Posted May 4th, 2011
Red Carpet Comedy only has one more show before our summer hiatus. It will be the eighth show in our second season (which will mean we had two more shows in this season than we did in our first). May 25 will be the last chance (for a few months) that you’ll have to see what Calgary’s comedy celebrities are working on.
After our April 27 show, the expectations are quite high for our “season finale.” Almost everyone had an outstanding set and it’s safe to say that a lot of the material presented is already in professional club and corporate sets. Thanks to the performers: Lori Gibbs, Don Wood, Derek Sweet, Cory Mack, Noor Kidwai, Donovan Deschner, Brian Stollery, and Peter White. (It was an added bonus to have Peter on the show, as he’s from the East Coast!)
Also thanks to our photographer, Steve Nagy, for snapping photos from that evening. As of this post, they aren’t online yet, but be sure keep an eye on our Facebook page, as that is where they will be published. (Steve has also been regularly posting a photo from one of his numerous trips to exotic destinations around the world on his website, and they are definitely worth checking out.)
If you don’t know how you’ll make it through the summer months without hearing from the Red Carpet Comedians, don’t worry. We’ve worked out an arrangement with our venue that will see your favourite performers working there throughout the summer in special “triple feature” shows. You won’t be hearing just their new stuff, but their tried and true material (some of which was written on the Red Carpet Comedy stage). Details are still being confirmed so all that we can say for now is: try not to make plans for June 16 or July 28.
Posted March 21st, 2011
We at Red Carpet Comedy are very pleased to see so much press being paid to the Calgary comedy scene. It’s a sign that things are on the rise and we’re happy to be a part of the community. The most recent article that mentioned us was on OpenFile.ca – a new website which is pushing for “community-based” reporting. Basically once an article is opened/published, it remains open for more feedback (comments) and can be modified as time goes on.
You can read the article, “Calgary comics cultivate community, hilarity,” online by clicking here. Feel free to post your thoughts on the scene or feelings on a particular show that you have attended. You can even add photos if you’ve taken them at a show with some performers.
One of our most devout fans was also interviewed for the article but due to a very strict 500 word limit, her thoughts didn’t make it into the final published version. So I thought it would be good to publish a bit of what she had to say here:
Red Carpet Comedy offers audiences a glimpse into the crafting of comedy that I’ve never seen available anywhere else. At other comedy clubs or events, I think people go with a passive mind set – we sit, listen to the show, then go home. But at Red Carpet Comedy there’s a whole participatory, behind the scenes, kind of dynamic that draws you in and keeps you wanting to find out what will happen next.
In my career I work with artists from many genres, and it’s fascinating to gain insight into the deliberate thought and mechanics that make up their finished work. As consumers we take things for granted a lot and don’t think about the actual building of it, until we’re presented with that opportunity. I believe that’s why Director’s cut DVDs and even “How It Was Made” types of TV shows appeal to people, because it helps us see both the creativity and the mechanics that creates something out of nothing. And the guts! The sheer human courage that it takes to step forward and say “I’m going to take this vague idea in my head, put it out there, and give it a shot and see what happens”, knowing that it could horribly fail in front of everyone. That’s impressive and inspiring, and even more so when it’s just one person, alone in a spotlight, completely vulnerable and unsure of how everyone will respond, and yet they put one foot in front of the other and do it anyway.
It’s hard to experience an evening of that without walking out feeling a little braver in our own lives.
-Heather Uhl
We’re so glad that audience members see the value in what we do here at Red Carpet Comedy – it’s why we keep doing it. Hopefully our continued efforts will help draw even more press and attention to Calgary’s comedy scene.
Posted February 27th, 2011
Since the last post here on the Red Carpet Comedy blog we’ve had two more great shows totalling more than 200 minutes of new stand-up comedy material. On both the January and February shows we were happy to welcome Jeff Kubik, Derek Sweet, Brian Stollery, and Donovan Deschner. Also appearing on the January show were Lori Gibbs, Alan Cho, Amanda Brooke Perrin, James Moore, Dave Merheje, and Trent McClellan. The February performance also had the talents of Brad Muise, Kyle Francis, James Jordan, Ryan Kukec, Jeff Toth, and Don Wood. It was such a treat to see what so many local performers are creating every single month.
Thanks to Heather Schellenberg and Steve Nagy for photographing the January and February show respectively. They always do such a great job. (An added thanks to Heather for capturing this video of Lori Gibbs in January for a special Comediapedia.ca project.) For the complete photo albums from each night, check out our Facebook page.
