Much has changed in 25 years of comedy and Howie Miller has worked hard to keep up with it.
An Indigenous Canadian from Edmonton, Miller intertwines his ethnicity and life experiences into a stand-up comedy act that serves to educate and offer a chance for reflection but also to solicit laughs from his audience members.
"It is part of me, who I am, how I identify in the world," Miller told StratfordToday of his Cree heritage. "Bringing my indigenity to my act, or touching on subjects that might seem uncomfortable at the time, to move past them, to enlighten people, to ask why is this stereotype funny?"
Miller admits that what solicited a laugh and was topical or part of his performance when he started out probably wouldn't work today.
"My act has changed over the years to reflect the changing times and my own maturity."
Local comedy fans will get a chance to see Miller's newest material when he kicks off Funny Forum Fridays at Tom Patterson Theatre, with opening act Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll.
Miller was in Stratford Thursday dining at a local restaurant, with tickets for the Stratford Festival's performance of Spamalot.
Audiences will see some parallels in comedic style between the Monty Python-inspired performance and Miller's act tonight at Lazaridis Hall, he said.
The comedian was humbled when asked to appear at the Festival's comedy series, now in its second year. He can only assume one of his comedian friends name-dropped an important person. He was asked to appear in the inaugural run last year but had family commitments.
Work has taken him all over - he praised his wife Jen for keeping the itinerary chugging along so he can focus on the laughs.
Miller featured in the Showtime special No Reservations Needed and has appearances on Canadian television, including the Winnipeg Comedy Festival: Welcome to Turtle Island 1 & 2, CBC’s Alberta Comedy Spectacular and in his own comedy special Comedy Now Presents Howie Miller.
Miller has also appeared on CBC’s popular radio show The Debaters and has been nominated for a Gemini Award, a Canadian Comedy Award and a Canadian Screen Award for writing and acting in the sketch comedy show Caution: May Contain Nuts.
Miller is a big fan of the Festival's work on ensuring diversity in its ranks, including the talent in the comedy series.
"Absolute honour to be part of that. My heart is warming to what the Festival is doing, the inclusivity. Diversity is the future. We are all inhabiting the planet, we need to get along and grow and educate ourselves."
Audience members can expect "some amazing impressions" and a lot about Miller's life experiences.
"You are going to laugh at me growing up and dealing with life as an Indigenous person in this country."
Getting a point across through a comedic lens is a great way to teach about ethnicity and culture, one of the reasons Miller does what he does.
"Laughter is a marvelous educational tool. But I also want to keep it light. You don't have to hit people over the head and feel guilty all the time. Let's laugh, enjoy ourselves and tell stories."
Tickets were still available at publication for the 9 p.m. show. You can find them here: Howie Miller.
