One of the most challenging jobs in show business is stand-up comedy. This is because of the level of confidence and talent it takes for a comedian to step on stage and successfully deliver a bunch of jokes that make the audience laugh. This month, actress and comedian Kirsten Van Ritzen and her company of students will host their 10th annual Ho Ho Ho Comedy Show with the goal of meeting that very challenge.
Van Ritzen says that stand-up comedy is about comedians sharing thoughts and making a connection with the audience.
“Stand-up comedy, at its best, is we get on stage and we share a thought and it shines a light on human behaviour and we make a connection with the audience, who laugh,” says Van Ritzen. “The most important thing is laughing. Especially now, we need laughter, so it’s that shared experience of we get to deliver some jokes, make that connection with an audience and share in that moment of enjoyment.”
Van Ritzen says that working through the COVID-19 pandemic has been very fulfilling creatively but was also quite worrying, for herself and other comedians.
“I was very lucky because I’m also an actor and a dancer. I did a lot of film performances, I did some theatre over Zoom, so that fulfilled me creatively,” she says. “I did worry for some of my fellow comedians who normally perform at comedy shows and open mics that were closed on and off… I think overall I made it through being very fulfilled doing all of the creative projects I got to do, and I think it’s made us more grateful that we can now return to performing live.”
Van Ritzen teaches a comedy class to beginners of all ages and experiences, and that’s where the talent found in the Ho Ho Ho Comedy Show comes from.
“We have about eight weeks of classes and then it concludes with a comedy showcase where they are performing for a large audience,” she says. “Some of them, it’s their very first performance ever.”
Van Ritzen says that her students can be very nervous but the show always turns out be a really fun and triumphant evening for everyone.
“I know that my performers are really nervous, especially if it’s their first time,” she says. “I make sure that they feel very confident and well prepared, so when they’re performing for their friends and family and strangers and they kill and they get huge waves of laughter, I always feel really proud of their performance and I know they’ve had an incredible experience. Because they started with the class, kind of thinking they don’t know if they’ll be able to do it, they’re afraid of failure, everyone’s afraid of bombing, and they make it through and they do that performance, and it’s a huge triumph for them. I’m always really happy to facilitate that experience for them.”
Van Ritzen says that the main thing she wants people to take away from the event is laughter.
“I want them to laugh really hard,” she says. “That’s my greatest joy, to be able to bring laughter to the world, and every one of my comics has a different life experience, and so they’re sharing something completely different, a different form of humour, so there is going to be something for everybody. Especially after this past year, it’s been so hard on so many people. To be able to bring a comedy show to people, I’m just really pleased to finally be able to do it again.”
Ho Ho Ho Comedy Show
8 pm Saturday, November 27
$15 advance/$20 at the door, Oak Bay Rec Centre Sports View Bar & Grill
kirstenvanritzen.com