As of these past two shows it’s a safe bet that RCC is the show that the most performers have bailed on. It’s extremely intimidating trying untested material in such stretches. Thankfully, many of the local comedians are realizing that it’s not necessarily about doing really well – it’s about showing up. This sentiment was expressed beautifully in a TED talk brought to our attention in January. It’s by Elizabeth Gilbert (the author of Eat, Pray, Love) and summarizes nicely one of the reasons that RCC exists.
The next Red Carpet Comedy show is scheduled for March 30, 2011. You can get your tickets in advance through our online ticketing site here.
Posted December 14th, 2010
The Red Carpet Comedy show on December 1 was not only one of the most unique but also one of the best shows that we’ve ever had! What is made it so special was the launch of Donovan Deschner’s CD, “I’ll Regret This.” All of the performers were hand-picked by Donovan to help celebrate this career milestone, and each of them blew the roof off of the place.
It was a huge variety in terms of “material” presented. There was old material, new material, and what can only be called “tributes” to Donovan. Thanks to Cris Nannarone, Jeff Kubik, Cory Mack, Amanda Perrin, Jeff Toth, Lori Gibbs, and Karen O’Keefe. The show could not have been funnier with anyone else!
Evan Wilson and Jesse Pruden from CJSW’s Am I Right?? were also on hand to host the evening and record it for inclusion on their weekly radio program about all things comedy. Last week a slightly edited version of the show appeared on their program and this week the podcast with an expanded version will be coming out. Thank you Evan and Jesse for giving the whole event a great deal of credibility, pomp, and circumstance.
There was one more “performer” on the show as well; Russell Bowers from CBC’s Daybreak Alberta (and producer of “I’ll Regret This”) was on hand to interview Donovan about the project. Without a doubt, this segment was one of the highlights of the evening.
As always, thank yous go to the photographers and “technical assistance” that was on site that night. Heather Schellenberg and Steve Nagy were snapping photos while Larry Baird was running sound and Zoë Klintberg (with some assistance from Karen Garth) was busy taking tickets.
Coinciding with the launch of the physical album, the option to download (on a “pay what you can” basis) the comedy tracks also went online at Donovan’s website: http://www.DonovanDeschner.com. If you had to miss the evening, you can still hear the bulk of the CD by downloading it right to your computer.
This was a great way to send off 2010 into 2011. The January show is already starting to fill up with performers and they will have a tough act to follow, but we are sure that they are up to the challenge. Put January 26 in your calendars (buy your tickets online if you like), and we’ll you see at the first Red Carpet Comedy show of 2011!
Posted November 24th, 2010
The producer of Red Carpet Comedy, Donovan Deschner, has chosen to combine this show with the release of his very first comedy album. On December 1 you can join Donovan and some of the Red Carpet Comedians for the launch of “I’ll Regret This”.
Donovan has arranged for this to be one of the more unique Red Carpet shows. There will be new jokes, old jokes, “covers” of some of his material from other performers, an interview with the producer, and it’s all going to be broadcast on CJSW’s “Am I Right??”! Tickets are still just $10 and will include your very own copy of the album and some other bonus take-aways.
You can reserve your seat online for what will surely be a fun show.
Posted October 29th, 2010
Wednesday night was certainly one of the more eventful evenings of Red Carpet Comedy! Lots was going on “behind the scenes” to make it a very special night of new material with some old material thrown in for a camera crew. We had two videographers in attendance as it was the the first night of filming for a new documentary that will be coming out (likely in the new year) about stand-up in Calgary. Since a couple of the acts on the show had to do be filmed for this, they were allowed to break the usual “new material only” rule for the benefit of film.
To add to the excitement, one of the acts that needed to be on camera (Karen O’Keefe) was delayed at another show so we managed to stall by letting Cory Mack back on stage to practice the older (and sure-fire) parts of her act. Suffice to say; it was a little stressful for a few moments, but I’m certain that the audience will agree that it was completely worth it!
Another thanks to all of the performers: Cory Mack, Brian Stollery, Ryan Kukec, Donovan Deschner, Alan Cho, Jeff Toth, and Karen O’Keefe. As usual, they all have a lot more material than they had earlier this week. Kudos!
We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the “crew” that is needed to run one of these events every single month. Our photographers, Steve Nagy and Heather Schellenberg, were both on hand snapping photos while Karen Garth and Larry Baird were holding down the front door and sound board respectively. We couldn’t do it without you!
