Comedy Gala Night - June 17

 

Date: Saturday, June 17th, 2023

Time:  Cocktail Hour Starts: 7pm

Show: 8pm

Tickets:

Tickets for this event are purchased through the Stockey Centre website.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

About the event: 

The Gala Event of the Big Sound Comedy Festival. Trestle Brewing Company and Icebreakers Comedy partner a comedy event with CBC Radio's Laugh Out Loud onsite for a remote recording session. Join us for great night of good clean fun and laughs on the shores of Georgian Bay with a lineup of seven incredible Canadian comedians.  

 

Your host and MC: ALI HASSAN

Ali is the host of stand-up comedy show Laugh Out Loud on CBC Radio and SiriusXM, a frequent guest-host on q and As It Happens - which air on CBC Radio and NPR - and the host of Canada Reads - the annual book-battle celebrating the best of Canadian literature.  CBC host Tom Power has referred to him as the "Vince McMahon of books". He'll take it. 

Ali has toured Canada with his solo comedy show Muslim Interrupted, and was part of the 2019 Just for Laughs’ cross-country tour, hosted by Rick Mercer.  Recently, Ali was in the films MySpy, Mafia Inc, and Tammy's Always Dying and in 2021 he will appear in the brand-new seasons of Workin' Moms and Murdoch Mysteries.

 

The Comedians:

  

For over three decades Todd Graham has been one of Canada’s top comedic artists. His 1987 pre-internet mash-up, Apocalypse Pooh has been celebrated by Film Threat, Complex, CineAction, The Believer and The Whitney Museum of Art. The short film was featured by CBC Toronto and since going online has gained over two million views.

As a stand-up comedian Todd’s performed at the Just For Laughs Festival as well as on multiple Galas at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, JFL 42, Kitchener-Waterloo Festival and NXNE. His comedy has been showcased on national television with CBC, CTV Comedy Channel and iChannel and his debut album, Bustin’ Loose! can regularly be heard on SiriusXM

 

Rebecca Reeds

Rebecca Reeds is an award-winning standup comedian, writer and podcaster. Rebecca has appeared on CBC, SiriusXM, and CBC Comedy. In addition to her appearances on radio and television, festival performances include New Faces Just For Laughs, Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Toronto’s JFL42, Edmonton Comedy Festival, NXNE and the Hubcap Comedy Festival. 

In 2018, The Villain Was Right premiered on the From Superheroes Podcast Network. Along with co-host comedian Craig Fay, Rebecca views movies and TV shows from the villain's perspective and dares to ask if they were really all that bad. The VWR podcast's past awards include Outstanding Debut for a Series and Outstanding Comedy Series at the Canadian Podcast Awards.

 

Moe Ismail

Teaching by day and making parents laugh by night, Moe is an Egyptian-Canadian stand-up comedian bringing new levels of energy, diversity, and most importantly, authenticity to the entertainment space. Immigrating to Canada when he was 9 years old, Moe has been a center-stage comedian for the past 13+ years and has built nationwide recognition as a touring headliner across Canada. Some of his more significant acts include opening for numerous big names such as Colin Mochrie, Todd Barry, Marc Maron, and being featured on SiriusXM and CBC. 

Known for making even the toughest of comedy critics smirk, Moe's passion for value-based entertainment ultimately sparked his double life as a comedian- blending his "back of the class" days and uplifting energy to connect audiences through laughter and relatable truths. From his humble beginnings to becoming a co-headline act for the Just For Laughs comedy festival, Moe's string of memorable acts quickly positioned him to become a nationally respected entertainer. That, along with his keen storytelling skills and fun-loving ambience, is what shaped Moe into an emblematic comedian; making it quite exciting to see what new act he will perform next to raise the bar even more. 

Courtney Gilmour

Courtney Gilmour is a JUNO nominated stand up comedian and television writer. She is one of Canada's most unique voices and sought after comedy talents, named by NOW Magazine as “one of the top 10 stage artists to watch”. She delivered a breakout performance at the 2017 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal by winning the Homegrown Comics Competition and filming a set for Kevin Hart's LOL Network. Courtney's victory at the 2017 Just For Laughs Homegrown was the first by a female comic in the 19 year history of the event. In 2018 she topped it with televised performances at CBC’s Winnipeg and Halifax comedy festivals, as well as a triumphant return to Montreal to tape a set for The Comedy Network at Just for Laughs. Courtney is a regular at the Just For Laughs festival with multiple headlining shows at Just For Laughs Toronto, a filmed TV set for CBC’s New Wave of Stand Up in Vancouver, and many appearances at the JFL flagship festival in Montreal including a televised performance on The Howie Mandel All Stars Gala airing on The CW Network. Her solo Fringe show “‘Congratulations!’ Stories of Achievement, Embarrassment, & Self-Worth” debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival in summer 2019 and was met with sold out shows as well as multiple awards including Best of Fringe and Patrons’ Pick, earning her three extra performance runs and acceptance into the Brighton Fringe Festival in the UK. She has written for and made appearances on The Beaverton, CBC’s The Debaters, Space Dragon & Kim, and CBC’S Humour Resources alongside Jon Dore and Sarah Silverman, and most recently she can be seen on two episodes of CTV Comedy’s Roast Battle Canada. In 2022 Courtney competed in the second season of Canada’s Got Talent, during her semi-finals performance she got the judges’ vote to go straight to the finals as one of the top 8. You can catch her touring around the country with Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Clubs and heard regularly on SiriusXM and CBC LOL. Her debut stand up album “Let Me Hold Your Baby” was released under Comedy Records in 2022 and was nominated for a JUNO award in 2023. Courtney’s warm, accessible, and intelligent brand of stand up has made her a hit with audiences nationwide.

Kyle Brownrigg

Kyle Brownrigg is an undeniable presence in Canadian comedy. In June 2019 he was named 'Best Breakout Artist' at the Canadian Comedy Awards becoming the first gay male to have been awarded for a stand-up related category. Originally from Ottawa, Kyle now makes his home in Toronto where he is a local and touring comic with Yuk Yuk’s. He was a finalist in SiriusXM's Top Comic competition, the search for Canada's next top comic, one of JFL42's New Faces, and was selected as one of Canada’s Homegrown Comics for Just for Laughs. In his short career Kyle has done tapings for Comedy Network, CTV, and CBC Gem as part of Just for Laughs, CBC’s Halifax Comedy Festival, Laugh Out Loud, and The Debaters. He is certainly someone you don’t want to miss.

Mike Rita

Mike Rita has cemented himself in a class of his own, touring constantly across North America with his unique brand of 420 Ethnic comedy! With appearances on some of the biggest stages in comedy, including 8 at the world famous Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, starring alongside Russell Peters on Roast Battles Canada or opening for the likes on Joe Rogan, Tommy Chong and Gilbert Gottfried! Mike Rita is rising the ranks of stand-up and television quickly and is not to be missed!!