8 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Susan Rice
HUMAN COMEDY
Tolovana Arts Colony launches Cannon Beach Comedy Festival
By JON BRODERICK
FOR COAST WEEKEND
Susan Rice, a veteran of 34 years of stand-up and
Willamette Week’s 2015 pick as Portland’s Funniest
Person, is coming to the coast for a night of comedy
at the Tolovana Arts Colony.
Rice is headlining the Cannon Beach Comedy
Festival at 7 p.m. Friday, May 12, at Tolovana Hall.
The show also features fellow PDX comedians Don
Frost and Christian Ricketts.
Rice’s comedy comes from mundane experi-
ence, keenly observed: a trip to Walmart, a ride on a
TriMet bus, navigating Facebook.
She’s warm and unassuming, like a favorite aunt.
Vulnerable and tough and clever. And has made the
requisite appearance on “Portlandia.”
“I had the funniest parents in the world,” she
said. “I grew up at the kitchen table laughing at our
family’s stories.”
After decades of experience, Rice has mastered
the art of reading her audience. “You have to step in
front of strangers and connect with them. You have
to be quick. You have to think on your feet,” she
said.
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