Valentine’s Day, Schmalentine’s Day – chase your champale hangover with Pump Trolley’s Stolen Hearts show on February 15th. Pump Trolley is a fresh-faced comedy collective of eight endearing and talented folks who produce hilarious shows at The China Cloud. Read on to learn about sunflowers, dreams, and what happens when you push just enough.

Sad Mag: Tell me a bit about yourself.

Nick Harvey-Cheetham: I am an improviser, performer and student originally from Toronto. When I was around 9 years old, I realized I was never going to make it to the NBA so I decided to pursue other things.

Ember Konopaki: I’m an improvisor from Edmonton. I’ve been doing improv for almost 8 years and only started doing sketch when I moved to Vancouver in 2009.

Tom Hill: I’m a writer, comedian, improviser, marketing guy with history in the province of Saskatchewan. I’ve spent a good deal of my life doing unusual jobs while making jokes on the side.

SM: What is Pump Trolley?

NHC: Pump Trolley (the group) is a collective of writers, improvisers, musicians, filmmakers and all-around creative folks who decided to write and perform a regular comedy show at The China Cloud Theatre.

TH: A “pump trolley” is a cart operated by two people. We’re a sketch comedy group operated by eight. Otherwise we’re about the same.

SM: Who comprises Pump Trolley?

NHC: Pump Trolley is: Warren Bates, Nik Bunting, Ember Konopaki, Nick Harvey-Cheetham, Tom Hill, Alex Hudson, Devin Mackenzie and Tegan Verheul with frequent musical accompaniment from the endlessly talented Devon Lougheed.

TH: Whole bunch of swell goofs.

SM: When and how was Pump Trolley started?

TH: Most of us started performing together through UBCimprov, where we’d been together for years. We had a real treat of a time so we took it to the streets and for six months in 2009 did a new show every week at the Cottage Bistro. We’ve since had a few beautiful members move away to pursue acting/genius- ing, and Warren and Ember moved here and joined us.We did every two weeks for a while in 2010, then dialed it in by the summer of last year and really got settled as an eight-person thang.

NHC: I still have no idea how we were able to put on a show every week.

SM: What do you like best about working with each other?

TH: We have this weird joke we’ve been making with each other where we sort of mash our hands/forearms together to mimic what I think is supposed to be two pieces of raw meat slapping together. I like that a lot.

NHC: If I had to pick my seven best friends, it would probably be the seven other people in Pump Trolley. If I had to pick the seven people I want to impress the most, it would be the same seven. This strange fusion of a trusting, open environment with a collective desire to produce strong well-developed work really lets us push our ideas to interesting places.

EK: Everyone is committed to creating great shows. People are selfless and will write pieces for other members, take creative notes, etc. Plus, they all make me laugh.

SM: What sorts of things/situations/people inspire sketches?

NHC: A lot of our ideas come from some marriage of the mundane and the absurd. At the end of the day, though, any idea that makes us more than half of us laugh is a good idea. We are a laughter-based democracy.

EK: A huge variety! One sketch came to me in my dream, another time I thought a specific line of dialogue I heard was funny so I built a sketch around it. I like taking fairly mundane experiences and trying to make them funny.

TH: I’m primarily inspired to write by needing to write when the time comes. Sure I write things down ahead of time, but when push comes to shove I’m really just squeezing my sphincter until jokes come out.

SM: How do you find the sketch comedy scene in Vancouver?

TH: We seem to be settled right into what I would call the alternative comedy scene in Vancouver. Lots of drugs. One time we were guesting on a show and the host comes up to me with a crack rock and tells me to put it in my eye. I was like “well, fuck, I guess this is Vancouver comedy.”

NHC: I think a lot of the interesting sketch and improv shows in Vancouver have a specific D.I.Y. charm. Creative people are getting together and starting their own projects left and right, not for money or fame but for the simple joy of making people laugh. A lot of sketch comedians in Vancouver are just starting to discover each other, which is really exciting.

SM: What was one of your favourite performances or moments as a performer?

EK: Anytime anyone laughs at something I come up with – that will always feel good.

TH: Nik and I did a sketch in which we enacted the full life cycle of two sunflowers. It required us to don a half dozen full-sized sunflowers of my

neighbour’s. The sketch builds up for the first half with us yelling the sunflowers’ ambitions and eventually egotistical rants, before hitting our peak and groaning our way to the floor over another minute or so. Felt pretty damn good. That, and when Devin and I hit each other in the balls for eight minutes to open our first show at the China Cloud.

SM: Any upcoming performances?

NHC: After Stolen Hearts (Feb 15th at The China Cloud), Pump Trolley’s next big show is Tuesday, April 19th (also at The China Cloud).

EK: The Sunday after Stolen Hearts we’re creating two long-form improv pieces as part of the Launch Party of the Neanderthals Arts Festival. We create an “inspiration package” for each set and base everything off of those. February 20 at the Cultch, 7pm and 9pm show times.

TH: Just come to Stolen Hearts, ok? OK!? God.

STOLEN HEARTS
Pre­sented by Pump Trolley
The China Cloud
Tuesday, February 15th 9:00 pm
RSVP on Facebook

Photograph: Rob Anderson