If it seems like Victoria’s comedy scene is taking off in recent months, it’s because it is. According to promoters and local comedians, comedy in Victoria is booming. One big reason for this recent comedy resurgence is the development of regular comedy nights on Wednesdays, now taking place at the Stone’s Throw Restaurant and organized by local comedian Erikk Isfeld.
“The most rewarding thing about doing this is watching people grow over time,” explains Isfeld, who took over as the show’s producer at the beginning of December. “Having the ability to book the shows myself means that I can pick somebody like Jake Gyllenskog, who’s this new kid who’s just started out. It’s been great to book him on shows and see him stretch his legs and figure out what his comedy is, and then see him two months later just get so much better.”
Isfeld is one of the local comedy scene’s strongest proponents. Starting his own standup act about 18 months ago, he’s still fresh to the scene, but when the opportunity to take over the Temple Comedy nights came up he jumped at the chance. He recently added a co-producer and moved the show to the Stone’s Throw.
“It’s a booked show, not open mic,” says Isfeld. “Comics get seven minutes, which allows them to stretch their legs, and one of the things I set out to do was make it one of the premier shows in the city that comedians want to work at, and audience members want to see.”
And it seems to be working, with each show featuring a headlining act rounded out by a strong lineup of local talent. Recent headliners have included local comedians Myles Anderson and Morgan Crannie, and Vancouver’s Katie-Ellen Humphries, while the January show features local comedy vet Wes Borg.
Formerly known as Back Alley, Stone’s Throw Comedy is still known for its edgy content, something that local comics recognize and appreciate.
“The humour tends to be edgier because the crowd tends to be younger,” explains recent headliner Anderson, who recently won a spot at the Northwest Comedy Fest during the local Blue Bridge Comedy Festival. “It was already inferred with the previous name that, being in a back alley, you can say whatever you want. That culture of edgy humour has carried over for the new shows.”
Anderson says the comedy scene in Victoria is really picking up due to the availability of stage time, an important factor for any strong comedy town.
An appearance by Yuk Yuks founder Mark Breslin at a recent open mic show at a different venue is another good sign that Victoria might be a place where comedians can make a go of it, says Anderson.
“The fact that we attracted a guy like Mark Breslin here to see our scene, he probably never would have come before,” he says. “It’s amazing how many shows you can do here now. Whenever I’ve talked to pro comedians they always say, ‘Live where you can get the stage time,’ and here you can get several shows a week.”
Anderson points to weekly shows like Cenote and Ratfish (a show Isfeld calls “the granddaddy of all Victoria comedy shows”), as well as monthly shows like the Felicitas show at UVic and the downtown comedy show at the Stone’s Throw.
“So every week I can go on stage two or three times. It’s crazy good,” says Anderson.
Not without their struggles, the members of the local comedy scene are good about banding together, something that was proven at the first show Isfeld was involved with at the previous location. Two minutes before start time, he realized there was no microphone on stage.
“[Local comedian] Abdul Aziz saved the day by grabbing a mic from his truck,” he laughs. “But that just shows the strong community base that the Victoria comedy scene is built around.”
Anderson remembers another folly from a more recent show, this time involving one of the show’s hosts, David Bruce.
“He fell right off the back of the stage,” laughs Anderson, “and it was amazing because he managed to make a joke out of it. We were all backstage in stunned silence and there was so much tension in the room, but he brought it back. We couldn’t believe it; we were sitting back there and all we heard was this crash and the crowd laughing. It wasn’t part of the act, but it was hilarious.”
Even as he works out the kinks, Isfeld is trying hard to make his shows the strongest showcase of local talent possible, hitting up various comedy shows in town to make his next bookings.
But that’s not the toughest part of his duties.
“Definitely the hardest part is dealing with the comics,” he chuckles. “When they really want to do comedy, they live and breathe it, so trying to wrangle them into getting onstage at the right time, in the right show, is usually the toughest part.”
Luckily, the hardest part of the job is also one of Isfeld’s favourites.
“It’s a challenge because they’re all usually off being funny in the back room, so there’s definitely some wrangling involved,” he says. “I really like doing it, though.”
Stone’s Throw Comedy
8 pm Wednesday, January 22
$15 ($12 advance), The Stone’s Throw Restaurant (642 Johnson Street)
facebook.com/stonesthrowcomedy