Dimitri Kyres is a Montreal-based comedian who found his way into comedy through scriptwriting and playwriting. His narrative-driven style of comedy was previously featured in comedy showcases at Montreal Improv, Theatre St-Chatherine, and TheatreVME. We spoke with him to learn more.
How would you describe your comedy style?
I think my improv style is earnest, narrative-driven, clever (I hope!), overly committed and psychotically unhinged – sometimes like being on a rollercoaster barreling through hell. I try to bring a certain pathos to all the characters I do. I love making people laugh, I just think it’s also great if the audience legitimately cares and gets invested in it as well.
Who are some of your influences?
Gosh, I always loved Leslie Nielson. Dramatic actor turned comedy legend. He never let the audience know he was in on the joke, so we laugh our asses off at this idiot who’s asking “What’s so damn funny, I’m being serious!” which always made it 1000% funnier. I think that level of conviction is awesome. I think about him a lot. I try borrowing from him every chance I get. Moreover, he wasn’t too big to make a measly fart joke. The guy was the king of farts.
Who was your favourite comedian growing up?
Like a lot of kids in the 90s, I loved Jim Carey. The Mask, Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber, Truman Show… man, what a rockstar. He was wild, unhinged, playful and spontaneous. Lightning quick and so clever. I wanted to be him when I grew up.
Who is your favourite comedian now?
Too many to name, so I’ll just go with the first one that came to me: Nathan Fielder
What is your pre-show ritual?
Check in with everybody, drink eight waters, stretch, sit in the crowd to get a vibe, and then find a dark, lonely place to nervously toot.
What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?
Sorry, I’m going with three:
Montreal Improv: It’s home (even though the location moved a while back). This is the place I came up and met all the amazing people who encouraged me to continue doing comedy.
Theatre St-Catherine: I feel like I’m on literal fire when I’m at this place (In a good way!) I’ve done some of the most fun/wildest shows there – Nuit Blanche & Joketown to name a few. The vibes are always insane, and I wouldn’t ever miss a chance to perform there.
TheatreVME: New, up and coming comedy super venue in the Mile-End. It has some of the best shows in the city. The crowds are fun, and the intimate size makes it one of my favourite places to perform. You’re right up in there with the crowd so, when you strike gold with a joke, you get hit with that wall of laughter.
What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?
I wrote a sketch recently about two guys at a restaurant arguing about which chip flavor was the best, Monster Munch Pickled Onion or Branagan’s Roast Beef and Mustard. I’m not sure why, but I mentioned in the script that we should have ~40 metal forks on the table as well, so every time we didn’t agree with the other person’s chip opinion we would slam our hand on the table. What surprised me was that the forks stole the sketch. Something about 40 metal forks just getting absolutely obliterated and hitting the floor all at once seemed to do something to the crowd. A noisy, chaotic, hilarious mess.
What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?
I love going to see live shows. Especially the student shows at Montreal Improv and Theatre VME. If I ever have a show that same night, I try to head in early to catch them. It’s awesome to see up and coming comics working out their comedic voices up there.
Tell us a joke about your city.
Not a standup, so I asked ChatGPT to help me out. Think we still got some time before Skynet takes over:
“Why don’t Montrealers play hide and seek while eating poutine?
Because you can never truly hide when your fries are covered in delicious cheese and gravy!”
Do you have anything to promote right now?
Films In Focus: Is a monthly improvised movie review show where the cast performs Oscar award-winning scenes from films that don’t exist that are then expertly reviewed by Benji Manking (Jason Grimmer). The show is my favourite, and it features an all-star cast: James McGee, Danielle Davidson, Marc Rowland, Sarah Ellis, Monika Schneider and Kyle Allat.
Night Slime: An hour-long sketch show put together in roughly ~3 days put on at Theatre VME. Honestly, there’s nothing like it in the city. It’s chaotic and so damn funny. Also, for the cast, it’s some of their first go at sketch comedy writing/performing. It’s awesome to have that in this town where sketch comedy experience is sometimes hard to come by. Chaotic fun! Can’t recommend this show enough. It’s always a banger.
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?
Emma Overton: Brilliant writer and a true A1 human being. She recently wrote an unbelievable sketch about Mr. Chef Boyardee that left my gut busted. You can catch her and her unbelievable sketch troupe Emma Overton’s Nasty Boys performing around town.
