Rick Wharton - The Producer
CANADIAN COMEDY AWARDS - (check out the website)
Featured in 2000 and 2001 and televised on The Comedy Network, the award show recognizes Canada's best comic talent. Rick is associate producer and a presenter.
YO ADRIAN - (check out the Yo Adrian website)
After 8 years of sold out shows YO ADRIAN has become a recognizable name in both the music and theatre world. Yo Adrian! is an annual fundraiser benefiting Barrett House, a Toronto residential care facility for people living with HIV/AIDS. It is produced by Rick Wharton in memory of his brother Adrian. To date this one-man production which features Canada's top musicians and comedians has raised over
$80,000 for this important cause.
Please visit the Yo Adrian page for more information.
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"a fast paced moving Variety show." The Toronto Star |
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"long overdue to be on TV" NOW |
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"fulfils Wharton's desire to unite the city's comedy community while furthering a worthy cause." |
RICK'S IMPROV CAFE - 1995 - 2000
After two years with The Second City, Rick Wharton started his own monthly comedy show at the Laugh Resort in Toronto. The improvisational shows were a huge success, drawing large audiences and rave reviews. Wharton not only excelled at his performance of improv comedy, but became an up and coming notable producer. Wharton's idea was to combine comic actors who had not worked together before and invite them to freely improvise a show. The cast would rotate each month with different improvisers, thus giving the audience a fresh and cutting edge show.
Some of the talent showcased at Rick's Improv Cafe
included:
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Bruce Hunter |
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Adrian Truss |
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David Huband |
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Harry Doupe |
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Neil Crone |
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Kevin Frank |
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Rob McLean |
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Frank McNaulty |
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Steve Morel |
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Jonathan Wilson |
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Ed Sahely |
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Carolyn Meehan |
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Lisa Merchant |
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Nick John |
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Kate Ashby |
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Tim Rykert |
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Jeff Knight |
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Jane Luke |
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Scott White |
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Paul Delarosa |
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Brett Heard |
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Josh Holiday |
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Jimmy Parsons |
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Roscoe Handford |
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Rob Smith |
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Albert Howell |
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Wynn Howes |
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Tracy Hoyt |
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Alex Karziz |
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Bridgette Gall |
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Jef Farquarson |
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Paul Koster |
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Kerry Griffin |
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David Boyce |
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Jack Mosshamer |
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Hamish McEwen |
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Elvira Kurt |
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Mark Farrell |
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Wendy Hopkins |
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Terry Hart |
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Doug Morency |
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and lots more.... |
The celebrity guest who have dropped by include:
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Tony Rosato |
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Lennox Lewis |
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Rik Emmett |
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Joe Flaherty |
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Colin Mochrie |
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The ILLUSTRATED MEN |
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Ian Thomas |
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Ron James |
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Robin Duke |
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Peter Wildman |
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Kathy Greenwood |
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Slash |
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Fred Penner |
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Ray Romano |
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Kevin James
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"A must see..great show..." Humble Howard, CFNY |
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"Wharton puts on a great show, not only as performer but as producer.." CFRB |
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"Very cool...the place to be" Daryl Jung, NOW Magazine |
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"One of the best comedy shows in town" Steve Warden, Q107 |
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"The best improv show I've seen...exemplified Improv's most attractive qualities" Andrew Clark, The Toronto Star |
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"Where the alternative audience has been hiding" Jim Slotek, The Toronto Sun |
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"Wharton is witty, bright, effervescent, not pretentious, with a dash of cute" Rory O'Shea |
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OTHER THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS
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Shifting Gears |
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Just a Second |
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Wharton hears a Who |
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Glenngary Glenfiddich |
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At the Degrassi Knowle |
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Come Back to the Five and Dime Shecky Green, Shecky Green |
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Crazy for Glue |
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Merchant of Tennis |
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Improva Goda Devita |
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This Ain't No Benefit This Ain't No Foolin Around |
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If It don't Fit, Improvise It |
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I'm a Mad Cow and Not Gonna Take It Anymore |
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Sheila Copps and Robbers |
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The All Dad Mr. Mom Show Improvisational All Stars |
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Toronto Comedy Festival |
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