Camosun student Bo Essery gets some laughs onstage (photo by David Bruce).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nEssery has been onstage about 20 times, so he says he\u2019s still pretty fresh. He says that the exposure is helping his confidence develop beyond the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is definitely giving me more confidence, and I\u2019m noticing it on the street, or striking up a conversation on the bus or something,\u201d says Essery. \u201cIt has helped me, and it\u2019s getting easier every time I\u2019m onstage as I get more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are at least 30 to 40 people in the crowd on Mondays at S\u00fclt, says Essery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt always gets a good turnout and the audience is always fantastic,\u201d Essery says. \u201cIt\u2019s a nice restaurant, and they\u2019re actually paying to get in, so you end up with an audience that\u2019s a little more receptive to comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone I talked to agrees on just how much fun the S\u00fclt Mine is. Lou says that Mondays at S\u00fclt have a different feel because you don\u2019t know who will show up in the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s interesting because it\u2019s not always a comedy audience,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you can work with them, it proves something about your jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re looking for open-mic comedy, S\u00fclt is the best room by far right now, says Farrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cS\u00fclt is so much fun,\u201d says Farrance. \u201cI don\u2019t know why yet. I\u2019m still trying to figure out why, but it\u2019s much more fun than any other open mic. It is somehow such a warm audience, seemingly for no reason; I cannot explain why. It\u2019s not a booked show, where you always get an audience that wants to be there. All the comics know that, so they\u2019re doing their best material.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) has held comedy events on campus in the past, says CCSS clubs and events coordinator Tagg Kelt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe did about three shows that were fairly well attended,\u201d he says. \u201cThe first one was the best attended, and then there was a decrease in the number of attendees, and the last one literally had three people at it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CCSS events are aimed at providing student entertainment, rather than making money, but it still comes down to a cost analysis, says Kelt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe comedy events did well in the past, but they also did poorly. I\u2019d rather spend the money on events that we know would have a result, but if somebody came to me with a good strategy on getting people to come to a comedy show I would be on board for that. If somebody came to me and said, \u2018I can guarantee 20 students would come to this comedy show,\u2019 I\u2019d be like, \u2018Done!\u2019 If you can guarantee 20 that means 30 will show.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Off campus, there are a bunch of booked shows scattered throughout the calendar, but for years now, Phillips Comedy Night at the Mint has been the premier showcase of Victoria\u2019s best amateur comics. The event, held every Wednesday, is co-produced by Farrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe sort of showcase the best of [the local comics], and then people come from out of town and do headlining spots,\u201d says Farrance. \u201cI like to think of it as the pinnacle of our scene. You see the jokes evolve at the open mics, but you get to see them in pristine form at Phillips Comedy Night. It\u2019s kind of like spring training and then the actual season\u2026 I\u2019m not good at sports, so my metaphors aren\u2019t great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thomas says he loves performing at the Phillips Comedy Night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably one of the best amateur shows in town,\u201d says Thomas. \u201cIt\u2019s regularly sold out, so the comics have to bring their best show. It\u2019s kind of like a showcase kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Essery recently performed at The Mint for the first time, and he says it\u2019s a fantastic room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably the most receptive audience and the funnest room I\u2019ve performed in so far,\u201d says Essery. \u201cEverybody is there to see comedy, and that definitely helps. There are no walk-ins checking to see what\u2019s up. They always book phenomenal comics every week. The guys who run it are hilarious and just awesome dudes. It\u2019s just an all-around great experience. The room itself has a fantastic vibe; it\u2019s kind of like a speakeasy. It\u2019s got a great vibe, and that helps out a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Essery thinks his first set at The Mint went well. He says he was sort of surprised, as it was \u201cfairly explicit material.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was great,\u201d he says. \u201cEveryone was laughing and I didn\u2019t have any dead spots. I wish I would have recorded it because you have a different perspective when you\u2019re up onstage because you\u2019re caught in the moment. I\u2019m still new, so I\u2019m full of anxiety and adrenaline, and I\u2019m just trying to get the words out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It seems like everyone has fun at The Mint on Wednesdays, both onstage and in the crowd, but there are some who say that laughs come a little bit too easily these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost people do well there,\u201d says Proudlove. \u201cIt\u2019s like a giant hug for your jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lou agrees with the latter observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWednesday nights at The Mint, you always get a hot crowd, meaning they\u2019ll laugh at anything, which is really great for the confidence, but it\u2019s not always informative,\u201d says Lou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proudlove says that when an amateur at the beginning of the