versed in a wide array of skills used in the theatre world, leading to a job that fulfills her creative needs. Maguire and her team are profound examples of how incredible the unpredictability of life can be with the right attitude, both in theatre improvisation and the path to one’s career. Being optimistic, enthusiastic and open to new possibilities allows their eclectic group to thrive in the Toronto comedy scene.
Take notes, fellow York students. This collaborative group is not just hilarious, they are also inspiring.
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