Photos from the show have started to make their way online. Steve uploaded a bunch today into a Facebook page album, and Heather’s should be appearing on the Facebook site shortly.
The next show is scheduled for December 1, 2010, and will be a very special night. Red Carpet Comedian, Donovan Deschner, will be launching his first comedy album, “I’ll Regret This”, that night. There will be special appearances by a number of Red Carpet Performers, give-aways, and a general celebration of this career milestone. Tickets will still be just $10 and include lots of bonuses. See you then!
Posted October 1st, 2010
The second season premiere of Red Carpet Comedy on Wednesday night was a huge success! All the comics did an amazing job and the packed house was treated to one of the best shows that we’ve had. Kudos to all the performers: Lori Gibbs, Tony Binns, Amanda Brooke Perrin, Brian Stollery, Ryan Kukec, Jeff Kubik, Cory Mack, and Donovan Deschner.
In addition to the 90 minutes of new comedy material we also previewed the film “Leave Them Laughing“, a screening of which will be taking place in Calgary on October 21 and sponsored, in part, by Red Carpet Comedy. The screening is being held to help raise funds for the completion of the film, thus far it has made its way through the festival circuit and is almost ready for wide-spread release. For all the details on the Calgary screening you can visit the screening’s website. The director, Academy Award-winning John Zaritsky, will be joining us for the screening and is offering an opportunity for a special VIP meet-and-greet. All the information and tickets are available online at http://www.leavethemlaughingcalgary.com. We hope to see you there.
Red Carpet Comedy will be back on October 27 with another show of all-new material from Calgary’s professional comics. Tickets for that are available online and we’ll be posting the confirmed performers closer to the show date.
Posted September 9th, 2010
The days are getting shorter, the leaves are changing colour, and Calgary’s comedy professionals have a whole summer’s worth of new material ready to try out at Red Carpet Comedy. This highly-reviewed (by both comedians and audience members) stand-up comedy room is returning to Calgary on September 29!
Tickets are already on sale through the Eventbrite system at http://RedCarpetComedy.eventbrite.com. As always they will also be available at the door. Either way they are just $10 each! Be sure to arrive when the doors open at 7:00PM to get yourself a drink and some of the amazing appetizers at Club Paradiso.
Performers are just now submitting their interest in appearing on this “season premiere” show of Red Carpet Comedy, and we’ll be announcing who you will get to see via our Facebook page and Facebook event invitation.
All of the comedians hope that you’ll be able to join us for Season 2 launch of Red Carpet Comedy!
Posted June 9th, 2010
Right before the May 5 Red Carpet Comedy show, Andrew Schultz from Citytv here in Calgary caught up with Donovan Deschner to chat a bit out what RCC is doing. This video clip aired the morning of May 4:
[flashvideo file=wp-content/uploads/2010/05/RCConCitytv.flv image=wp-content/uploads/2010/05/CitytvSplash.jpg width=360 /]
It’s a pretty good summary of the show for those that have never seen it. We’ll be back in September with more shows. Subscribe to this blog or join our e-newsletter for all the details as they are announced.
Posted May 6th, 2010
We could have not asked for a better wrap-up to the first season of Red Carpet Comedy! About 90-minutes of new material was created and I’m sure that some of it will live on in the comedians’ regular acts. Thanks to everyone that performed last night; Donovan Deschner, Don Wood, Dan Guiry, Brian Stollery, Mike Tod, Ian Wallace, Jeff Toth, and Trent McClellan.
As always thanks to Heather Schellenberg from Schellenberg Photography for capturing the evening on film (or the digital equivalent to film). Some photos of all the acts are online on our Facebook page. (Click here to view the album.)
Congratulations to Don Wood on being last night’s More Time In A Day Prize winner! He’ll receive 10-hours of Virtual Assistance from More Time In A Day!
Our summer hiatus has begun (we don’t want to compete with ice-based drinks on patios), so we should be back with Season 2 this fall. In the meantime, we’ll let you know via this website and our Facebook page where you can catch some of the various Red Carpet Comedians in and around Calgary. For example…
It was announced last night that Cory Mack and Donovan Deschner have teamed up to workshop their latest theatrical shows. Cory Mack’s, “The Goose Queen of Kindersley”, and Donovan Deschner’s, “Egolution”, will be presented from May 19 to 22, 2010, at Motel in The Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available online for this weekend of shows which is called “Me, Myself & You”.
Enjoy the patios!
