The Candy Show

The road to being a stand-up comic is a difficult one and it takes a certain kind of toughness to submit to unforgiving and cruel comedy club audiences. In her late thirties, and well established in the bureaucracy of the Nova Scotia government, Candy Palmater is an unlikely newcomer to the comedy world. But Candy is afraid of no one. She's a Mi'kmaq from Northern New Brunswick who grew up in a family of bikers. Always a fighter, she once took on Tim Horton's in a union drive. Losing that battle taught her some lessons about justice and power and propelled her to law school, where she earned the honor of being class valedictorian. Today, however, this "recovered lawyer" as she calls herself, is a civil servant who does training in Aboriginal and diversity issues. Candy Palmater is an activist who's decided that comedy is a better way to deliver some uncomfortable truths. Besides, being a stand-up comic suits her bigger than life personality. The Candy Show follows her progress through the course of a year, beginning with a performance at one of the smaller venues in the Halifax Comedy Festival. She hopes that one year later she'll be invited to the festival's main stage. But as Candy tries to launch a new career she embarks on an emotional roller coaster, both on stage and off.