Steph Tolev

Stephanie Tolev (born c. 1985),[1][2] is a Canadian comedian and actress.

Steph Tolev
Born
Stephanie Tolev

1984 or 1985 (age 37–38)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupations
Years active2009–present

Along with comedian Allison Hogg, Tolev was a member of the sketch comedy duo Ladystache, which won awards for Most Innovative Comedy Troupe and the Just for Laughs Award at Montreal Sketchfest in 2010 and 2014, respectively.[3][4]

She won the award for Best Female Stand Up at the 2015 Canadian Comedy Awards, and her 2019 comedy album I'm Not Well, was nominated for the Juno Award for Comedy Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020,[5][6] and In 2016 she was featured as "The nine funniest stand-up acts in Toronto right now", published by Toronto Life magazine.[7]

Early life

Born in Toronto to Bulgarian-immigrant parents, Tolev grew-up in the city's East York district and attended East York Collegiate Institute.[8][9][3] From the age of three to eighteen, she participated in competitive highland dance.[10] She was inspired to perform comedy after playing the role of Nick Bottom in a high school production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.[8]

Tolev enrolled in the Comedy Writing and Performance program at Humber College and performed stand-up for the first time at a Scarborough bar at 18 years of age.[8][10] It was at Humber College that she met future sketch comedy collaborator, Allison Hogg.[3] After graduation in 2005, Tolev and Hogg were part of a four-person, all female improv group.[11]

Career

In 2009, Tolev and Hogg formed the sketch comedy duo Ladystache.[12] The troupe's name makes reference to a female moustache.[12] Tolev and Hogg were influenced by The Kids in the Hall, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and SCTV.[12]

Ladystache won the award for Most Innovative Comedy Troupe at Montreal Sketchfest in 2010 and were nominated for Best Sketch Troupe at the 2013 Canadian Comedy Awards.[3][13] They won the Just for Laughs Award at Montreal Sketchfest in 2014 and released their comedy album "So Many Wolves" that same year.[4][14] The duo also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, North by Northeast, the Toronto and Vancouver Sketchfests, as well as the Just for Laughs festival in Toronto.[15][16]

While performing with Ladystache, Tolev continued to perform stand-up and won the award for Best Female Stand Up at the 2014 Canadian Comedy Awards.[8][16] She was a finalist in Sirius XM Canada's Next Top Comic competition in 2015.[17]

In 2016, Tolev moved to Los Angeles and released her first stand-up album Hot N’ Hungry.[7][9] She released her comedy album "I'm Not Well" in 2019, which garnered her a nomination for the Juno Award for Comedy Album of the Year in 2020.[15] She became a paid regular at The Comedy Store in 2021.[8]

In 2022, she opened for Bill Burr during his comedy tour and was featured in his Netflix special, Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill.[8] She performed at Just For Laughs in Montreal in 2023 and launched her podcast "Steph Infection" that same year.[18] For her podcast, Tolev interviews fellow comedians about bodily ailments.[19]

Tolev's comedic style, both in sketch comedy and stand-up, has been described by the media as "raunchy"[7][20] During an interview in 2022, Tolev described her comedy as "brash, vulgar, self-deprecating, physical, silly and painfully real."[19]

References
  1. Brownstein, Bill (May 21, 2015). "'Fast-paced physicality that pushes the comedic theatre to its limits'". Montreal Gazette. p. C2. Retrieved July 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Coming back to the [Just for Laughs] fest for the eighth consecutive year is Ladystache, the Toronto duo of Stephanie Tolev and Allison Hogg, winners of the Just for Laughs Award at last year's Montreal Sketchfest.
  2. Brownstein, Bill (November 17, 2011). "These women know how to get their comedy into shape". Montreal Gazette. p. C1. Retrieved July 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. "The fact is, though, that our group is very non-gender specific," says Tolev, 26.
  3. Milley, Danielle (November 2, 2011). "Local gal gets silly on stage as part of comedy duo". East York Mirror. p. 1. Retrieved July 27, 2023 – via ProQuest.
  4. "Sketchfest Montreal 2014: Award Winners" (PDF). Montreal Sketchfest. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  5. "Nominations & Awards Archives: 2015". Canadian Comedy Awards. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  6. Lau, Melody (January 28, 2019). "Alessia Cara and Tory Lanez lead the 2020 Juno nominations". CBC Music. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  7. Rinaldi, Luc (September 19, 2016). "The nine funniest stand-up acts in Toronto right now". Toronto Life. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  8. Chai, Daniel (August 18, 2022). ""Beyond excited": Toronto comedian Steph Tolev opening for Bill Burr at Scotiabank Arena next week". Daily Hive. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  9. Condran, Ed (June 22, 2023). "Fans never know what will emanate from comic Steph Tolev's mouth". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  10. Cranny, Jon (September 4, 2016). "That Time I Bombed: Steph Tolev silences crowd of hundreds". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  11. Edwards, John (October 26, 2011). "Ladystache". The Collingwood Connection. Metroland Media Group. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  12. Hogan, Brianne (December 12, 2012). "Meet a Comedy Troupe: Ladystache". Streets Of Toronto. Post City Magazines. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  13. "Nominations & Awards Archives: 2013". Canadian Comedy Awards. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  14. Young, Dean (October 14, 2015). "42 MORE YEARS!". Toronto Guardian. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  15. "'It's a big honour': Comedians react to Juno Comedy Album of the Year noms". CBC Comedy. January 29, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  16. "Steph Tolev". Humber College. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  17. "Eight finalists to go mic-to-mic in SiriusXM Canada's Top Comic Finale in Toronto" (Press release). Canada NewsWire. August 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  18. Brownstein, Bill (July 8, 2023). "'Fast-paced physicality that pushes the comedic theatre to its limits'". Montreal Gazette (Online). Retrieved July 27, 2023 – via ProQuest.
  19. "Vail Comedy Show welcomes Steph Tolev Sept. 15". Vail Daily. September 8, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  20. Gallant, Megan (July 16, 2023). "From Netflix to Peterborough: Steph Tolev is bringing her raunchy stand-up to the Market Hall". KawarthaNOW. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
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