Evany Rosen

Comedy writer, performer, showrunner

Bachelor of Arts (Hons.), Early Modern Studies and History, 2010

It was gripping! Is Odysseus going to survive this encounter with the Cyclops? Every scene was a story in itself. I remember thinking at the time, ‘I can’t believe it. I’m loving homework!’ That was a first.

Like many King’s alumni, when asked to think back to high school and that big decision of where to go to university, Evany Rosen knew she wanted to go somewhere small. She loved the idea of a university having a sense of community. The Toronto native mentions that she went to a small high school where she loved the intimate setting and the feeling of being a part of something. This sentiment, she says, drew her to King’s.

“With the Foundation Year Program (FYP) at King’s,” says Evany, “I found what I was looking for. It was such a tailored learning experience. And I was a big history person before King’s, so to learn about topics like the history of philosophy, and in such a curated way, that was exciting—and I didn’t see any other school that was offering something like that, especially in such an intimate setting.”

Within her first two weeks of FYP, Evany says that she “already felt like I knew everyone,” an impression that reinforced her belief that King’s was where she belonged. This was solidified further, however, in her third week, when there was a toga party at Chapel Bay. A college tradition, to be sure—but this toga party was different.

“This was the most authentic toga party of all time,” says Evany. “Of course, we were studying Greek literature, so looking back this was just the most ‘King’s thing’ ever. I really loved it.”

Evany came to love the study of classics. She recounts reading The Odyssey and feeling as though she were a kid under the sheets with a flashlight.

“It was gripping! Is Odysseus going to survive this encounter with the Cyclops? Every scene was a story in itself. I remember thinking at the time, ‘I can’t believe it. I’m loving homework!’ That was a first.”

Not only was the subject matter thrilling to Evany, she also describes her professors as both encouraging and accommodating.

“I was touring as a stand-up comic when I was at King’s, and my professors were wonderful in terms of supporting that, like extending a deadline for me to hand in a paper because I would be on the road. They were so cool about it. I owe them for how accommodating they were as much as I owe them for the education they gave me.”

Today, Evany has a busy career in film, working as writer, performer and showrunner.

“I work a lot in the period piece medium, so a lot of my work in the arts has been about subject matter I learned at King’s. And while students may wonder, ‘Is this degree I’m doing really going to help me?’ in my case, I’ve been hired to be show runner on historical comedies because of my King’s degree. During an interview, when asked about my interest in history, I say, ‘Well, I have a degree in Early Modern Studies and History,’ and I can see them relax a bit, because they need to trust you with million-dollar budgets. So being that familiar with an era really helps.”

A great deal of Evany’s work these days is coming in the field of voice acting, including credits with shows such as Powerbirds, Hotel Transylvania: The Series, Mysticons and Total DramaRama. With so many film and TV productions shut down due to Covid, Evany says “they are still able to make cartoons,” so voice acting has become a foundation of her work.

In addition to her voice work, and additional projects in development, Evany experienced great success in December 2019, when New Eden, an eight-episode comedy series she co-created, co-wrote and also acts in, began streaming on Crave. Described as “a mockumentary about the founding and evolution of a women’s cult in British Columbia,” this show, too, has a historical setting.

“But not as far back as the books I read in FYP,” says Evany with a laugh. “This show only goes as far back as the 1970s.”

Photo by Jasper Savage