Steph Tolev
{{Short description|Canadian stand-up comedian (born 1984/85)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Steph Tolev
| image =
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| birth_name = Stephanie Tolev
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|03|07}}
| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| death_date =
| death_place =
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| occupation = {{hlist|Stand-up comedian|sketch comedy performer|actress}}
| years_active = 2009–present
| known_for =
| notable_works =
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Stephanie Tolev (born March 7, 1985){{cite instagram|title=Well well well look who's 40 today!!! This feels like a big one and I can honestly say this is the happiest I've ever been in my life. Might have to stop doing these act outs soon my back is in half- also finally leaked my jugs in the last pic your welcome pigs|date=March 7, 2025|user=stephtolev|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/DG592ESASb9/|postid=DG592ESASb9|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250507045505/https://www.instagram.com/p/DG592ESASb9/?img_index=1|archive-date=May 7, 2025}} is a Canadian comedian and actress.{{cite news |last=Brownstein |first=Bill |date=May 21, 2015 |title='Fast-paced physicality that pushes the comedic theatre to its limits' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/427108497/ |work=Montreal Gazette |page=C2 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription|quote=Coming back to the [Just for Laughs] fest for the eighth consecutive year is Ladystache, the Toronto duo of Stephanie Tolev and Allison Hogg, winners of the Just for Laughs Award at last year's Montreal Sketchfest.}}{{cite news |last=Brownstein |first=Bill |date=November 17, 2011 |title=These women know how to get their comedy into shape |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/426641876/ |work=Montreal Gazette |page=C1 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote='The fact is, though, that our group is very non-gender specific,' says Tolev, 26.}}
Along with comedian Allison Hogg, Tolev was a member of the sketch comedy duo Ladystache, which won awards for Most Innovative Comedy Troupe and the Just for Laughs Award at Montreal Sketchfest in 2010 and 2014, respectively.{{cite news |last=Milley |first=Danielle |date=November 2, 2011 |title=Local gal gets silly on stage as part of comedy duo |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/901978036/ |work=East York Mirror |page=1 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |id={{ProQuest|901978036 }} |url-access=subscription}}{{cite web |url=https://montrealsketchfest.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/2014-mtl-sketchfest.pdf |title=Sketchfest Montreal 2014: Award Winners |publisher=Montreal Sketchfest |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=July 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730150947/https://montrealsketchfest.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/2014-mtl-sketchfest.pdf |url-status=live }}
She won the award for Best Female Stand Up at the 2015 Canadian Comedy Awards, and her 2019 comedy album I'm Not Well, was nominated for the Juno Award for Comedy Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020,{{cite web |url=https://www.canadiancomedyawards.org/archives.php?year=2015 |title=Nominations & Awards Archives: 2015 |publisher=Canadian Comedy Awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415040926/https://www.canadiancomedyawards.org/archives.php?year=2015 |archive-date=April 15, 2023 |access-date=July 27, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Lau |first=Melody |title=Alessia Cara and Tory Lanez lead the 2020 Juno nominations |url=https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/news/alessia-cara-and-tory-lanez-lead-the-2020-juno-nominations-1.5436386 |work=CBC Music |date=January 28, 2019 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=June 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630013757/https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/news/alessia-cara-and-tory-lanez-lead-the-2020-juno-nominations-1.5436386 |url-status=live }} and In 2016 she was featured as "The nine funniest stand-up acts in Toronto right now", published by Toronto Life magazine.{{cite web |url=https://torontolife.com/culture/best-toronto-stand-up-sketch-comedy-comics/ |title=The nine funniest stand-up acts in Toronto right now |last=Rinaldi |first=Luc |date=September 19, 2016 |website=Toronto Life |access-date=July 27, 2023}}
Early life
Born in Toronto to Bulgarian-immigrant parents, Tolev grew up in the city's East York district and attended East York Collegiate Institute.{{cite news |last=Chai |first=Daniel |title='Beyond excited': Toronto comedian Steph Tolev opening for Bill Burr at Scotiabank Arena next week |url=https://dailyhive.com/toronto/steph-tolev-comedian-bill-burr-scotiabank-arena-toron |work=Daily Hive |date=August 18, 2022 |access-date=July 27, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Condran |first=Ed |title=Fans never know what will emanate from comic Steph Tolev's mouth |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/jun/22/fans-never-know-what-will-emanate-from-comic-steph/ |work=The Spokesman-Review |date=June 22, 2023 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=July 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729152008/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/jun/22/fans-never-know-what-will-emanate-from-comic-steph/ |url-status=live }} From the age of three to eighteen, she participated in competitive highland dance.{{cite news |last=Cranny |first=Jon |title=That Time I Bombed: Steph Tolev silences crowd of hundreds |url=https://www.straight.com/arts/771241/time-i-bombed-steph-tolev-silences-crowd-hundreds |work=The Georgia Straight |date=September 4, 2016 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=July 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729153843/https://www.straight.com/arts/771241/time-i-bombed-steph-tolev-silences-crowd-hundreds |url-status=live }} She was inspired to perform comedy after playing the role of Nick Bottom in a high school production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Tolev enrolled in the Comedy Writing and Performance program at Humber College and performed stand-up for the first time at a Scarborough bar at 18 years of age. It was at Humber College that she met future sketch comedy collaborator, Allison Hogg. After graduation in 2005, Tolev and Hogg were part of a four-person, all female improv group.{{cite news |last=Edwards |first=John |title=Ladystache |url=https://www.simcoe.com/news/ladystache/article_7f4b5c7c-49d6-50b4-96fe-5102684b2a5e.html |work=The Collingwood Connection |publisher=Metroland Media Group |date=October 26, 2011 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=July 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730005233/https://www.simcoe.com/news/ladystache/article_7f4b5c7c-49d6-50b4-96fe-5102684b2a5e.html |url-status=live }}
Career
In 2009, Tolev and Hogg formed the sketch comedy duo Ladystache.{{cite web |url=https://streetsoftoronto.com/meet-a-comedy-troupe-ladystache/ |title=Meet a Comedy Troupe: Ladystache |last=Hogan |first=Brianne |date=December 12, 2012 |website=Streets Of Toronto |publisher=Post City Magazines |access-date=July 27, 2023}} The troupe's name makes reference to a female moustache. Tolev and Hogg were influenced by The Kids in the Hall, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and SCTV.
