A Pinetree Secondary graduate whose televised comedy special went around the world last year will be back before live audiences around North America in 2022.
But before Ed Hill hits the road for his six-month tour, which he hopes to conclude with another televised show, he’ll be testing out his new material in Vancouver.
Hill will appear with fellow comedian Melanie Rose at the Slice of Life Gallery (1636 Venables St.) on Jan. 15 at 7:30 and 9 p.m. And as per the provincial health orders, both events will be at half capacity and ticket-holders must wear a mask.
Unlike his Candy & Smiley program last year that focused on his identity and his relationship with his Taiwanese-Canadian parents, who live in Coquitlam, the new material switches gears, zeroing in on his connections with the women in his life — namely, his mom, wife and the “motherland” where he grew up: Canada.
“If Taiwan is where I was born and it’s my father then Canada is my mother and has shapen my values,” Hill said in an interview with the Tri-City News.
“I’ve realize that the female figures in my life have been the definition of strength, and they’ve represented stability and given me a way to communicate regardless if things are good or bad.”
Being able to talk openly, especially about mental health challenges, is a topic that Hill says he wants to explore more. For Asian-Canadians like himself, “it’s a concept that’s new,” Hill said.
“It’s something that’s more prevalent in western society.”
Mental health is also a theme in Rose’s comedic work.
A regular at Yuk Yuk’s who has opened for such stars as Nikki Payne and Caroline Rhea, Rose speaks freely about her divorce, past drug addiction and internal struggles in her act Heavy Mental Comedy.
Meanwhile, Hill plans to team up with Comedy Dynamics at the end of the year — once his new material is polished — to film a second comedy special.
His début, which came out last March, dropped on distribution services such as Comcast, Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, Spectrum, Dish, DirectTV, Vimeo and YouTube.
For tickets and more information, you can visit Hill's page on ShowPass.
