Hour Magazine (July 2005)

Fear of a Brown Planet

Directed, written and performed by Nile Séguin. Basically an extended stand-up routine, Fear of the Brown Planet consists of an up-and-coming comedian recounting the bizarre, racially charged experiences that inevitably hound a black performer and the twisted insight he has gleamed from these experiences. Séguin's razor-sharp wit touches on a variety of topics from interracial dating to his vision of a Rwandan sitcom, and over-all, his style is perceptive, confrontational and, at its best, unabashedly gutsy. Although there are times when the longer, more anecdotal form allows Séguin to wander dangerously close to the realm of political diatribe, as a whole, this is one of the best comedic sets you will see in Montreal or anywhere.

Fran Eye Magazine (July 2005)

Fear of a Brown Planet

Written and performed by Nile Séguin. July 8, 1:30pm; July 10, 6pm; July 11, 3pm.

Rwandan-French Canadian Nile Séguin has laughing audiences in the palm of his puppet-clad hand in this fractured journey through race relations and the perils of a racist entertainment industry. Séguin has comic ease with an audience and his artful handling of the crowd definitely earns the man some laurel leaves: coaching a demure Canadian audience to loudly spell out the word "nigger" takes some doing. But its dramtically obvious that Séguin is no dramaturge and this show lacks the structure and arc a play demands. Yet still delivers more laughs and entertainment than most comedy clubs.

Now Magazine (July 2005)

Provcation Seguin

Fear of a Brown Planet written and performed by Nile Séguin, directed by Aaron Berg. Presented by Third Man at the Factory Studio. July 8 at 1:30 pm, July 10 at 6 pm, July 11 at 3 pm. Rating: NNN

With his confident and cocky delivery, stand-up comic Nile Séguin (who's of Rwandan and French-Canadian background) takes on the race issues as it applies to the entertainment industry. His observations - everything from a Rwandan-themed sitcom called I dream of Genie-cide to how comics use language to gain street cred - are funny, uncompromising and intelligent. The script needs tightening, and Séguin (who lost his was on opening night) seems more passionate about some parts of his script than others.

But this is a comedy doing what it should - provoking us, changing us and making us laugh.

Now Magazine (July 2004)

Their jest desserts: comics get the last laugh at the Fringe

...Stand up Nile Séguin also uses personal experience in his show, Fear Of A Brown Planet, but his target is the comedy community itself.

In the business for nearly a decade, Séguin, who was born in Ottawa and is part Rwandan, part French-Canadian, was shocked when he was told early on by a club owner that he could be a "black guy who isn't black."

"That was a great note for my career to start on." he jokes, "in retrospect, it was foreshadowing."

Séguin says it is hard being a brown man in a black-and-white industry. His first Toronto agent, he says, tried to get him on Yuk Yuk's monthly All-Black Comedy Night, even though he didn't want that.

One of the low points came when Séguin auditioned for an audio gig but was allowed only to read for the urban American hiphop character and not the French chef, even though he considers himself more French-Canadian than black.

"I guess I never wanted to be a comic who did nothing but race material," he explains.

"The first rule is that you write about what you know. Sure, I'm brown, but I deal with a lof of otherstuff during the day. I like to think that if we all were to wake up and find we're all from the same race, I'd have a lot more than 15 minutes of material."

Séguin keeps the facts straight but tries to avoid naming names.

"I want the show to be funny and intelligent. I don't want to blame. The last thing I want is club owners cowering in the back feeling insulted. That's not fun for anyone."...

Toronto Sun (July 2004)

Toronto Fringe: Fear of a Brown Planet

July 10(6p.m.), July 11(3p.m.), $8. Factory studio Theatre, 125 Bathurst St. After more than five years working in the entertainment industry, Nile Séguin (writer and preformer) has amassed a series of bizarre anecdotes stemming from being a brown man in a black and white industry. Fear of a Brown Planet takes a look at these stories, the issues they bring up as well as other questions we've probably all wondered about but were afraid to ask.

Press Release: The Fringe (May - July 2004)

Fear of a Brown Planet

And so it will come to pass that when the sensibilities of the masses will be clouded with jests of the differences betwen maidens and men and the armada of reality programs will stop every channel in the sea of television, a man-child, of Moorish and French descent, will crawl forth from the belly of the industry, broken and soulless and lo, he will bitch about it.

From the "Lost Tapes" section of the upcoming Nostradamus Jam Sessions DVD.

Aftre more than five years working in the entertainment industry, Nile Séguin has amassed a series of bizarre anecdotes stemming from being a bron man in a black and white industry. Fear of a Brown Planet takes a comical look at these stories, the issues they bring up as well as other questions we've all probably wondered about but were afraid to ask.

Despite performing stan up in Toronto, Montréal and New York, writing for This Hour Has 22 Minutes and having shorts featured twise at the Just For Laughs Festival, Nile Séguin has been crushed and should offer little or no resistance.