Elvira Kurt
Elvira Kurt, comedy legend, gay icon and freakin’ national treasure, is a multiple award-winning (Canadian Comedy Award / Cannes Film Festival Award / Toronto Fringe Festival Patron’s Pick / NOW Magazine Top 5 / World Film Fest: Gold), sold out solo show performer (Funny AF, Fearless, Homosexual Panic, Fired Up) and Canadian Screen Award nominated stand-up comic and Second City veteran whose credits as star, host, guest, writer and or talent director are simply far too many to mention. Except for these: Baroness Von Sketch Show, Iron Chef Canada, The Great Canadian Baking Show, Master Chef Canada, SpinOff, NickMom Night Out NYC, The Debaters, Degrassi, YTV’s The Game, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, Cook’d, Popcultured with Elvira Kurt, Four Weddings Canada, Best House, The Gayest Show Ever, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Ellen DeGeneres’ HBO special, Just For Laughs, Winnipeg, Halifax, Sydney and Melbourne Comedy Festivals and, of course, Elvira’s unforgettable stint on both of CBC Radio’s hit show, ‘Q’ and, ‘q’.
Joe Vu
After winning awards in advertising for a Super Bowl commercial and a Ted Talks 10 Global Ads worth sharing, Joe Vu abandoned his lucrative career in advertising to be totally disowned by his Asian parents.
Since then he’s been on national television, performing for The Winnipeg Comedy Festival and the prestigious Just For Laughs festival. He can also be heard on CBC’s The Debaters.
His comedy comes from the perspective of the under-represented Southeast Asian voice. Absurd, intelligent, and insightful, his routine is at once both entertaining and educational. His stand-up has been seen the world over, including on Facebook, where one of his videos has over 7.5 million views.
Amanda Day
Amanda Day, hailing from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has been plying her brand of smart, silly, and very dirty comedy stylings for a decade.
She has opened for such acts as Maria Bamford, Kurt Metzger, Brian Posehn, Jason Rouse, Craig Gass, Brian Redban and Tony Hinchcliffe, Baron Vaughn, and Mike Lawrence; toured as part of the all-female Mary Janes of Comedy show; performed in the Dark Comedy Festival; guest judged the dog costume contest in 2011’s Toronto Woofstock; announced wrestling at 2014’s RiotFest; and recorded and guest hosted for SiriusXM Radio.
She has performed at the Women in Comedy Festival in Boston, Chicago’s Women Funny festival, Los Angeles’ Laugh Riot Grrrl Comedy Festival, as part of the Canuck Cabaret in the Frigid Festival in New York, in Toronto’s NXNE, Fringe, and SheDot festivals; with Field Trip as part of Perfect 10; and the 420 Comedy Fest, Stoner Queer Comedy Fest, and 4/20 Rally, as well as recorded a special for ichannel’s No Kidding TV. She also produces and hosts Stoned-Up Comedy, a popular 420+ weekly show at Hot Box Café. Amanda Day has made appearances on Global TV’s Morning Show, was a regular panelist on In My Humble Opinion on Funny or Die, and had a podcast called Date Fail on the Talkhole network based on her popular posts on social media about online dating.
Recently, she recorded an album with the SheDot Festival & Sirius XM that will be released soon.
Jay Freeborn
Jay Freeborn has appeared on JFL42, SIRIUSxm, BITE TV, the Dark Comedy festival, and he was nominated for the Tim Sims award in recognition of comedy talent. He also hosts “Friday Night Special” inside the Underground comedy club. Jay has been selected to open for several American comedians like, Aparna Nancherla, Steve Hoffstetter, Joe Derosa, Sam Tripoli, Dean Delray, Brian Redban, Mark Normand, but mostly he wants you to know he will work for sliced meat!
Amy Bugg
Amy Bugg is a stand-up comic with a penchant for inactivity, mild-mannered jokes about pizza, and dogs who look like people. You’re likely to find her featured on comedy stages across the country or at the back of a rural Alberta bar practicing her very questionable karaoke skills.
You’ll remember Amy Bugg’s deadpan delivery from Sled Island (Calgary), Sirius XM’s Next Top Comic (Vancouver), Women in Comedy Festival 2017 (Boston), YYComedy Festival (Calgary), CBC’s “Grown-ups Read Things They Wrote as Kids”, and Oddblock (Winnipeg). Your mom might have also read her short story in Canadian Living.
Brendan D’Souza
Since starting standup in 2016, Brendan D’Souza has been making waves in the Canadian comedy scene with his frank explorations of queer and POC experiences, and the intersection of the two. Brendan’s rapid fire delivery and unflinching openness has won over audiences all over Ontario. He has been featured on We’re Funny That Way Festival, Cabbagetown Festival, and JFL42, and was recently nominated for the 2019 I Heart Jokes Award for Newcomer Comic of the Year. Brendan lives in Toronto with his roommate’s cat. He is his mother’s favourite second son.
Instagram: @dasouzie
Hannah Lawrence
Hannah Lawrence is a 23 year old stand-up comedian and writer from Toronto. In the short time since she began performing, Hannah has established herself as a passionate and rising talent. Hannah is a regular at the Corner Comedy Club and she has been selected to perform at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The NXNE Festival and The Durham Region Comedy Month. Hannah’s stand up has appeared on CBC’s The National and she was nominated for Best Newcomer at Toronto’s “I Heart Jokes Awards.” Hannah’s writing has appeared in Exclaim! Magazine and The Interrobang, and she is the recipient of the David Goodman Award for Comedic Excellence.
Jessie Singh
Jesse Singh realized from a young age that he did not deal well with conflict, or real life situations, or even stress, the man was just a mess emotionally yo. Slowly he began to realize that he can utilize humour as his way of getting through life and found stand up comedy. He has risen to becoming one of the youngest and funniest up and comers the city has to offer. He’s been featured on the JFL42 festival and has performed on stages across Canada honing his craft. He also had the opportunity of being a finalist in this past year’s devil cup comedy fest in NYC. His personal experiences and realness on stage make him not only hilarious but also very lovable. Like a thuggish teddy bear.
Mike Payne
Mike Payne is a rising star hailing from the Toronto comedy scene. His style can be described self deprecating virtue signaling or simply as fat and loud. Mike won the 2018 Etobicoke’s Top Comic competition and participated in the 2018 Brantford Comedy Festival. He has routinely appeared at comedy venues including Yuk Yuks, Absolute Comedy and Comedy Bar among others. Mike has opened for comics including Martha Chaves, Sandra Battaglini and Arthur Simeon to name a few. You can see Mike perform every Friday at his show Comedy Appetizer.