night gets just as many laughs as he does at the end of the night, that\u2019s a sign that it\u2019s an easy audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re happy to be there and support comedy, which is great,\u201d he says, \u201cbut they don\u2019t give me the information I need to work on my jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve been a fan of stand-up since I was a child, but never on a level that gave me an understanding of the science of it all. In an attempt to better understand the audience\/comic relationship, I\u2019ve been going out and sitting quietly in the corner at shows around town and observing the audience reaction. I got an unexpected lesson while at Logan\u2019s one night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 8:02, two minutes after the show was scheduled to start, I was anxiously tapping my foot and looking at my watch when I heard a chorus of yells from the crowd around the pool table. I looked up to see several local comics trying to tell a crew of drunks, who looked like extras from Point Break<\/em>, that they had to stop playing pool for an hour while the comics took to the stage. It didn\u2019t go over well. I thought for a moment they were going to attack a few of the comedians, but luckily it didn\u2019t escalate beyond yelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen the dust settled, the unruly patrons walked away and the host hit the stage, noticeably rattled by the whole ordeal. He did a great job working through it, but the room was silent for a minute or two. As heart rates steadied, the jokes were met with more laughs, and the comics got progressively more relaxed as the audience warmed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t seen anything like that before,\u201d says Farrance. \u201cIt was such a beautiful day, and they were day drinking the shit out of it. They didn\u2019t realize that the comedy was happening, and they weren\u2019t into it. That is one of the drawbacks of a free show.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An experienced comic learns to compensate if an audience is cold at the beginning of the set, says Proudlove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can do a show that\u2019s doldrums off the top, and your job is to go up there and try to entertain them,\u201d says Proudlove. \u201cYou know pretty quick if they\u2019re gonna be into it or not. Once in a while you can turn around a crowd. If you\u2019re on an all-amateur show and you step up and show a little bit of professionalism you\u2019re probably gonna do better because you\u2019ve gained those skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The audience plays an incredibly important role at a comedy show, says Proudlove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe used to do two shows Friday and two shows Saturday, and sometimes one show would go better than the other,\u201d says Proudlove. \u201cIf I tell the same jokes in the same order and one show is better than the other, it\u2019s because of audience participation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most interesting parts of comedy is the fact that anyone can be in an audience, says Farrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is totally unpredictable at a free show,\u201d he says. \u201cEven if you have a nominal fee to get in, you can sort of weed out the people who just stand back and watch. You get people who are like, \u2018I want to see something funny. I\u2019ll pay $5 to see that.\u2019 So that\u2019s why Logan\u2019s can be really warm or really cold, because you never know who\u2019s going to be in the crowd, or who\u2019s going to be onstage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thomas says that there\u2019s nothing like having a whole crowd into what you\u2019re saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe energy you feel when everyone is on your side is amazing,\u201d Thomas says. \u201cIt\u2019s just so fun. And then all my best friends are out there, and I get to hang out and talk with comedians. That\u2019s half the reason I\u2019m doing stand-up. There are great people out there. It lets me get my ideas out. It kind of keeps me sane, now that I\u2019m into it. When I have a bad day that\u2019s where I need to be. It\u2019s like free therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a comic you can\u2019t blame the audience, but they are a variable, and they are always going to be a variable, Proudlove says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat makes the best shows is an audience that\u2019s in the right mood,\u201d says Proudlove. \u201cMaybe they\u2019ve had the right number of drinks and they want to watch comedy. When you go to a show and the audience is hyped and they want to have a good time it makes a huge difference. The audience has a role to play. Sometimes you\u2019ll hear them say, \u2018This comic isn\u2019t funny,\u2019 but on the other hand you\u2019ll hear the comedians say, \u2018This audience is terrible.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what\u2019s the best comedy venue in Victoria? It\u2019s not even close, says Proudlove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHecklers is a professional room,\u201d says Proudlove. \u201cIt\u2019s literally one of the best places to play in Canada. You\u2019ll hear that from all touring comics. Everyone wants to play it. It\u2019s got an owner who cares about comedy, which is a rarity in this business. He makes the effort week to week to get audiences and it thrives. It should be the template, in any town, if you want to make comedy survive. There is no other room like it. It\u2019s not even close. It\u2019s the best place to play, hands down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Farrance agrees that Hecklers is the best venue but says that he would like to see more local comics getting a shot there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all trying to get into that room,\u201d he says. \u201cOccasionally I do get spots there. In many ways I see Hecklers as being separate from the comedy scene. They don\u2019t particularly give the local scene a chance to co-middle, even though it would very likely save them money. They are great shows. I\u2019m not trying to take away from what they do, but I don\u2019t see them as being a part of the Victoria comedy scene.