Michael Balazo
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Michael Allan Owen Balazo (born April 17, 1979 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian comedian, writer, musician and video maker based in Toronto, Canada.
[edit] Early Life
Balazo spent his early life in Calgary, Alberta and Peterborough, Ontario. He began performing in plays and musicals while attending Msgr. Paul Dwyer Catholic High School in Oshawa, Ontario. During this time, he formed the musical comedy trio The Gentlemen Callers with his brother, Terrance, and their friend, Alex Oliveira.
Following a move to Toronto in 1998, Balazo attended Ryerson University’s theatre acting program in Toronto, but chose not to return for a second year when he was accepted at the Humber College’s School of Comedy. During his time at Humber he was nominated for the Phil Hartman Comedy Award.
[edit] Career
From 1998 until then end of 2003, The Gentlemen Callers performed extensively around Toronto and southern Ontario, becoming fixtures at Toronto comedy venues The Rivoli and Clinton’s Tavern and touring with the Yuk Yuk's chain of comedy clubs. The Gentlemen Callers made television appearances on MuchMusic, Ed the Sock, and Winnipeg’s A Channel. In 2002, The Gentlemen Callers won a Canadian Comedy Award in the Pretty Funny Sketch Troupe category. The Gentlemen Callers played their final show at Toronto’s Massey Hall on New Year’s Eve, 2003.
Following the dissolution of The Gentlemen Callers, Balazo focused on stand up and sketch comedy, often performing with comedian Mark Forward in the sketch duo Mr. Francis.
In 2004, he was nominated as a stand up for the prestigious Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award and appeared on the nationally televised Cream of Comedy special on the Canadian Comedy Network. Since then, he has performed as a stand up across Canada and made successful appearances at clubs in New York City, Los Angeles and London, England.
In 2005, Balazo worked as a staff writer for the Canadian Comedy Network’s Popcultured with Elvira Kurt. The following year, his work appeared on the CBC Radio One’s Stand and Deliver radio series. In the summer of 2007, his comedy video Musical Resume was featured on the CBC Television’s Exposure.
Balazo has appeared in seven productions with the Mississauga, Ontario based Cow Over Moon Children’s Theatre Company, playing leading roles in The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Shoemaker and the Elves, The Gingerbread Man, Rumpelstiltskin, The Legend of Jack Frost, The Dancing Princesses and Puss in Boots. In December 2007, he contributed five original songs to the company’s production of The Woodcutter’s Wish.
He is a resident DJ at Toronto’s Shake A Tail 1960’s dance party, currently held at Clinton’s Tavern on Saturday nights.
He is the co-creator (along with writer/improviser Graham Wagner) of the live radio show Mouth Party, performs as a member of high concept/low brow sketch group Dinkus and is a member of Toronto’s Laugh Sabbath comedy collective, who present a weekly Sunday night comedy show at the Rivoli.