Ladystache won the award for Most Innovative Comedy Troupe at Montreal Sketchfest in 2010 and were nominated for Best Sketch Troupe at the 2013 Canadian Comedy Awards.{{cite web |url=https://www.canadiancomedyawards.org/archives.php?year=2013 |title=Nominations & Awards Archives: 2013 |publisher=Canadian Comedy Awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409201815/https://www.canadiancomedyawards.org/archives.php?year=2013 |archive-date=April 9, 2023 |access-date=July 27, 2023}} They won the Just for Laughs Award at Montreal Sketchfest in 2014 and released their comedy album "So Many Wolves" that same year.{{cite news |last=Young |first=Dean |title=42 More Years! |url=https://torontoguardian.com/2015/10/42-more-years/ |work=Toronto Guardian |date=October 14, 2015 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=July 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730150946/https://torontoguardian.com/2015/10/42-more-years/ |url-status=live }} The duo also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, North by Northeast, the Toronto and Vancouver Sketchfests, as well as the Just for Laughs festival in Toronto.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/comedy/it-s-a-big-honour-comedians-react-to-juno-comedy-album-of-the-year-noms-1.5445146 |title='It's a big honour': Comedians react to Juno Comedy Album of the Year noms |date=January 29, 2020 |publisher=CBC Comedy |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=February 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220173120/https://www.cbc.ca/comedy/it-s-a-big-honour-comedians-react-to-juno-comedy-album-of-the-year-noms-1.5445146 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://mediaarts.humber.ca/programs/comedy-writing-and-performance/success-stories/steph-tolev.html |title=Steph Tolev |publisher=Humber College |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=November 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129112331/https://mediaarts.humber.ca/programs/comedy-writing-and-performance/success-stories/steph-tolev.html |url-status=live }}
While performing with Ladystache, Tolev continued to perform stand-up and won the award for Best Female Stand Up at the 2014 Canadian Comedy Awards. She was a finalist in Sirius XM Canada{{'}}s Next Top Comic competition in 2015.{{cite press release |date=August 27, 2015 |title=Eight finalists to go mic-to-mic in SiriusXM Canada's Top Comic Finale in Toronto |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1707506811/ |agency=Canada NewsWire |access-date=July 27, 2023 |id={{ProQuest|1707506811}} }}
In 2016, Tolev moved to Los Angeles and released her first stand-up album Hot N' Hungry. She released her comedy album "I'm Not Well" in 2019, which garnered her a nomination for the Juno Award for Comedy Album of the Year in 2020. She became a paid regular at The Comedy Store in 2021.
In 2022, she opened for Bill Burr during his comedy tour and was featured in his Netflix special, Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill.
She performed at Just For Laughs in Montreal in 2023 and launched her podcast "Steph Infection" that same year.{{cite news |last=Brownstein |first=Bill |date=July 8, 2023 |title='Fast-paced physicality that pushes the comedic theatre to its limits' |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2834587398/ |work=Montreal Gazette (Online) |access-date=July 27, 2023 |id={{ProQuest|28345873978 }} |url-access=subscription}} For her podcast, Tolev interviews fellow comedians about bodily ailments.{{cite news |date=September 8, 2022 |title=Vail Comedy Show welcomes Steph Tolev Sept. 15 |url=https://www.vaildaily.com/entertainment/vail-comedy-show-welcomes-steph-tolev-sept-15/ |work=Vail Daily |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=July 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730153152/https://www.vaildaily.com/entertainment/vail-comedy-show-welcomes-steph-tolev-sept-15/ |url-status=live }}
Tolev's comedic style, both in sketch comedy and stand-up, has been described by the media as "raunchy"{{cite news |last=Gallant |first=Megan |title=From Netflix to Peterborough: Steph Tolev is bringing her raunchy stand-up to the Market Hall |url=https://kawarthanow.com/2023/07/16/from-netflix-to-peterborough-steph-tolev-is-bringing-her-raunchy-stand-up-to-the-market-hall/ |work=KawarthaNOW |date=July 16, 2023 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=July 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730163028/https://kawarthanow.com/2023/07/16/from-netflix-to-peterborough-steph-tolev-is-bringing-her-raunchy-stand-up-to-the-market-hall/ |url-status=live }} During an interview in 2022, Tolev described her comedy as "brash, vulgar, self-deprecating, physical, silly and painfully real."
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://stephtolev.komi.io/ Official site]
- {{IMDb name|5714822}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolev, Steph}}
Category:21st-century Canadian comedians
Category:Canadian Comedy Award winners
Category:Canadian people of Bulgarian descent
Category:Canadian stand-up comedians
Category:Canadian women comedians