\u201d (Hecklers did not respond to a request for an interview.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comics in this town should consider themselves lucky, Proudlove says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re an amateur comic with an interest in being good, you should be at Hecklers almost every weekend because it\u2019s a free lesson,\u201d says Proudlove. \u201cIf they\u2019re not there they\u2019re just spinning wheels. There are a lot of things you can see there that you won\u2019t see in the rooms because we don\u2019t have a lot of pros. It\u2019s a chance to see people who are super skilled and see how they go about things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best stage to watch is definitely Hecklers, says Thomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey get professionals,\u201d Thomas says. \u201cFrom what I\u2019ve heard from touring headliners who\u2019ve done shows all over the world, it\u2019s one of the best clubs in Canada. They just respect comedy there and want to have a good show. They do everything they can to keep it tightly run. They hire great staff, they keep hecklers quiet. That\u2019s definitely my favourite club to watch at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lou agrees with her peers, saying that Hecklers is her favourite because they really care about putting on a good show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have hosted, and I\u2019ve middled there, which is the feature act,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s fun to perform there because they change it up all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the man in the taxi who got me thinking about doing this story in the first place, he says he is probably finished with the grind of taking comedy on the road as a touring stand-up act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI could, if I really had to, travel and try to survive off stand-up, but I\u2019m too old,\u201d says Proudlove. \u201cI want to sleep in my own bed. When I was young and staying in hotels on the road I thought it was great, but going on the road is tiring. I can\u2019t do it anymore. I can do two weeks at the most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Strangely enough, working a normal job and telling jokes on the side is just as satisfying, says Proudlove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still about the jokes,\u201d Proudlove says. \u201cI can write all I want. There is nothing stopping me. Some people love to tour, but for me it\u2019s done. I\u2019m not that guy anymore. The first couple of days are great, but then you\u2019re hungover and travelling. I love performing. It\u2019s all the other stuff in between that loses the thrill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proudlove has plans to produce a record in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI may put out a CD this year,\u201d says Proudlove. \u201cIt\u2019s tough to take material and freeze it on ice forever. That\u2019s always daunting because you\u2019re like, \u2018Well, I could make this better.\u2019 I want the jokes to be funny now and still be relevant in 10 years. I\u2019ll try to figure out how to do that this year, or maybe next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back at Camosun, after some thought on the matter, Kelt approached Essery with hopes of collaborating in the future. There is something in the works, says Kelt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI still have to arrange things with the cafeteria, but we\u2019re hoping to do something every two weeks, or once a month maybe; we haven\u2019t decided yet,\u201d says Kelt. \u201cAlmost for certain, though, we will have something at CamFest, which will be the opening for what we\u2019re hoping will be an ongoing daytime comedy series. We\u2019ll see how it plays out. If people come, we\u2019ll scale it up and have bigger shows later on. It will be fun; I\u2019m hoping it works out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of now, the plan is to do two 30-minute shows, which Essery says would probably be broken down into 10-minute sets, so at least six comics would be involved at CamFest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI heard from Tagg, and he says we should go where the crowd is, rather than trying to bring people to the show, which actually makes a lot of sense,\u201d says Essery. \u201cHe wants me to recruit comics. It will be in the middle of the day, so people are working, but I\u2019m positive that I can get some interest from comics, because there will be a lot of people there. I\u2019ll see if I can do a five-minute set, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On campus and off, it\u2019s always evolving, but there is a very healthy local comedy scene here in Victoria. The rooms seem to come and go, but there is an abundance of local talent that just keeps growing. It\u2019s incredibly easy to hole up and turn on Netflix, but there\u2019s nothing like sitting in the audience and taking part in live comedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are some good young comics here,\u201d says Proudlove. \u201cWe\u2019re doing alright. It\u2019s about where it should be for a town our size. It\u2019s never been easier to do stand-up because Victoria didn\u2019t have a lot of options before, but they are there now. You\u2019ve got a lot of options now, but the one thing that will never change is you have got to be funny. That\u2019s the only thing I care about.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A few months back I had the misfortune of waking up to a 4 am alarm so I could be ready for a 5 am taxi to the airport. I found that happy state where I\u2019m so tired that nothing really matters and life\u2019s trials can be pushed aside with a chuckle. The cab was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,230],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-april-3-2019"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17529"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17585,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17529\/revisions\/17585"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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