comedy is art 2025
Three nights of can’t-miss comedy!
Single Tickets & Early Bird passes are on sale now!
Photo credit: Jae Yang
Welcome to year six of our Comedy is Art festival, with three nights of comedy, over 20 comics from across Toronto and beyond, with shows including Andrew Phung and Friends, Not Hamilton Improvised, Nkasi Ogbonnah’s Afronaut, and more, plus a serious day of comedy with Bad Dog Theatre.
This year’s festival brings 7:00pm and 9:00pm shows with estimated run times between 60-75 minutes. All shows are intended for adult audiences (18+) unless otherwise noted.
New this year, Comedy is Art is hosting a day of Our Cities On Our Stages, Bad Dog Theatre’s groundbreaking symposium on inclusion and diversity. This full day of activities (workshop, presentation, dialogue) will dovetail into an improv presentation as part of Comedy is Art.
Thursday October 23
Andrew Phung, Gavin Williams, and Alexa MacKell are three best friends who have been doing comedy together for over a decade. Having met at the Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary, they are a powerhouse trio of laughs, love, and pop culture jokes that only Andrew and Alexa get, but Gavin goes along with due to his fear of being ostracized from the group. Joining them will be Sharjil Rasool and Christy Bruce, both Second City Toronto Alumni, and both understanding all the pop culture references which puts even more pressure on Gavin Williams. Get ready for an evening of non-stop laughter, and maybe even more of Andrew‘s friends!
Thursday, October 23
7 p.m.
Friday October 24
Nkasi Ogbonnah
Get ready for intelligent, acerbic and weirdly gentle comedy!
Tackling relevant social issues through the eyes of an angry Black woman, that has every reason to be angry. You’ll probably be mentally hit with snapshots of historical figures, and outer space, presented by someone with the physicality of a former rhythmic gymnast (and we can’t stress the word ‘former’ enough). If Kamala Harris did comedy, and was Canadian, this would be her show. And as Kamala says “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking.”
Friday, October 24
7 p.m.
Hosted by Toronto-based comic Tamara Shevon this is a show full of comics whose hot takes will have you laughing all night. Featuring: Darren Leo, Raquel Maestre, Ben Sosa-Wright, and Orly Zebak.
Friday, October 24
9 p.m.
Featuring ASL Interpretation.
Saturday October 25
- 10am-6pm: Our Cities on Our Stages Symposium by Bad Dog Theatre
- 7pm: Made You Laugh
- 9pm: Not Hamilton Improvised
Our Cities On Our Stages, Bad Dog’s groundbreaking symposium on inclusion and diversity, will include a full day of activities (workshop, presentation, dialogue) that dovetails into an improv presentation as part of Comedy is Art. Our Cities is a chance to gather, to take stock and to really CHECK-IN with each other, in the context of a world where inclusion initiatives are under attack.
Schedule:
Light snacks and networking provided by Bad Dog Theatre. Land Acknowledgement at 10:30am.
The good news – the work toward increasing representation of groups traditionally left out is happening and sees no sign of stopping. The bad news is, our work to be more inclusive and representative is in danger when we don’t come together, share knowledge and expand our skill sets. Let’s take a moment to reflect on where we are now and the bright possibilities for the future.
This workshop, led by Velvet Wells and Ren Niles, members of the Black Pledge Collective (an initiative to dismantle anti-Black racism in live performance), will delve into conversations to map which communities we are connected to and where we are seeking connection, relationship and knowledge. The facilitators will invite participants to delve deeper into our individual knowledge bases and identify networks who can support us in community building toward an even more inclusive and welcoming comedy industry. Expect small group work, as well as wider discussion circles and concrete tools to inspire continued action and movement building.
Cafe-style format – a chance to continue conversation in a more casual setting provided by Bad Dog Theatre
A conversation moderated by Ify Chiwetelu (co-host of CBC’s Now or Never), featuring Bilal Baig, star and creator of Sort Of and Ophira Calof, award-winning writer and performer and creator of the Disabled Producer’s Lab.
Facilited by Alia Rasul, co-designed by Ophira Calof. This collaborative session will focus on envisioning the future of our community – identifying what we need and how we move forward. We will also wrap up with collective takeaways from the day. Register here!
Headlined by Toronto favourite Nick Reynoldson and hosted by liza paul, this lineup will bring the funny in ways you didn’t even know were possible. Featuring: Marcia Johnson, Daphney Joseph, Lou Laurence, and Kě.
