Punchlining Above Our Weight
Is Victoria Canada’s funniest city?
words by simon oGden // iMages by dan duvall + elyott ryAn
Stand-up comedy is not for wimps. For the fledgling performer, the most intimidating arena in the performing arts is undoubtedly a barroom full of faces turned to you, in various stages of intoxication and expectancy, all wearing the same expression: make me laugh. Armed with only your wits and a notepad of jokes, the threat of crickets greeting your efforts must be terrifying. A great set of stand-up unites the room in laughter, a bad one unites it in embarrassment. It’s not a craft for the thin-skinned.
Victoria, as it turns out, is a thick-skinned city. You can find professionally run comedy shows around town virtually every night of the week, showcasing comedians at every level, from enthusiastic amateurs to headliners. We’re in the middle of a comedy boom—the stand-up scene here has built itself into a close-knit and self-sufficient industry, even through the derailing of live performance caused by the pandemic. Dan Duvall, a touring comic and Victoria native, attributes this growth to our mutually supportive community of comedians, as well as collaboration with the many local breweries who have started offering up their tasting rooms for shows.
We’re in the middle of a comedy boom—the stand-up scene here has built itself into a close-knit and self-sufficient industry.
The main stage for comedy in Victoria is Hecklers Bar & Grill on Gorge Road East, where Duvall, along with co-owner Aaron McGeough, books pro touring comics months in advance. As one of the top comedy venues in the country, shows routinely sell out. And despite the portentous warning of the club’s name (it’s a sports bar too, and was originally named for armchair quarterbacks), the regular crowds are supportive and respectful. “We have great comedy audiences in Victoria,” says Duvall. “They show up ready to laugh, and they’ll meet you halfway.”
Phillips Brewing presents a stand-up show at the Mint on Douglas Street every Wednesday night, run by performers Morgan Cranny and Drew Farrance. Its pro-am format gives space to upwards of seven comics per show leading to the headliner of the night, and the depth of the city’s talent on display is indisputable.
Local comedic powerhouse Emily Woods opened a recent show at the Mint, immediately skyrocketing the pre-show energy to an eleven and keeping it there throughout her set, setting a warm tone for the comics who followed. She effortlessly engaged with the crowd through a mix of bulletproof confidence, winking flirtiness, and disarmingly self-deprecating material. This was headliner muscle at the top of the bill.
Woods runs her own comedy night, Pound Town Laughs, along with comedian Patricia Ellen at the Vicious Poodle on Johnson Street Monday nights. The interdependency of the comedy scene here is apparent, which to Duvall is a main driver of its current success: “Everyone talks to each other in Vic . . . we work together to make sure our shows don’t step on each other. It’s community-driven, not competition-based.” The Fernwood Inn and the Sticky Wicket on Douglas Street also hold regular stand-up shows.
Duvall credits local comedy company Okay, Dope with being a major contributor to the industry’s success in Victoria. Run by comic Nash Park and improviser Alex Forman, Okay, Dope offers multi-level classes in improv and stand-up, comedy podcasts, and shows at their Vic West headquarters.
“Nash Park is in a position to change the landscape of comedy in Canada,” Duvall says, referring to the extensive work Park has done in working with BC breweries and small theatres to expand the number of shows available to comics throughout the province, which has created a viable ecosystem of touring venues to help newcomers build material and confidence.
Ryan’s first piece of advice for anyone interested in trying their hand at stand-up: don’t do it. “If they do it anyway, they’re probably going to be okay.”
Like Duvall, Okay, Dope stand-up comedy instructor Elyott Ryan has been performing here for nine years. Ryan hosts pro-am shows at local breweries through his company Harbour Comedy, notably at Il Sauvage in Rock Bay on Tuesday nights and Beacon Brewing in Sidney on Thursdays, with a return to Driftwood Brewing in the works.
His commitment to stand-up is testament to its inclusive nature: “I had a different path than most people—I had really bad stage fright, which took me a long time to conquer.” When asked what drew him to the craft, he says, “I found it hard to make friends in college, so I was feeling down, depressed, like I didn’t really belong anywhere. But I’ve always needed a creative outlet, and I stumbled onto comedy. My first show went terribly, but I still got a few laughs, and I was hooked.”
Ryan’s first piece of advice for anyone interested in trying their hand at stand-up is a common tongue-in-cheek line in the industry: don’t do it. “If they do it anyway, they’re probably going to be okay.” Duvall and Ryan both offer similar advice for the determined would-be comic: get involved with the community. “Stand-up is a unique form—you have to practice in front of people,” says Ryan. “If you don’t show up at open mics and shows you won’t get booked, because people won’t think you’re in the game.”
Both agree that the note about open mics is key. They’re safer spaces to work out the early jitters, with forgiving audiences (“Sometimes no audiences,” says Ryan with a laugh). There are two open-mic nights available in Victoria: Tuesdays at the Phoenix bar on Quadra, and Thursdays at Sonora Bar & Grill on Yates. All you need to get started is three minutes of material. “Start by writing three one-minute-long jokes, and go to an open mic and run them,” says Duvall. “And classes can give you the ins and outs of the comedy scene, which is hard to access at first.” The Victoria Stand-up Comedy forum on Facebook is a handy resource as well.
Any gatekeeping to the stand-up scene here is minimal, just enough to maintain the integrity of the level of professionalism Victoria comedy has achieved. New comics are not merely welcome but encouraged, and attendance at Ryan’s intro classes at Okay, Dope is burgeoning. “I wanted to teach because comedy needs people bringing in new energy, and their friends, to shows, with new perspectives to revitalize the scene.”
Asked what makes Victoria comedy unique in the country, Duvall says, “Our sense of community, how friendly the scene is. We have the friendliest comedy scene in Canada.” For Ryan it’s that “people are allowed to develop their own unique style here—there’s no pressure to conform to a specific idea of what comedy is. Hecklers brings in a constant stream of top comedians to keep the locals hungry. And we have consistent shows with attentive audiences, which makes it easier to develop bits.”
If you’ve ever had an itch to give stand-up a shot, it’s clear you couldn’t live in a better town. Writing material for contemporary comedy is less about coming up with jokes than sharing personal stories, finishing with a twist. “Start noticing things in your life and journaling them,” advises Ryan. “Start from a place of honesty, then do a bait and switch.”
We’re fortunate that so many funny Victorians have chosen to ignore Ryan’s warning admonition, and are following through on their urge to perform. As they continue refining their craft for our amusement, Ryan says “the best real advice I have for new comedians is to write lots and stick with it.”
