Anesti Danelis, the award-winning Greek-Canadian comedian, is bringing his signature style of grounded yet absurd musical comedy to the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival (TOsketchfest) this March. With a unique blend of guitar, piano, and tracks, Anesti’s interactive performances invite audiences into the heart of his comedic world, where immigrant family dynamics, queerness, and the relatable quirks of millennial life take center stage. His distinct voice and comedic sensibility have earned him a rapid online following, viral success, and appearances at prestigious festivals like Just For Laughs and the Edinburgh Fringe. We got to chat with Anesti as he prepares to perform at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival on March 6th and 12th at the BMO Incubator – Theatre Centre. You should go see him. It’ll be a good time, ok?
JG: You’re known for blending really poppy musical elements with absurd yet grounded humour. How did you decide that musical comedy was for you?
Anesti Danelis: It took a while to get there, to be honest, because I started in improv and sketch comedy. And I didn’t know what I wanted to do comedy-wise. I just thought it was fun. My grandfather taught me the violin in my childhood because he’s a Greek folk musician. So over time, I was doing comedy and writing a song for my class and then performing that song, and from there, it just kept snowballing. When I saw Flight of the Conchords, I was like, oh, wow, you can just do music and comedy. So that inspired me to make it the whole act. And that’s where it happened, almost ten years ago now.
JG: You mentioned the influence of your grandfather. Who have been some of the musical and comedic influences who have shaped your style?
Anesti Danelis: Oh, there are so many. I mean, of course, The Lonely Island, Bo Burnham, and Flight of the Conchords. Those are the greats. I forgot that YouTuber. I think his name is Jon Lajoie. Do you remember him?
JG: That sounds familiar.
Anesti Danelis: He used to make ridiculous YouTube songs like “Guns don’t kill people, I kill people.” Stuff like that. I love watching absurd things. I think I gravitate towards that. You know, my generation grew up on shows like SpongeBob, and we’re not mentally okay.
JG: I’m right there with you in that millennial generation. Our cartoons were weird and very off the wall. Spongebob is a great example. Like, watching it back now, it’s like, what were we watching?
Anesti Danelis: Right? I love it, but like, what the hell? Do you remember the chocolate guy? Where he was like, I want chocolate.
JG: So wild. As your career continues to grow, how do you keep relating to the experiences of your fellow millennials?
Anesti Danelis: I think it’s just not trying to relate, more so that I’m just talking about the things in my everyday life. I found that when I started putting stuff online, a lot of people were relating to what I was saying. And I was like, oh cool, these experiences that I have are not kind of unique. We all go through them. Just by default, we seem to all relate to each other. You know? In the general aspect of things.
JG: Being born to immigrant parents and queerness comes up in your work. Do you feel any pressure to balance having your identity be core to your comedy while also having it be universal at the same time?
Anesti Danelis: I don’t think so. What I’ve noticed when I think my experiences are unique is that they’re actually just very relatable. When it comes to being a child of immigrants, there are always things that I felt were unique about that experience. But the moment I started making videos of my Greek family online, it wasn’t just Greek people, but people from so many other cultures who were like, oh, that’s my mom too. That’s my dad as well. And that’s been a really cool thing to see. I think we all have more similarities than we think. People will automatically just put themselves in whatever they’re watching, so they’ll automatically find ways to relate as well. In the beginning, what I thought might be alienating actually turned out to be the most relatable stuff.
JG: That’s really cool. With how interactive your comedy can be, what’s been one of the more unexpected or funniest audience interactions that stands out for you?
Anesti Danelis: I have this one song called “Straight Pride,” where I talk about how it’s not a good time for straight people out there and that straight culture is disappearing at such an alarming rate. We have to make a safe space for straight people. It’s very satirical. But in the middle of the song, I always talk to one or two straight people in the audience. What’s your name? What do you like to do with your friends? We have to protect this guy’s experience of going to the pubs and drinking beer. Like, we need straight people to feel okay with that. I think that part of the song is so fun because everyone is always on board for it.
It’s funny, though. I always find they give the same answers. It’s always that they go drinking with their friends. And I’m like, see? It’s such a unique culture. That’s been really fun. Also, online, I do these confessionals where people can send anonymous confessions. When I started bringing that into my shows and having people read the wildest confessions I’ve gotten, that’s been super fun.
JG: What’s it been like cultivating a following on YouTube? And now, having to make content for TikTok and all these other platforms?
Anesti Danelis: There are so many now! Bluesky. Threads. I can’t keep track, but it’s been a lot of fun. I always wanted to make videos, but I guess I didn’t know how. Then when the pandemic hit, that’s where me and also a lot of creators just started experimenting with that. And it’s been really fun just to see how big the world is. When you’re a comedian and you’re doing live shows, your audience is kind of restricted to the bubble of wherever you’re performing. But online, you can reach the world. It’s cool to see people from around the world reacting to your comedy. It’s been a cool exchange of humor and culture and all that stuff.
JG: Speaking of your kind of global following, you’ve played fringe festivals in Edinburgh and London. How did you find the international reception compared to your shows here in Toronto?
Anesti Danelis: I found that the UK initially was very welcoming. They’re all about the arts, especially with Edinburgh Fringe. It’s such a massive festival that when you’re out flyering that festival, people actually stop and listen, and they really wanna know what your show is about. Well, except a couple of assholes. I think they’re just more receptive to taking chances. They’re more open to seeing somebody they may not know, and I think there’s a bigger space for the arts there. Meanwhile, here, it feels like you have to build a reputation before you can get people to pay attention.
In the beginning, even with how big the fringe festival is here in Toronto, not a lot of people knew about it. All of my friends are like, what is this festival? When is it happening? But then some people are hardcore about it. So it’s a bit smaller here, and people are not really that open to taking chances.
JG: You’ve definitely played some bigger shows here, like Just For Laughs and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. Do you find that the comedian scene has generally been supportive of you here? I know often, artists and creatives in Canada can feel like there’s a bit of a ceiling for them or here or not as much support as they’d like. Do you deal with that in comedy?
Anesti Danelis: We do have a smaller industry here, and there definitely is a ceiling. I do find, though, that a lot of people are into supporting each other. Stuff like Just for Laughs and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, those were really cool things to be a part of. They’re very nice opportunities they give out to all the performers to really help build and foster a community of comedians. But I do think overall in this country, there is a ceiling, and a lot of people leave because they can’t go past a certain point. I’m not sure why that is specifically, but there’s just not as much opportunity here as there is in America.
JG: Can you see yourself kind of taking that jump to conquering the States?
Anesti Danelis: I don’t know. I love Toronto. I love Canada, and I would love to stay here. But I could see that potentially happening. I don’t really know what it’s like to live there. I’m going on a mini-tour this year, where I will be in places like New York and LA and the surrounding areas. So I guess I’ll get a taste of what it’s like, but I don’t know. Maybe.
JG: We’ll see what the future holds, I guess.
Anesti Danelis: We’ll see. It’s a pretty crazy time over there now, so I don’t even know what to expect.
JG: Lastly, what can people expect from your sets at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival?
Anesti Danelis: They can expect a really fun time. I’m bringing part of my Toronto Fringe show back. That show incorporated elements of AI. It was a really fun thing to blend comedy and AI and to show people that it’s nothing to really worry about. It’ll be a really fun, innovative time. There’s music. There are a lot of variations of music. It’s ridiculous. It’s absurd. And they’re gonna leave feeling much better.
Get tickets to see Anesti Danelis at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival here.
Follow Anesti Danelis: Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, YouTube, Website
