Q: What better way is there to celebrate turning 40 than through original songs, featured guests, and a full band?
A: NOTHING! THERE IS NONE!
In this delightful romp through the trials & tribulations of a woman approaching a certain age, you’ll laugh, cry, and celebrate getting older with Megan Phillips & friends in this 40th Cabaret and Fundraiser!
From the creator of Grease, Too!, The Anxiety Show, and Not Enough comes a new show from Phillips, a Vancouver-raised comedian, singer, songwriter, actor, & writer.
Making It! is a tribute to Mid-Life Incoming: the tough stuff like career bumps, dating struggles, and self-doubt - but also the gushy stuff - like our growth, our fortitude, and the power of community. It’s all done in a style popularized in New York cabaret venues: original songs (mostly comedic) mixed with pop/musical theatre covers and stand-up/written spoken banter, performed with a full band and special guests.
The fundraiser is to give wings to Megan's next big venture: bringing Grease, Too! to Orlando International Fringe Festival in May 2024. There will be party games, a silent auction, booze, non-booze... and all the fun old people could ever want.
Previous shows of Phillips have been named CBC’s Top 5 Female picks at Winnipeg Fringe, a top reason to visit Edmonton, and What to See by The Vancouver Sun.
PRAISE FOR MEGAN:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Winnipeg Free Press
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - CBC Winnipeg
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Vue Weekly, Edmonton
“Powerful physicality, spot-on comedic timing, and the kind of acting chops that’ll take you by surprise” - ROOM magazine, Vancouver
“Multitalented and dangerously funny” - Roverarts.com, Montreal
“Dynamite!” – PLANK magazine, Vancouver
Meet the Creative Team!
Megan Phillips (writer/performer/
40-year-old)
Hot off her 2023 run of Pam in The Office at Celebrations Dinner Theatre, Megan is the best friend you didn’t even know you needed. She’s done extensive film & TV, commercials, VO, and soooo many web shorts. Like SO MANY. She has toured solo shows, standup, and sketch comedy across the country since 2012, and her co-written musical People Suck (Ed Mirvish Entrepreneurial Award, Best of Fringe 2015, Patron’s Pick 2015), produced by Salty Theatre in Melbourne, AUS, was optioned by Second City Theatricals in Chicago. She's an OG member of the NYC-based digital sketch team Get Me a F*cking Shovel, directed by twice-Emmy-nominated Ana Breton, her articles have been published by GOLD Comedy, and she runs solo show workshops with TJ Dawe. You may recognize her from that quirky office girl in the YouTube commercial. She really, really, REALLY loves wombats… almost as much as Grease 2. ALMOST. meganphillips.com
Sam MacKinnon
(drums/producer/
almost-40-year-old)
Sam is a musician, producer, award-winning animator, and software developer living in Vancouver B.C. Sam has played with several Vancouver bands and musicians, including Yawn, Andrew Maranta, Sarah Lewis, Coldwater Road, Animal Atlas, Jasper Sloan Yip, and was a member of the The Ruffled Feathers from 2010-2017, where he co-produced, arranged, and recorded for the albums Lost Cities EP (2010), Oracles (2012), Bottom of the Blue EP ( 2014), and Hand Me
Down Centuries (2017). Sam also co-created and hosted the popular Vancouver variety show At Least We Tried (2019-2020, 2023), a cabaret-style monthly show that brought together artists from several disciplines including comedy, spoken-word, dance, music, magic, science-communication, drag, burlesque, and interactive theater. When not performing or organizing arts events, Sam designs and develops software, specializing in digital interactive online theater, where he was created work for Rumble Theatre (“Good Things to Do”, 2019), RE:Current Theater (“New Societies”, 2021), and Upintheair Theatre (“Big Queer Filipino Karaoke Night”, 2023). www.sammackinnon.ca
Peter Abando
(music director/
ageless-year-old)
When he's not teaching K-7 music in West Van, you can find Peter composing, improvising, directing, or performing music somewhere around Metro Vancouver. Select music direction credits includes Spring Awakening (Phantom Moon Collective, 2017), Dogfight (Semper Fi Collective, 2016), the Jessie nominated production of Edges (Two Monkeys Production, 2015), the Ovation nominated Connected: The Musical (Whirlwind Theatre, 2013), and an adorable workshop of [title of show]. More recent productions include a special charity concert of Dear Evan Hansen with Laughing Matters Theatre, 9 to 5: The Musical at Capilano University, and the Ovation nominated 2019 Vancouver Fringe hit, Amélie, with West Moon Theatre. You can find him regularly conspiring with Jennifer Pielak, Chris Lam, and Nicole Roberge.
Colin Sankey
bass/old-enough-to-grow-the-sickest-moustache-in-Van-year-old
Colin Sankey is a bassist, composer, and arranger from Vancouver, BC. A technical guru in his own right, he is frequently compared to Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, and Alain Caron. Colin recently went viral with his arrangements of Get Lucky by Daft Punk and the Mario Theme, reaching over 9.6 million views between the two arrangements on Instagram and TikTok. He continues to share his inspiring arrangements of jazz, funk, rock, and Latin music with his 175,000+ followers across all social media platforms.
Devon More
guitar/age-is-just-a-number-year-old
Devon More is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumental musician, and genre-bending performance artist best known for her signature one-woman cabarets. Her solo album - Sky Is Falling - drops onto streaming platforms on the unlikeliest of days: February 29th. Catch songs, behind-the-scenes stories, snacks, and surprises at her upcoming album release show: Sunday March 17th - also at Progress Lab 1422. Offstage, Devon's favourite things are hot chocolate, time in nature, and her dog - Betty White. www.devonmoremusic.com
Kharytia Bilash
choreographer/vocals/aging-backwards-year-old
Bio coming soon!
David Johnston
vocals/age-before-beauty-year-old
David Johnston (Background Vocals) is an actor, writer, improviser, aerialist, and singer. You’ll probably only see one or two of those skillsets tonight. More if Megan got that rigging permit sorted out. Last seen onstage in Let’s Talk About Your Death (Allspice Theatre), The Office: A Pop Rock Parody (Jubilations Dinner Theatre) and Vietgone (United Players), David is pleased to be lending his tenor to the proceedings for a good cause. David is a graduate of Studio 58, and knows far too much random trivia about reality television.
Kadia Kindersley
vocals/40-is-really-far-away-year-old
Bio coming soon!