The Making-Box turns three
The Making-Box, Guelph’s premiere comedy and improvisation group, celebrated its third birthday on Nov. 25. Instead of cake, they celebrated with what they do best: an evening of song and laughter.
As people streamed in, they were greeted with lights and music. The room buzzed with music and happy conversation. Upon a closer look, the audience realized that vegetables were strung up along the stage’s backdrop.
“I don’t know if this is a vegan’s wet dream or nightmare,” said Making-Box co-founder Jay Reid.
Co-hosted by Rob Lewin and Cas Knihnisky, the show consisted of one-half stand-up comedy, and one-half improvisation by the Making-Box Brigade. The stand-up half of the bill included seasoned comedians like Amber Dewar, Guelph alumni Gabriel Broderick and The Ontarion’s own Mirali Almaula, but also relative newcomer Julia Haynes. Normally as the Making-Box’s bartender, Haynes had attended numerous shows, but she’d performed comedy only once before.
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The comedians joked about topics ranging from the famed donkey sanctuary, to Guelph’s bizarre celebration of squirrels.
To begin his act, comedian Daniel Birnberg retold his very first stand-up joke. The entire room shared a cringe and a laugh.
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The second half of the show began with the Brigade serenading an audience member on the topic of her childhood dream.
Throughout the evening, there were numerous references to the Making-Box’s very first show three years earlier. Reid reminisced about that night, which he organized along with co-founder Ric Mattingley.
“We were producing the show for the first time, we were doing comedy for the first time, we were hosting for the first time, and we just took this plunge,” said Reid in an interview with The Ontarion. “We noticed that a lot of other people wanted to try comedy as well.”
The Guelph comedy scene has come a long way in those three years.
“Then, it was sort of a rare thing in the city. There’s this platform now. […] It’s very accessible, it’s not as risky or far-fetched,” Reid explained.
Since its inception, the Making-Box has been committed to fostering a collaborative, inclusive community.
“[The Making-Box] is driven by the idea that when we come together in the spirit of play, we leave more open, happy, and connected people,” said Reid.
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The same is also true for improviser Hayley Kellett, who previously worked for Second City comedy club in Toronto.
“I’m incredibly passionate about the idea of acceptance—the idea of celebrating individuals in communities, because everyone has something that deserves to be celebrated,” said Kellett. “When I came to Guelph a year-and-a-half ago, and I came to the Making-Box for the first time, it was very clear that was the top priority.”
In celebrating the Making-Box’s history, members were also able to celebrate their love for comedy and improvisation, albeit from humble beginnings.
“I was 14 when I first started improvising,” said Kellett. “I had a crush on a boy, and he [could get] a discount on classes, and so I signed up to save him 20 bucks. He quit after one week of classes and I never left.”
For the second half of the program, Brigade members performed a never-before-seen sketch. The event closed with the chant “Three More Years,” as the audience cleared away the chairs to open up the floor and dance the night away.