Joanne O'Sullivan
She Grew Funny
Written and performed by
Joanne O'Sullivan
She Grew Funny is Joanne O'Sullivan's 3rd solo show. It debuted to sold-out crowds at the Toronto Fringe, where it earned the distinction of being Patron's Pick and one of Now Magazine's Outstanding New Plays.
It tells the touching, funny, and true story of Joanne’s life changed the year her daughter turned six, the same age that she was when her own mother died. A pivotal moment that sent her on a journey to answer the question she had encountered since childhood, “What happens to someone when they lose their mother so young?
Through an hour of beautifully crafted and often hilarious storytelling, O'Sullivan recounts how this search led her to discover some of her personality “quirks" born from this early loss, and her ensuing race against time to fix them before passing them on to her daughter.
It’s a relatable story of parenthood, loss and healing – while delving into the universal question of how childhood losses shape us further down the line.
7-Minute Demo
Photo Credit: Jonathan Ellul, Photo Design: Kurt Firla
Technical Specs
She Grew Funny is a 55-minute, portable, tour-ready and technically simple solo show. Joanne tours alone, only requiring a mic and stage. There's one (optional) music cue at the beginning and lights up and lights down cues that bookend the show.
Storytelling Workshops
Joanne has dedicated her career to either telling stories or helping people tell theirs. She has created over 20 training programs for clients and has an optional 2-hour storytelling workshop that presenters and theatres can offer as a companion piece to the show.
Workshops are dynamic and interactive experiences, where participants learn foundational storytelling skills like:
• Mining for your best personal stories
• Mastering great story structure with arcs, stakes, and resolutions
• Exploring different types of stories to use in business
• Harnessing the power of comedy in storytelling
• Understanding the impact of recognition and human connection
More about Joanne
Joanne is a storyteller and comic who's proud to say she's worked in almost every genre of Canadian Comedy. As a television writer she's written for This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Baroness von Sketch Show and CBC's Music Documentary show, From the Vaults. In the live Canadian arts scene, she's performed stand-up across Canada as well as written and performed in three solo shows. She's the proud winner of a Writer's Guild of Canada award and her second one-woman show, Any Second Now was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award. Joanne’s podcast, Happy Funny Amazing, recently recorded three episodes live in front of an audience as part of the 2022 Meighen Forum the Stratford Festival.
Reviews and Press