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Poster for Comedy is Art, featuring photos of a diverse array of stand-up & sketch comedy & music performers against a pink background, arrows pointing up to the right surrounding the title.
Poster for Comedy is Art, featuring photos of a diverse array of stand-up & sketch comedy & music performers against a pink background, arrows pointing up to the right surrounding the title.

Five nights of comedy

+ good vibes, featuring stand-up, sketch comedy, improv & music.

Home Events Performance Comedy is Art. Festival

Comedy is Art. Festival

The Theatre Centre presents its annual Comedy is Art. Festival, five nights of comedy, music and good vibes from Tuesday, October 24 to Saturday, October 28, 2023. This year’s festival features: Double Trouble, solo shows from Aliya Kanani and Al Val; Music, Then Comedy, curated by Kirsten Rasmussen; Ms. Titaverse, a new musical comedy by the Tita Collective; The Minority Report Sketch & Stand-Up Comedy: Different POVs From POCs; and Kaiju Comedy presents: Intertribal.

These five nights of can’t-miss comedy are curated by liza paul – comedian, storyteller and Theatre Centre Associate Artistic Director – to feature some of the best comedians in the game from across Toronto and beyond. This wildly talented bunch of unique comedic voices will deliver a week of non-stop jokes: there’s stand-up, there’s music, there’s improv, there’s sketch. There’s every flavour imaginable, all on one stage for one week only. Join them as they declare: Comedy is Art!

Poster for Comedy is Art, featuring photos of a diverse array of stand-up & sketch comedy & music performers against a pink background, arrows pointing up to the right surrounding the title, plus event details.

(Photo credits: The Theatre Centre.)

 

Comedy is Art. Program
Tuesday, October 24: Double Trouble

In a Comedy is Art. Festival first, the opening night features back-to-back solo shows by acclaimed artists Aliya Kanani and Al Val. Two totally different styles make for one hilarious night.

Work in Progress with Aliya Kanani: A night of comedy paired with juicy life hacks!

With her mischievous personality and playful delivery, Aliya will keep the laughs coming while she takes you on her journey of self-reflection. What could be better than comedy and life hacks all rolled into one? Add a tiny little existential crisis somewhere in the middle and we’ve got ourselves a show!

Riffs On Riffs with Al Val: An Evening of Comedy and Music

Rising Canadian comedy starlet Al Val departs from her usual standard of fast-talking, body-flailing stand-up comedy to a more intimate and diverse performance. Watch with glee as she intersperses her anecdotal comedy act with high-flying improvised rock guitar jams. Val’s talent for improvisation, both in comedy and music, on full display!

 

Wednesday, October 25: Music, Then Comedy

From acclaimed comedian, writer and director Kirsten Rasmussen (The Snoopy Show), Music, Then Comedy is a night of improvised comedy inspired by live music performed by Lane Webber, and featuring a stacked lineup of improvisers: Tyra Banda (Second City), Brandon Hackett (CTV’s Shelved), Monica Garrido Huerta (Radio Aluna Theatre), Leigh Cameron (My Little Pony), Ben Sosa Wright (Just for Laughs) and Rasmussen herself.

 

Thursday, October 26: Ms. Titaverse

The Spice Girls of Comedy, the Tita Collective, are back with a brand new musical comedy! Ms. Titaverse is about a beauty pageant, but funnier, angrier and with much more chicken adobo.

The Tita Collective is an all-Filipina collective composed of award-winning playwrights, comedians, musicians, dancers, theatre makers and actors: Ann Paula Bautista (Grow), Belinda Corpuz (Ursa: A Folk Musical), Ellie Posadas (Scarborough), Alia Rasul (Moro Girl) and Maricris Rivera (Short Dances). They explore different mediums to tell the stories about the Filipin* diaspora. Through theatre, comedy, music and movement, the Titas aspire to tell stories that: thoughtfully honour and celebrate their roots and history, explore their identities as Filipinas, represent the narratives of the Philippine diaspora in an inclusive and respectful way, and nurture and unite community through joy and laughter.

 

Friday, October 27: The Minority Report Sketch & Stand-up Comedy: Different POVs from POCs

Born of a need for diverse voices and perspectives in the comedy industry, THE MINORITY REPORT began as a virtual quarantine-relief comedy show. When the time came to evolve into live shows, the cast continued to produce inclusive commentary on today’s changing cultural landscape. Catch this one-of-a-kind show live at Comedy is Art, featuring Jean Paul, Cedric Newman, Jay Martin, Crystal Ferrier and Keesha Brownie. This funny, fast-paced and timely sketch comedy show provides different POVs from different POCs (People of Comedy). THE MINORITY REPORT is a show that won’t speak for ONE; it’s a show that will speak to ALL.

 

Saturday, October 28: Kaiju Comedy presents: Intertribal

Gather for a night of laughs with comics from all walks of life. Taking inspiration from Pow Wows (a celebration deeply ingrained within Indigenous culture) and intertribal dances (where everyone is welcomed to the dance ground), Intertribal is a celebration of the multicultural country that is Canada. With comics hailing from across the world, this show features Kevin Shawanda, Clif Knight, Rush Kazi, Denise B. McLeod, Danish Anwar and more.

 

About the Comedy is Art. Festival

The Comedy is Art. Festival is an annual comedy festival hosted by The Theatre Centre, featuring stand-up and sketch comedy, improv and music. The Theatre Centre recognizes comedy as a distinct artform and, through its annual festival, offers artists the space, time, resources and platform that comedy deserves. The Theatre Centre also dedicates at least one Residency spot to a comedian.

For comedians, the only way to know if a joke is working is to put it out in front of people and see if it makes them laugh. That degree of vulnerability, that lack of anything else to hide behind – that’s what makes comedy one of the bravest things out there.

About The Theatre Centre

The Theatre Centre is a nationally recognized live-arts incubator and community hub whose mission is to “offer a home for creative, cultural and social interactions to invent the future”. Read more about The Theatre Centre here.

We make work that spans disciplines and genres; work that pushes the boundaries of what is considered “art”. Our programming and our role as a community space are inextricably linked. Art is not made in a silo: it is connected to the world around it.

Poster for Comedy is Art, featuring photos of a diverse array of stand-up & sketch comedy & music performers against a pink background, arrows pointing up to the right surrounding the title.

Event details

Hosted by: The Theatre Centre

Curated by: liza paul

Type of event: comedy festival with live performance & music

Festival dates & times: Tuesday, October 24 – Saturday, October 28 (please refer to each show for details)

Duration: 60-75 minutes each night

Cost: Pick-Your-Price, from C$15.00, $30.00, $45.00, $60.00

Location: The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St. W, Toronto, ON, M6J 1J1

Booking link for theatre performances: Book your tickets here.

Contact Details: The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St. W, Toronto, ON, M6J 1J1, Canada; 416-538-0988, boxoffice@theatrecentre.org, theatrecentre.org

 

Content warning: For audiences 18+. Mature subject matter.

Accessibility: The Theatre Centre is physically accessible to audiences and artists alike. Each level has a barrier-free washroom and there’s a lift available for public use. If you have questions or need specific accommodations, please email or call the box office at 416-538-0988 and they’ll do their best to help you out. While the box office staff is working from home there will not be anyone on site to answer the phone. Leave a message and they will endeavour to return your call within 24 hours. More info here. 

COVID-19 policy: Info here.