Debra DiGiovanni is a very funny woman…it says so on her business card! And the people agree-voting her as Canada’s Best Female Comedian at the 2009 Canadian Comedy Awards; this was her third win-in 2002 she was voted Canada’s Best New Stand Up and in 2007 she won for Best Female.
Toronto’s NOW magazine (it’s the alt paper you must read as a Torontonian) have called her “the best comic to see after a messy break-up” (It’s true! She’ll hug you) and voted her self produced stand up show as the #1 show of 2007.
In 2007; Debra taped her first Gala at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, and has since been back to host the prestigious Home Grown Competition (2008/2009). She’s also performed at the Halifax, Winnipeg, Sudbury, Moncton and St John’s Comedy Festivals (all during the winter!!)
In the spring of 2008, Debra enjoyed a successful west coast run with her Girls Night Out tour and she ended that year by headlining Massey Hall for their New Years Eve gala (it was way better than going to a party alone!)
And-Debra’s on the TV too! Like, that time she was on the 5th season of NBC’s hit show Last Comic Standing where she was chosen as a top 10 finalist competing against comedians worldwide-making it to the Top 8 (a little British dude took her out of the running-they remain friends…for now).
In 2008, she taped her second ‘Comedy Now!’ special for CTV/Comedy network and in 2009-she hosted the Cream of Comedy award show for the Comedy Network (She enjoys announcing the winner!) and Debra’s a favorite on the hugely popular Much Music show ‘Video On Trial’. Sometimes-teenagers scream when they see her-who knew?
And then there’s the other cool stuff that she gets to do; like, over the holidays, Debra was asked to participate in Toronto’s production of the Nutcracker, filling the celebrity role of ‘Canon Doll’ (when she told her mom she was in the ballet-her mom cried a bit). And, you can hear her regularly on the CBC radio show ‘The Debaters’ as well as the voice of Zellers radio.
She also, in 2008, co-hosted the Genie awards with Sandra Oh (Sandra wore a gown-Debra wore pants) and during the summer of 2009, Debra taped her second gala at Just for Laughs as well as her first Comedy Central special, Live at Gotham!
This year, October 2009-Debra was honored with a Gemini award for best individual comedy performance! It’s barely been 10 years since Debra’s started comedy, and she’s just getting started! Stay tuned…
