Stir Cheat Sheet: 6 Vancouver comedy series to catch
Founded by Theatre Sports alumni, The Comedy Department is one new local company offering live stand-up shows
The Comedy Department’s Denise Jones and David Milchard.
LAUGHTER MAY NOT rid the world of all that ails it, but it’s potent medicine nonetheless, and Vancouver’s comedy scene is eliciting a lot of laughs these days. Here are a few events to check out this summer and beyond.
The Comedy Department
New to Vancouver’s comedy community, The Comedy Department was founded by two local superstars, Vancouver TheatreSports alumni Denise Jones and David Milchard (pictured at top).
Formerly artistic director of Vancouver TheatreSports, Jones has performed improv for Crystal, Princess, and Norwegian Cruise Lines, and as a film and TV actor, she was nominated for a Leo award for her role in Preggoland opposite James Caan; was directed by Steven Spielberg in the film BFG; and has appeared in Air Bud movies such as Superbuddies, Pup Academy, and Russell Madness, among other roles.
Milchard is an alumnus of Second City and a member of the international hit-touring show The Comic Strippers (Canadian Comedy Award Winner) who is one half of David and Ken, an improved rock ’n’ roll comedy duo. The director of the 2020 VIFF feature film F**king Idiots, he has appeared in Altered Carbon, Psych, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep, and Tim Burton’s Big Eyes. He and Matthew Clark are the masterminds behind YouTube’s Convo TV; we especially love Milchard as Coco in Clarke’s Convos With My 2-Year-Old, which has amassed more than 125 million views.
Like Jones and Milchard, The Comedy Department’s performers are best in class, having performed around the globe and at events like Just For Laughs; BumberShoot; and the Chicago, Seattle, Miami, Vancouver and San Francisco Improv festivals.
The Company Department runs Improv Thursdays every week at The Park Pub at Best Western Plus Sands on Davie Street. Tickets, $25, and more details are here.
Charlie Demers.
Comedy Here Often: Monthly Showcase
Catch CHO’s ever-changing lineup of aspiring and pro comics on the last Friday of every month at 8 pm at 604 Studios (795 E Cordova Street). Past guests of the series have included Andrea Jin, Maddy Kelly, Charlie Demers, Chris Britten, Alannah Brittany. there’s a bar on -site. More details and tickets ($14/$17 /$20) are here.
Hector Rivas.
Dat Comedy Cartel
Venezuelan-born comedian Hector Rivas and Milton Ng, a Chinese-Canadian stand-up artist, filmmaker, and content creator, produce this weekly one-hour show featuring up-and-coming talent as well as established artists at Mangos Kitchen Bar, a Latin American restaurant downtown, every Wednesday. The open mic runs from 7 to 9:30 pm, with cover charge by donation.
Jalen Saip.
The Improv Centre
First established as Vancouver TheatreSports League in 1981, The Improv Centre (TIC) recently appointed Jalen Saip to the role of artistic director. A long-time performer and improviser, Saip is also an actor, photographer, and entrepreneur who plans on diversifying TIC’s ensemble through an open audition process. TIC offers several regular shows at its home base on Granville Island, including Kids in Charge (Saturdays at 2 pm) and Drag at The Improv, hosted by vintage pinup model Xana (monthly a Thursday). Then there’s Date Night, every Wednesday at 7:30 pm. The only thing more painfully funny than your own dating, relationship, and breakup stories are someone else’s. More information is here.
Speakeasy Stand Up Comedy
Joyride Comedy presents this laugh riot every second Wednesday of the month at 8 pm in the speakeasy room at Chinatown’s Addah Restaurant (555 Gore Street). Ola Dada (the Nigerian-born, Fort McMurray-raised comedian who was a semifinalist in Canada’s Got Talent), Ed Hill, Colin Sharp, Gavin Clarkson, Marito Lopez, and Jan Bannister are among the series’ previous headliners. Tickets are $10; more info is here.
Amber Harper-Young.
Yuk Yuk’s
Saturday nights in Surrey are the place to be for comedy’s heavy-hitters, with Yuk Yuk’s having moved to its new home at the Elements Casino earlier this year. This summer has already seen bright lights like Sunee Dhaliwal, Julie Kim, and Jacob Samuel on-stage, while Darryl Lennox and Amber Harper-Young are among August’s headliners; fall shows are soon to be announced.
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