Lara Rae(born 1963 inGlasgow,Scotland), formerly known asAl Rae,is aCanadiancomedian, best known as the longtime artistic director of theWinnipeg Comedy Festival[1]and as a frequent guest on theCBC Radio Onecomedy seriesThe Debaters.
Lara Rae | |
|---|---|
| Born | Al Rae 1963 (age 60–61) Glasgow,Scotland |
| Occupation | Comedian, television and radio writer |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Period | 1980s-present |
| Notable works | Little Mosque on the Prairie,The Debaters |
She has also been a writer for radio and television, including onBlackfly,[2]Big Sound,[2]Little Mosque on the Prairie,[2]What a Week,Definitely Not the Opera[3]andMonsoon House.[4]She has been a three-timeCanadian Comedy Awardnominee and aGemini Awardnominee for her work onLittle Mosque.[5]
Rae started as half of theToronto-based comedy duo Al & George withGeorge Westerholm.[6]After the duo broke up in 1993, Rae moved toWinnipegand began working as a solo standup comedian.[7]She wrote the playHow Do You Know When You're Done?,a fictionalized account of their creative tensions and breakup which premiered at theTim Sims Playhousein 1999,[8]and was a founder of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival in 2002.[7]
In 2013, while still known as Al and presenting as male, Rae came out asgayat age 49.[2]She came out astransgenderin October 2015.[9]At the time of her announcement, she was working as an assistant director on a stage production ofChristopher Marlowe's playEdward IIin Winnipeg.[1]In November, she made her first on-stage appearance as a comedian since beginning her gender transition, as part of the Empow(HER)ment comedy show in Winnipeg.[7]
She is an instructor in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at theUniversity of Winnipeg.[10]
References
- ^ab"Gender politics: Autobiographical show a step on Rae's journey".Winnipeg Free Press,October 1, 2015.
- ^abcd"Funny man Al Rae on coming out at 49".Daily Xtra,August 19, 2014.
- ^"Improvising success".Toronto Star,May 29, 1997.
- ^"Winnipeg festival sends some comic relief our way".Regina Leader-Post,April 4, 2013.
- ^"Small-screen stars descend upon Saskatchewan".Winnipeg Free Press,October 27, 2007.
- ^"Take one funny guy, add a guitar, stir and..."Winnipeg Free Press,March 30, 2007.
- ^abc"A laughing matter".Winnipeg Free Press,November 26, 2015.
- ^"When two comics is one comic too many: New show looks at nasty break-up of fictional comedy duo".Toronto Star,March 25, 1999.
- ^"Becoming Lara: Winnipeg comedian Al Rae transitions to a woman".CBC News,October 1, 2015.
- ^"Lara Rae, empowering others through comedy and cooking".University of Winnipeg.8 March 2021.Retrieved9 March2021.