Saturday, October 25
7 p.m.
An improvised hip-hop and freestyle-rap musical inspired by a historical figure or character as chosen by the audience, fully scored by the backing tracks of Hamilton. Songs non-stop! Featuring: Lance Oribello, Katie Chin, Patrick Ronan, Tim Blair, and Nicole Passmore.
Co-Presented by Bad Dog Theatre.
Saturday October 25
9 p.m.
Production team
Production Stage Manager – steph raposo
Artist Manager – Joey Lau
Lighting Designer – Shawn Henry
Sound Technician – Frank Incer
Lighting Technician – Aidan Shepherd
2025 selection committee
This year’s week of excellent comedy and good vibes has been curated by comedian, storyteller and The Theatre Centre’s associate artistic director liza paul, with programming support from Tim Blair (TallBoyz) and Ellie Posadas (Tita Collective). The mission: program a festival full of artists who take the work seriously and whose bits will crack you up.
liza paul is a writer, curator, artistic leader, director and producer who loves laughter, life, music, family, stories, all things bashment, impromptu dancehall-flavoured a cappella street jams, and pum-related non sequiturs. she has trained at the second city’s improv conservatory and was selected to join their 2017 bob curry fellowship program. she has worked extensively in theatre and radio with ciut 89.5 fm, soulpepper theatre company, anitafrika! dub theatre, bcurrent, and the watah theatre. liza writes for television (from ontario, with love (tvo); big brother canada (global)); directed sketch comedy show don valley girls for the 2022 riser festival; and wrote the 2025 dora mavor moore awards show. liza is also a member of the Junos Comedy Advisory Committee. she is currently the associate artistic director at the theatre centre.
Ellie Posadas is a Queer Filipinx-Canadian, multidisciplinary artist from Scarborough, Ontario. Ellie was featured in the 2021 TIFF for the world premiere of ‘Scarborough’, based on the award winning novel by Catherine Hernandez, and was a Vancouver Film Critics Circle nominee for Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2021, for her role as ‘Edna’. She is a co-creator, writer, and performer of the award winning, all Filipina comedy theatre group, Tita Collective. She is an alumni of Randolph Academy’s Triple Threat College Program.
Tim Blair is a comedian and founding member of the acclaimed comedy troupe, TallBoyz II Men. Together with Bruce McCulloch from Kids In The Hall, they created the multiple Canadian Screen Award-winning sketch show, TallBoyz. A seasoned live performer, Tim excels in stand-up, sketch, and improv. He’s an alumnus of Second City’s House Co. and has showcased his talent at festivals like Just for Laughs Toronto and the NBC Breakout Festival in Chicago.
Comedy is Art.
Comedy is Art Festival features some of the best comedians in Toronto and sends a clear message: comedy should be taken seriously!
Comedy is Art Festival is generously supported by:
With special thanks to:
Comedy is Art Festival Media Supporters
October 23— 25, 2025
Early Bird single show tickets are $25.
Regular single show tickets are $30.
All shows are intended for adult audiences (18+) unless otherwise noted.
Discounts are available for anyone who can benefit from a lower ticket price! Including students, seniors, and arts workers.
Please email or call us at [email protected] / (416) 538-0988 and we’ll offer 50% off or FREE tickets, no questions asked!
Registration is FREE for Our Cities on Our Stages. Open to improv students, performers, instructors, and/or arts administrators, the Our Cities on Our Stages Symposium seeks to create a dialogue about existing diversity and inclusion issues while looking forward to possible healthy futures.
10am: The State of Comedy – A Check-in. Register here!
1pm: Paving Your Way: Advocacy and Agency in the Comedy Industry. Register here!
3pm: Community Dialogue: The Future of Comedy. Register here!
For Media Requests related to Comedy is Art:
Katie Saunoris, KSPR [email protected]
Connect and Share: @thetheatrecentre
The Theatre Centre is a nationally recognized live-arts incubator and community hub. Our mission is to offer a home for creative, cultural and social interactions to invent the future.
We make work that spans disciplines and genres; work that pushes the boundaries of what is considered “art”. Our programming and our role as a community space are inextricably linked. Art is not made in a silo: it is connected to the world around it.
Hot Takes on Friday night at 9pm will feature ASL Interpretation.