Last year, stand-up comedian Nash Park launched a successful 10-day comedy tour with 14 shows, beginning in Victoria, going all the way to Terrace, BC. The shows sold out.
“People in small towns have a real hunger for comedy, but unfortunately, not much is going on,” said Park, who wants to create a thriving, successful comedy infrastructure in the province.
Currently, BC and Canada, according to Nash, do not have the clubs, venues or other factors it takes to have a successful industry, where comedians and performers can make a living with their craft.
In December 2022, Nash did a test run in the qathet region, to see if he could add the area to his tour circuit.
OK, Dope Comedy Stand-up Tour at Townsite Brewing was a huge success for Nash. He opened for headliner comedian Dan Duvall to an uproarious, rowdy, but fun crowd. OK, Dope is a comedy brand out of Victoria, started by Park and his business partner and comedic improviser Alex Forman.
Since last August, Park has been working full time organizing, curating, performing and doing all the marketing for his comedy tours, recently hitting towns such as Campbell River, Port Alberni and Duncan.
“I want to bring the best comedy I can on these tours,” said Park. “I feel lucky, I tapped into a hungry market; it’s a lot of work, but the payoff is great.
“This spring we are going up Vancouver Island and performing [for the first time] in Squamish and Gibsons, and then back to the upper Sunshine Coast.”
They hope to extend their tour to Northern BC and the Okanagan later in the year.
Park didn’t think he would ever do comedy.
“I’ve been doing comedy for about five years now,” he said. “I played music for a long time, so I had some experience performing in front of people. Once I got comfortable [performing comedy] on stage, I think it’s the greatest feeling in the whole world.”
OK, Dope returns for a local performance on Friday, March 24 (8 to 10 pm), at the ARC Community Event Centre. Park and Foreman will open for headliner Brittany Lyseng, who has been on Just for Laughs, CBC, a semi-finalist in Top Comedy Calgary and a former elevator mechanic.
“Headliner Brittany Lyseng is one of the funniest people I have worked with,” said Park.
For more information, go to ok-dope.com/shows.
