It’s comedy night in Lethbridge tonight as some of Kelowna’s funniest people visit the Smokehouse plus Edmonton comic Miklos Blackshaw take the stage at 8:30 p.m. as part of the Bail Money Tour.
Dave Kopp has taken the reins of Kelowna’s comedy scene since he began doing stand up five years ago.
He runs the Dakoda’s Comedy Lounge and performs there six nights a week. Kopp, Andrew Crone, John Ashton and Miklos Blackshaw performed in Medicine Hat last night and are excited to visit Lethbridge. Lethbridge comedian Dan Hymus will also be performing tonight.
“ This was a nice chance for us to get out on tour,” Kopp said.
“Last night was awesome, the place was packed, so that was really nice,” said the 35-year-old Kopp, who spent several years teaching drama before taking the stage as a stand up comedian himself.
“I went to a comedy show and the guy performing was really, really bad. So I thought ‘ I can do this.’ I definitely wasn’t inspired by greatness. Quite the opposite actually,” he said.
“I come from a theatre background and already knew how to put on and run a show, so moving from theatre teacher to comedy booker was a pretty easy step,” he said.
He is pleased with thew lineup performing this show.
“ I’m 35, so I talk about my life and Andrew is 23 and has a different perspective. We aren’t alike at all,” he said.
“ We all have very unique styles,” he said.
Josh Ashton is the creator of Comedy Valhalla, a weekly comedy show hosted by and starring Josh Ashton! He is a favourite of touring comedians and crowds alike. Josh is a weird guy who, if he didn't perform stand up, would probably never leave his apartment.
Miklos Blackshaw has been performing across Western Canada casting spells of laughter. Miklos is a big kid who wears Pokemon onesies to his staff parties.
Dan Hymus is a local favourite and winner of the 2nd Lethbridge Underground Comedy Battle. Known for his witty one-liners and curiously extensive knowledge of the A&W menu.
Kopp is pleased to see Kelowna’s comedy scene growing under his watch.
“We have 30 comedians who really take it seriously. So whenever I book bigger acts, I always have three or four openers. It‘s been great watching them grow from open mics to headliners themselves,” he said.
“Kelowna already had a great scene when I started and now it’s grown bigger,” he said.
Admission to the Balding Orc comedy show is $15 at the door ( or $10 in advance from organizer Jon Grant) at the Smokehouse, tonight, May 23.
