Janice Bannister knows what it’s like to struggle to be heard in the world of stand-up comedy.
She worked her way through the club system as a comic, being turned away at doors because there was “already another woman on stage.”
These days, the owner and producer of Laughter Zone 101 knows how important it is to make space for different voices – and she’s once again proving that with F if for Funny Too, coming to the Anvil Centre stage on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m.
“By creating shows featuring comics with diverse backgrounds, lived experiences and perspectives, Bannister is opening the doors to audiences that felt previously unwelcomed, and providing a new platform for some truly incredible comics to perform, sharing their stories and voices with an audience in a way that traditional theatre simply can’t,” says a press release about the event.
F is For Funny Too is the second in a series of comedy events that are being produced at Anvil Centre by Laughter Zone 101. Tickets are available at www.ticketsnw.ca or 604-521-5050.
Here’s who you’ll see onstage, as the press release outlines:
Beverley O’Neil
O’Neil, a First Nations comic, first got into stand-up comedy after getting out of a speeding ticket by telling a joke. Her first “official” stand-up comedy was more than seven years ago, covering the quirks of dating and the troubles of being raised by an Irish dad who wanted sons.
Ray Morrison
Morrison, the “elder statesman” of the comedy world, thrives in the genre of observational humour as he brings his comedy to family issues, mundane daily activities and the fun of aging. He has appeared on many local stages including Lafflines and Yuk Yuk’s.
Steve McGowan
McGowan’s comedy combines observational stories of the day-to-day with tales of past relationships and today’s single life. He’s known for being open and honest, with a “wild frat boy style of comedy” that makes it feel like a party where everyone is welcome.
Nic Enright-Morin
Enright-Morin is a stand-up comedian from London, England, now based in Vancouver, who describes herself as “less Mary Poppins and more Cruella de Ville.” She was recently the feature act for Debra DiGiovanni on the I Am Woman, Hear Me Laff tour, and she also performed at the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Festival 2018.
Yumi Nagashima
Nagashima is a mainstay on the Vancouver comedy scene but has performed in seven different countries (U.S.A., Australia, England, Germany, Sweden, Japan and Canada). She has appeared on the CBC radio program The Debaters and was a finalist in the 2016 and 2017 Yuk Off Competition. She’s also an accomplished actor whose credits include The Man in the High Castle (HBO).
Devon More
More is a creator, activator and storyteller who serves as producer of Way Off-Broadway Wednesdays at Heritage Grill. She describes herself as “just another poetic post-capitalist polyglot singing songwriting lyrically obsessed long-limbed live-looping multi-instrumentalist melodic middle child wielding art-as-activism performer.”
Julia Stretch
Stretch grew up in Alberta and lives in Vancouver, where she improvises with Queer Prov. She was most recently seen in New West as a featured comic for New West Pride’s GAYlarious fundraiser. She has performed stand-up everywhere from corporate Christmas parties to prairie Legion halls, tricked-out basements, gay campgrounds in Texas and Toronto Pride.
Erin Jeffery (MC)
Jeffery lives in New Westminster, where she works at the Massey Theatre and for the Uptown Business Association. The “relapsed actor and professional communicator turned stand-up comedian” has performed all around the Lower Mainland in film, television and stage over the past two decades.
