Comedy and beer make for a funny pairing
On Thursday, March 8, in honour of International Women’s Day, StoneHammer Brewing hosted Laughs & Draughts, a comedy show with an all-female lineup at their brewery in Guelph. Roughly 50 people attended, and all door proceeds from the event were donated to Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis.
Performers included local favourites Amber Dewar, Sarah Simpson, Emily Vance, Daina Wallace, Erinn White, Mirali Almaula, and special guest Suzie Taka. Hosted by Making-Box regular Cas Knihnisky, the show celebrated women and supported a cause that benefits women in our society. The night featured a brewery tour before and between two sets of comedy.It seemed as though the comedians didn’t know that there would be two sets, and the second allowed the audience to see their humour unpolished, which got equally as many laughs.
StoneHammer Brewing co-owner Lesley Woodhouse said, “We like to be different, we like to be innovative. We don’t have a huge space for a huge event, so we thought we would just put on something small and celebrate International Women’s Day.” Woodhouse pointed out that while western brewing has been male-dominated in recent history, brewing was traditionally a female activity. “If you go way back to the beginning, it was the women that were brewing the beer. Men were out of the equation. So it’s sort of an homage to those women as well.”
Woodhouse was open to the idea of hosting more events at the brewery. “If comedy shows turn into our jam, then we’re happy to do that as long as we can get people that [want to] come out that are actually funny,” she said. StoneHammer has sponsored other events in the Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo areas. Kenn Gibb, the organizer of Laughs & Draughts, pitched the event and was given the green light to find comedians and confirm the lineup. He shared that he knew a few comedians and asked them if they were available, and then let them ask their friends and others in the community if they wanted to be part of the event. Through word of mouth, he secured eight hilarious comedians.
The event raised over $200 for Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis.
Photo by Odesia Howlett