Twenty Two year old Sarah London first got started in comedy about two years ago. "I was looking for a creative outlet that would disappoint my parents the most and had a flexible schedule so I went to an open mic. I went to open mics for a couple of months then I started getting opportunities to do spots on shows," she says. "I did theatre growing up and improv in high school so making the leap to stand up played on skills I already had," she adds.
When everything was in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, London still found a way to engage in comedy." The weekend lockdown was enforced in Manitoba, I had been planning on going to my first open mic in a few weeks since school had been so crazy--obviously, it was cancelled. So, I was itching to perform--as a joke, I made a small video of myself hosting an open mic in my bedroom just for me. I posted it to Instagram and it grew from there. I ran it for over a week with comics from all over Canada contributing. It gave people a much-needed lightness and fun."
As of now London is performing at venues with limited capacity. Her first show post-lockdown appearance was the Roast Battles at Rumor’s comedy club. She can also often be seen at Wee Johnny’s, "an amazing local comedy room in the Exchange District that is currently running at limited capacity." She points out that "There are also several open mics running right now!"
London is at the University of Winnipeg going into her fifth year of her Business degree and Rhetoric &Communications Degree. The Winnipeg Jewish Review asked her about how she balances being a student as well a comedian. She says "I had to learn to say no to comedy shows and open mics when university gets busy which is always hard to do but necessary. Comedy keeps me very busy on top of school, work and extra-curriculars; but, the busier I am the more productive I am! So in that regard comedy has helped me succeed in school."
When asked what she best about being a comedian, London replies, "I enjoy the challenge of writing jokes and working on my delivery. The best moments are when you’re on stage and doing well and the audience is into your jokes. Moments like that make the hard parts worth it. Stand-up can feel very vulnerable so when the audience is having fun with you it’s really special. So, I guess I’m saying I like the attention."
When asked what she finds the most challenging part about being a comedian, London responds,"All of it. One of the hardest parts at first is how no one teaches you how to do it. I am always learning and developing what works for me. " She also notes that sometimes she tries her jokes out on her Dad.
Regarding the comedy scene in Winnipeg, London says " It’s growing which is exciting; two new rooms have popped up this summer. There are lots of very talented and nice people in the scene.