Alex Monk: Comedy on the Fly

By Elliott St. Aubin

From working part time jobs, to human kinetics, to social services, Alex Monk has done a lot, but some people would say his hardest challenge is his hobby. Monk is a part of an improv comedy group called Windsor Improv Theatre (WIT.) They do shows in Windsor and Leamington at the Shadow Box Theatre here in Windsor and The Bank in Leamington.

What is improv? 

In order to understand what Alex Monk does, you are going to have to understand what improv is. Its earliest form comes from ancient Rome, they would perform improv during an event called Atellan Farce or the Oscan Games. People would dress in masks and put on comedy shows for a large audience. A basic improv show consists of usually two or more people who come up with jokes as they perform their show. A lot of groups will take suggestions from the audience to create their scenes. 

Who is Alex Monk? 

Alex Monk was born and raised in Belle River Ontario. He started doing improv shows at venues all the way back in 2014 on the side while he was in university. Surprisingly he did not even do drama or anything relating to comedy in university as his program was actually human kinetics. 

At the time he performed under the name More Words Improv and would do shows on weekends and for the university and local bars. At one point they were even able to open for Jackass when they were in Windsor doing a standup comedy show. When WIT does shows they have what they call performance games. They will take a suggestion like usual but for each game there will be special rules.  

“Maybe in this one the audience can clap their hands and you have to do a dance and sing,” said Monk. “Sometimes the audience is asking questions, occasionally we have audience members come be a part of the scenes.” 

WIT does their shows whenever they can, whether it is on the weekends or later in the night. 

“It’s like being in a band, right?” Monk said. “Go and do weekend shows and stuff like that.” 

His improv roots can be traced even further back to 2011 when he approached his friend Nolan Mayrand, longtime friend and aspiring standup comedian, approached to be a part of his improv comedy group for their high school. 

“In grade nine, at L’Essor high School, a lanky Jim Carry looking eleventh grader named Alex Monk came up to my locker and told me I had to join the improv comedy group to be cool.” Said Mayrand. 

Mayrand said this was a bold lie, but he could not be more thankful for Monk getting him into the improv comedy game. According to Mayrand, Monk sort of mentored him in the ways of improv comedy in the beginning. 

“I guess seeing some potential in me Alex took me under his wing,” said Mayrand. 

During high school improv was a huge part of his life but once he graduated and started at university there was not anything like the club from high school. So, he decided to start his own with his friends. 

He first started with his friend as a partner but eventually he left the show, and Monk performed alone. He pushed through and kept putting on shows even when there was not much support around him.  

“I enjoyed this-I’m going to just keep pushing through and keep putting on shows,” said Monk. 

He said his biggest supporter now is most definitely his wife. He actually met his wife at one of his improv shows.  

“I invited her friends, and they invited her,” said Monk.  

He said her and her friends sat right in the front row of the theatre. The night they came just so happened to be the night where they played a pickup line game. In this game the audience will yell out an object and they have to come up with a pickup line with it.  

“I was just directing them all at her that night,” said Monk. “I was just on fire and said I don’t know keep drilling the front row.” 

He said later on in the year after the show she came to he finally realized they were both at the same university and in fact in the same class.  

“I was in class one day, and she was sitting three seats away from me,” said Monk.  

Monk considers improv to be a very French-Canadian culture thing. 

“A lot of people who did not grow up in that system or did not grow up French Canadian did not know that,” said Monk. “I don’t do it in French now because there’s not enough people to go watch French shows in this area.” 

He said the French version of improv is a lot more like a sport with two teams and the ability to get points and penalties. 

“It just doesn’t make sense in English,” said Monk. “I’ve tried to recreate it but it’s just not the same.” 

WIT does half of their shows here in Windsor at a theatre called Shadow Box Theatre. 

“Windsor Improv Theatre has been and will continue to be, one of the highlights of the Windsor-Essex creative performance industry,” said Fay Lynn, the artistic director, and Post Productions manager/co-owner at The Shadow Box Theatre. 

She describes every performance Monk and WIT put on as different and entertaining.  

“The atmosphere in The Shadowbox Theatre becomes electric with anticipation and laughter before, during and after every WIT performance.” said Lynn. 

WIT started performing their shows at Shadowbox almost two years ago in March of 2022. They were an immediate success. 

“The show was a hit,” said Lynn. “The audience was thrilled by the performance.” 

Lynn said they were very generous and wonderful to work with. Shadowbox liked them so much they booked as often as they could ever since WIT’s first show. 

“WIT has remained one of our staple guests at the Shadowbox,” said Lynn. 

Monk said he does it because he just wants to give people something to laugh at and have fun with. 

“My favourite part is just giving people a place to go and a night out that’s going to be fun,” said Monk. “I enjoy seeing people have fun.” 

WIT will be putting on their thirteenth show at The Shadow Box Theatre on Nov 25. If you would like to learn more information about the group or their upcoming shows you can go to their Facebook page, Windsor Improv Theatre.