WRITING
Sketch Comedy
Big Mall (2016-2018)
Veterans of Montreal’s improv scene, Night Bus house team alumni and good friends, Vance Gillis (Mojo Comedy Co.) and Sehar Manji joined forces once again in 2016 to form the sketch comedy duo, Big Mall. Their comedy writing, memorable characters, and onstage chemistry featured a “unique blend of sweetness and dumbness.” They became regular fixtures at The Sketch Republic, a monthly sketch show, and were part of Montreal Sketchfest in 2017 and 2018.
Damsel Washington (2017-2019)
Bonding over anxiety, introversion and cats, Sehar and former Night Bus house team member Jesse Fildes, formed Damsel Washington in 2017. The sketch comedy duo, known for their distinctively dark but quirky characters, and synchronized physical comedy, became one of the mainstays at The Sketch Republic. They were also on the line ups of productions like Crazy Bitches (produced by Ellie MacDonald) and The Woke’s on You, supporting the Canadian Women’s Foundation. Damsel Washington participated in Montreal Sketchfest in 2018 and 2019.
Photo: Patrick Shannon
Solo Sketch (2016-2019)
It’s both exhilarating and nerve-wracking to get on stage by yourself, especially as someone else, but the pay-off is well worth the surprise and delight it brings audiences. Sehar’s solo sketch comedy is often inspired by music, objects, oddball personalities. It’s characterised by strong physical comedy and a unique twist in perspective on the ordinary. Her distinctive repertoire of characters includes the adventurous bucket-lady, the deranged asylum mayor, an alien guest and bath troubles to name a few. She has showcased her solo sketches in various productions such as Joketown (DJ Mausner), The Sketch Republic (Erin Hall, Danny Belair), Infemous (Kate Hammer), “The Party!” (Laura Buchanan). She’s also taken the stage at major festivals including the Just For Laughs/OFF-JFL festival in “All Alone” and at POP Montreal in “Carousel” (both of which were produced by James McGee).
Photo: Saima Ahmed
Lip-Schtick Lipsync Battles
Lip sync battles were a thing circa 2015, right? Robin Henderson (Dance Animal) brought this phenomenon to life with Lip-Schtick in Toronto and introduced it to Montreal in 2015. Sehar was part of the inaugural Montreal edition of Lip-Schtick, securing both runner-up and winner spots across several more shows. In 2016, she also travelled to Toronto to take part in the JFL42 edition. Some of her noteworthy performances included iconic renditions such as Spandau Ballet's "True," Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love," Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off," Chromeo's "Jealous," Craig David's "Fill Me In," and classics like "It's Raining Men" by the Pointer Sisters and "Sexual Healing" in the Maxamillion version. Yes, all of those.
Photo: Robin Henderson