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Second City's Guide to
Surviving the Holidays
Performed by:
Vance Banzo
Nadine Djoury
Monica Garrido
Music Director: David Tosh
Stage Manager: Seann Murray
Production Managers: Susan Waycik & Alex Bondesen
Creative Director: Carly Heffernan
Directed By: Paloma Nuñez
About the Artists
VANCE BANZO
VANCE BANZO (He/Him) is a Saulteaux/Cree comedian, actor, and writer born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Currently residing in Toronto, Ontario, Vance is a proud member of award-winning sketch comedy troupe and Series, TALLBOYZ. The second season of the series received three 2022 CSA nominations, winning in all categories. In addition to writing and starring in the series, he was also a contributing director in the third season. As a comedian he has performed on many stages across the country, including Just For Laughs Toronto and the Gchi Dewin Indigenous Storytelling Festival.
NADINE DJOURY
NADINE DJOURY (She/Her) is beyond thrilled to be back at The Second City to celebrate the holidays! Nadine is an alumna of the Mainstage where she wrote and performed in three critically-acclaimed revues. She currently writes for CBC’s The Great Canadian Baking Show and co-created, wrote and starred in ABC.com/CBC Comedy’s web series, Newborn Moms, earning a CSA nomination for Best Performance. Recent television credits include What We Do in the Shadows (FX), Ghosts (CBS), Transplant (NBC) and Kim’s Convenience (CBC). Insta: @nadined
MONICA GARRIDO
MONICA GARRIDO (She/Her) is a Mexican born Toronto based Queer Artist. Her short films “Diferente“ and the horror-comedy “Love You to Death” premiered at the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival. Her first solo show “The Cunning Linguist”, was created at Emerging Creator Unit at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre and won the 2016 Queer Acts Audience Award and It was adapted as an Audio Show for Aluna Theatre’s Studio Series. Mónica has appeared in commercials, music videos and TV in shows such as Baroness Von Sketch Show, 1 Queen 5 Queers. She’s was part of the ensemble of the Canadian Comedy Award winning show Sketch Comedy Extravaganza Eleganza and the Second City Toronto House Co. Mónica is the 2018 recipient of the Queer Emerging Artist Award at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. She is one third of the Latinx Drag King boyband “Boyband the Boyband” and she currently Co-hosts and Co- Produces Aluna Theatre’s “Radio Aluna Theatre Podcast”. She is also a Taurus and wishes you the best.
CHELSEA LARKIN
CHELSEA LARKIN (She/Her) is an actress, comedian, writer, and singer and she’s thrilled to be a part of Second City’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays! Comedy is what Chelsea loves doing best and where she shines most! Some of Chelsea’s favourite recent comedy credits include multiple performances with The Second City, Just For Laughs- New Faces: Characters, her multi-award winning solo show at the 2022 Toronto Fringe Fest, ‘The Chels Stands Alone’, and CTV’s ‘Children Ruin Everything’. Chelsea performs improv and sketch regularly all over the city- seriously, like all the time. Go find her! When Chelsea was a child she met John Candy in an elevator and he told her to “follow her dreams”- well, she’s doing it!
GAVIN POUNDS
GAVIN POUNDS (He/Him) is a comedian and actor originally from Barrie Ontario. When not attempting to remove tahini stains from his clothes, he can be found performing sketch, improv, and stand up comedy all over Toronto and North America. As a longtime fan of Canadian comedy, Gavin is beyond excited to perform at The Second City with such a talented and creative cast.
ANDERS YATES
ANDERS YATES (He/Him) is an actor, writer, improviser and comedian originally from Montreal. He is the co-founder of the award-winning improv and sketch comedy troupe Uncalled For, and also performs regularly as a solo sketch comedian, for which he was recently awarded the Montreal Sketch Comedy Festival’s Best of the Fest prize. He was a founding member of the comedy/dance troupe Dance Animal and the queer improv troupe Kinsey Fail. Anders film and television work includes appearances in shows such as Nurses, Carter, Titans, Condor, Taken and Murdoch Mysteries as well as the films Indian Horse, Stockholm and Through Black Spruce. Selected stage credits include Oslo (Studio 180 Theatre/Off Mirvish), Shove It Down My Throat (Pandemic Theatre/Buddies in Bad Times), Slip (Circlesnake Productions/Tarragon Theatre) and Slap Shot: Live! (Second City). Anders is a frequent contributor to the satirical news website The Beaverton.
SEANN MURRAY
SEANN MURRAY (Stage Manager) (He/Him) is an actor, improvisor and stage manager from Fredericton, N.B., where he got his start with Theatre Free Radical. Selected SM credits include Second City’s If I could #Throwback Time, Laura Ramoso’s Frances, Ron Pederson’s Miracle on Queen St. and the Canadian Comedy Award winning The Adventures of Tom Shadow. Seann is also the head technician for Bad Dog Comedy Theatre, and a member of multi-award winning comedy company Sex T-Rex.
DAVID TOSH
DAVID TOSH (Music Director) (He/Him) is a multi-instrumentalist (trumpet, guitar, keyboard, bass, ukulele, harmonica), songwriter, producer, and performer. His myriad skills coalesce in music directing for sketch revue and improv performances. After an amazing run of the Second City Toronto Mainstage production of “Mission: Totally Possible”, David is thrilled to join the crew of Second City’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays. Check out David’s musical journey on instagram @hiitsdavidtosh
PALOMA NUÑEZ
PALOMA NUÑEZ (Director) (She/Her) is an award-winning Canadian-American actor who has been performing across North America for the past 15 years. Recent theatre credits include: the Canadian Comedy award-winning She The People (Second City), The MAD Show (Theater Aspen), The Wonder Pageant, winner of a Dora Award (Coal Mine Theatre). Paloma has directed with Second City for a couple of years, starting with the Bob Curry Fellowship and the Second City Education Program. Her most recent directorial work was the Mainstage show, Welcome Back to the Future, in 2021. If you are up for an adventure, Paloma and her partner, Kevin Whalen (Second City Alum) wrote a panto being performed in Port Hope, at the Capitol Theatre, called Sleeping Beauty, running until Christmas 2022. Follow her on Twitter @palomanuñez and on instagram @thepalomanunez.
Understudies
ANTONY HALL
(Understudy for Vance Banzo)
LAURA CILEVTIZ
(Understudy for Nadine Djoury)
VICKY TO
(Understudy for Monica Garrido)
MK MORRIS
(Understudy for Chelsea Larkin)
RHYS NAYLOR
(Understudy for Gavin Pounds)
PATRICK MURRAY
(Understudy for Anders Yates)
MATT KEEVINS
(Understudy Stage Manager)
SPECIAL THANKS
Gary Rideout Jr., James Elksnitis & the wonderful staff of Comedy Bar Danforth.
