Áine Davis
Comedy Writing and Performance grad Áine Davis graduated in 2015 and has been working behind-the-scenes in the entertainment industry since. We caught up with Áine to find out a little bit more about her work and how Humber helped her get there.
What is your current job title? Describe a typical day in your life in this position.
I currently have two jobs. I have been a stage manager at Comedy Bar for about seven years now, and I’ve been an office manager at Mirvish head offices for two. At Mirvish I’m working towards being a producer so I help out a lot in production meetings and with any tasks that need to be done before a show opens. I also assist David Mirvish with any personal needs that may come up. Once I’m done at Mirvish I jet over to Comedy Bar where I oversee all shows and whatever tech they may need. I make sure they start on time and end on time. Before lockdown, I also worked as a producer with the Toronto Sketch Fest for four years as well as stage managing 4 fringe shows.
Tell us about a favourite project you’ve worked on since graduating.
Definitely Boys Club. Although it only had a two year run, it was unlike anything that existed in Toronto. It was a variety show at 10pm on Monday nights that was pretty popular despite the time slot.
Other Humber grads and I saw that there wasn’t really a place for us on the scene so we decided to make our own. It was an awesome showcase for odd comedy; consistently a show that people could bring their weirdest stuff to and it wasn’t met with notes, but rather acceptance.
We pulled so many wild stunts too. My favourite was when we contacted Netflix to film a “special” for them. People who didn’t even know us came because they were excited to be in the audience for a Netflix special. I can’t believe Netflix even entertained the idea. They definitely never responded to us after we sent over our edit, but it was really funny to have even got in touch with Netflix. Another of my favourite stunts was buying the domain to www.bigbangtheory.ca and making it our official site.
Everyone now remembers the Boys Club as something different from what was and there's nothing like it now. Also there’s still a huge poster of it in Comedy Bar so it’s impossible to forget!
How did your time at Humber help you get where you are now?
Humber did a great job setting up ways to meet people in the field you want to work in. I thought I wanted to work as a writer but my time at Humber showed me that I prefer being behind the scenes in production.
After graduating Humber I was hired very quickly at Comedy Bar. Thanks to Humber, we had been doing shows on the Comedy Bar mainstage for two years and I got to know the owner and staff really well which was a big leg up on the competition.
After being at Comedy Bar for a few years I got to know all sorts of people in all sorts of fields, and they offered me jobs here and there. One was as a script supervisor for infomercials for two years. I then went on to be a script supervisor for a feature film but that was cut short when I was offered my dream job at Mirvish by someone I met through Comedy Bar.
My dream has always been to work for Mirvish, and if it hadn't been for Humber I wouldn’t have had any of these connections!
Give us a tip (or tips) for students and recent grads hoping to follow in your footsteps.
Everyone says this but it’s true. Get yourself out there as much as you can. Go to shows, be seen, say hi to people, make yourself known to others and you’ll be solid!
And don’t be shy to talk about your goals with people, where you want to end up. Our industry thrives on connections, truly. Be the person that when others say, “Hey, do you know anybody who would be good for this opportunity?” they immediately think of you.
Áine Davis is a theatre producer and stage manager in Toronto, ON. She is the creator and head chef of the successful vegan blog and Instagram account, “Vegan Girlfriend”, and stage manager at acclaimed theatre Comedy Bar. She is terminally online.
Follow Áine on Twitter @damnaine and on Instagram @damn.aine.
