Artist Perspective for the 2026 Toronto Sketchfest: Jazmine Campanale, The Midnight Snacks
At first, I thought it was going to be easy.
I’ve worked as an actor on television shows for Netflix, TNT, CBC, FOX, Showcase and AMC; movies of the week on Lifetime; and commercials. I’ve seen how large productions are run. I’ve created, written, and produced a short film and a web series. How hard could being a part of a sketch troupe really be?
The joke was on me.
After graduating from The Second City Conservatory Program in 2025, the twelve of us bonded quickly, and our troupe, The Midnight Snacks, was born. Since then, our brains have constantly felt like we’re being pulled in a million different directions. Not only are we creating, pitching, and rehearsing our own sketches, we’re also booking rehearsal spaces, coordinating schedules, managing availability, and securing a director.
I thought things moved fast in TV and film, but sketch moves faster and can change at the drop of a hat.
We performed our first show as a troupe (outside of Second City) this year at Sketch to the Death 2026 and made it to the semi-finals. We were given a time slot with just 48 hours to prepare. We pulled together a rehearsal, built a tech sheet, then suddenly we were backstage, waiting. The lights dimmed. The crowd began chanting, “To the death! To the death!” My fellow performers looked at me like “Jaz, what have you gotten us into?” Three incredible acts went before us, and then it was our turn.
The moment we hit the stage and got our first big laugh — at a place we don’t normally get a laugh – I knew we had something.
For me, the overlap between film, television, and sketch is learning to manage chaos and thrive within it.
One of the biggest differences is budget. We’re like a bunch of feisty raccoons putting on a show on a shoestring. We have to be creative and keep things simple. On a union set, I’m hired to do one job. If I’m booked as an actor, I show up and act. But in sketch, we’re all thinking about costumes, props, writing, casting … and even building tech sheets with lighting and sound cues.
Both worlds require collaboration across a wide range of personalities, but the reward in sketch is immediate. The audience tells you right away if something works. In TV and film, you might wait months or even years to feel that response.
I feel privileged to be a part of The Midnight Snacks, this group of passionate, talented, and hard working people. One of my greatest joys has been watching everyone in our group thrive in their creative element, while also stepping up in production and organizational roles. It takes immense trust to build something like this together. Everyone brings a different strength, and when those strengths align, you create something bigger than any one person.
Sketch is community building. It’s where we develop what we want to say together, and what we find funny right now. And working in sketch has made me a better screen actor. It has sharpened my comedic timing and helped me develop an internal sense of trust in my instincts, which is something that can’t be taught.
I hope we get to do this again and again. Because amidst the chaos and the unseen work, when everything clicks and the audience bursts out in laughter, it reminds me exactly why we started.
The Midnight Snacks perform our new show, ‘Shtickin’ Together’ on March 14 at 9:00 pm at Comedy Bar Bloor Mainspace as part of the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival 2026. Please join us there. Tickets are available at torontosketchfest.com.
© Jazmine Campanale, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2026
