The sixth annual Guelph Comedy Festival took place from Fri. Oct. 2 to Sat. Oct. 3, and brought both laughter and fresh ideas for all. With over 30 performers in town in a range of comedic fields, including improv, sketch, and standup in four venues, there was a lot of entertainment to choose from.
“The comedy community in Guelph survives on people getting involved and wanting to perform, or wanting to participate, […] or support shows,” said Jay Reid a co-head organizer of the festival. “The Making-Box door is open and you have a hundred friends waiting for you. That’s kind of the attitude we like to represent.”
This welcoming grass roots attitude shone through in every moment with the staff, volunteers and comics on and off the stage. The finale venue of the festival was the Making-Box theatre; this is also home for many of the performers involved in the festival. Truly gritty and unlike other venues in the city, it did not have the heritage feel. Instead, you were welcomed to an intricate and familial atmosphere. Off the stage you can visit the little bar and drink a tasty concoction, like a “Gord Faced Millah,” containing spiced whiskey and cola.
Toronto-based standup pro, Catherine McCormick, brought stories of family life, feminist ideals, and her favorite type of porn. These things, to be sure, are all related and likely more awkward than you can imagine.
“I started doing standup comedy six years ago in Toronto and it’s the least feminist world possible,” said McCormick. “I’ve always tried to infuse a little bit of my feminism into my comedy in a way that makes people feel it’s approachable and funny […]. Some of my best audiences have just been sport bars filled with bros, because for them if I make them laugh it’s okay and they’re also kind of hearing a different perspective then the five or six comics that are on the lineup with me.”
Recently, a debate has been raging about the necessity to be politically correct in standup routines. Some universities and student associations insist on carefully vetting comedians and even highlight unspeakable language and phrases. This wave has caused some necessary change and confusion for entertainers. Two comedians in the mix right now are Jerry Seinfeld and Patton Oswalt. “Those guys [Seinfeld and Oswalt] have to adapt to this new world where people can write back to them and say ‘hey I don’t like what you’re saying – this is offensive, this is hurtful, and this is why’, and if those guys don’t adjust, they’re just going to have to go home and cry with their millions of dollars,” said McCormick. “Jerry Seinfeld hasn’t performed at a college campus since 1986. What the f*** does he know. If it’s too liberal for him he doesn’t have to. […] I think those jobs are going to go to people who are more diverse and who represent a reality that was very different than it was 10, 15, 20 years ago.”
Daniel Birnberg is a local standup comedian that stood out and performed halfway through the set. Unlike the acts before him, he went full raunchy. The jokes about his physicality and personal background stuck and left the audience in stiches. Although he was considered a fresh local he brought some of the loudest laughs of the night. Birnberg is in his third year at the University of Guelph in the Marketing Management program, but you may know him better as Young Jizz, his on stage alias. With a Lonely Island-like aura, Birnberg presented his comedy rap entitled “Dicky Better Than Me.”
“I’m your typical funny dude, […] I started doing standup and I’m kind of in love with doing it,” said Birnberg.
Talking with Birnberg, he says he’s a big fan of The Lonely Island and Lil Dicky. His stage presence is positive and bubbly but not bro-y. The Making-Box has been Birnberg’s place of comedic study over the last year, and he will likely be performing with them as a collective in the near future. As for another single by Young Jizz, you might have to wait a little longer.