Comedy, laughter and fun might be the antidote needed to make it through the dark days of winter on BC's west coast.
Veteran stand-up comedian John Cullen will bring comic-relief to folks in qathet on the upper-level of the Carlson Community Club on Saturday, February 1. The night of entertainment, music, dancing and prizes is being hosted by PR Parents for Dance, who are fundraising for Laszlo Tamasik Dance Academy dancers to help with competition fees and travel expenses.
Although the qathet region attracts visiting artists, comedy is a rare commodity here, so when it does arrive, folks may not know what to expect.
"The main thing with my shows is, I always want to have everybody in the crowd to just have a good time," said Cullen. "I'm not looking to provoke anybody and I'm not political."
Cullen is known for his observational storytelling and light-hearted humour. Unlike some comedians who spend a good chunk of a day trying to write jokes, Cullen doesn't work that way.
"For me, a lot of it [creating comedy] happens at the moment," said Cullen. "Most of my comedy comes from stuff that I actually do and see in my regular life."
Cullen used to be a school teacher in the Lower Mainland and some of his jokes are about, what he describes, a weird and fun job.
"I'm having as good of a time as the audience is," said Cullen. "I think comedy is fun and should be fun, and I love to do it."
One of Cullen's comedic influences is his uncle, Chris Quigley, who has been doing comedy since the 1990s.
"My current favourite comedians are Nate Bargatze and Mike Birbiglia," said Cullen. "They are both observational storytelling type guys and love what they're doing."
Up-and-coming comedian Nash Park will be the opening act for the night. He has performed in Powell River before with his group called OK, Dope, and performs regularly at Hecklers in Victoria.
"If we can all just get together, have a laugh, that's a great feeling," said Cullen. "I've had lots of people over the years come up to me after the show and say they had something going on in their life and just needed to get out and have a laugh and a good time."
Cullen has performed across Canada with Just for Laughs and in Powell River with Yuk Yuk's in the past.
"That's why I try to make my jokes as broad and accessible as possible," said Cullen. "I want everybody to leave saying, ‘You know what? That was really good, and I needed that,”
PR Parents for Dance representative Jae Rae said beverages and snacks will be available throughout the evening.
"A bar will be provided with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as pizza and snacks for purchase," said Rae. "We will have a silent auction and raffles set up with a variety of prizes donated from the many generous local businesses in our community."
The dancers will be competing in April in Mission, at the Shine Competition, and in May, in Burnaby, at the Evolve Competition.
"Our company dancers compete against more than a dozen dance studios from around the province," said Rae. "We currently have over 60 competitive dancers who perform in several genres that include, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, musical theatre and hip hop."
The event is open to everyone in the community who is 19 years of age and older. Doors will open at 7 pm and comedy starts at 8 pm, followed by live music from a local band called Shattered.
Tickets and tables of eight can be purchased at the Peak (4493F Marine Avenue) or by reaching out to any company Laszlo Dance Tamasik Academy dancer.
"PR Parents for Dance are looking forward to seeing a great group of people wanting a fun night out for laughs and live music, as well as supporting our local dancers," said Rae.
To find out more information about the show and how to purchase tickets, email [email protected] or call the Peak office at 604.485.5313.
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