comedy is art 2026
Calling all comedians!
Photo credit: Jae Yang
Comedy is Art returns to The Theatre Centre October 22-24, 2026! Both a festival and declaration, Comedy is Art is curated by comedian and storyteller liza paul, and features some of the best comedians Toronto has to offer. Learn more about past festivals on our website.
We are now accepting submissions for comedians from all genres to perform at Comedy is Art 2026! This is a paid opportunity.
We are in search of stand-up comedians, clowns, sketch artists, and improvisers (and everything in between!) to build out our festival line-up. Comedy is Art prioritizes being a platform for a diversity of voices. We strongly encourage applications from comedians identifying across multiple backgrounds and abilities.
Submission instructions
Applicants are asked to submit a video no more than 3 minutes long. These videos will be reviewed by the lead curator and panelists, and select applicants will be invited to come in for an in-person audition in late May. Artists who are invited to attend in-person auditions but cannot make that date will have their individual circumstances considered and accommodated on a case by case basis.
To submit, please read the instructions below and fill out this GOOGLE FORM by Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.
Video submission instructions:
- Video submissions can be clips from previous performances or self-tapes. All video submissions must be three minutes or less. If you are sharing a clip from a larger set, please indicate the three minute section you want us to view. If a submission is longer than three minutes and does not include notes about the section to be viewed, the selection committee will choose a three-minute section at random
- If the audio for your clip is not clear, we strongly recommend captioning your submission
- Please note that we are interested in complete, uninterrupted sets, i.e. not a trailer of assorted clips. Video submissions that do not meet this criteria will be automatically disqualified from submitting
- Upload video to a video streaming platform (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo) or a shared file drive (e.g. Google Drive; Dropbox)
- Insert the video link into the relevant section of the Google Form
- Video submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis up to and including the deadline. Submissions received after the deadline will not be reviewed.
Due to a high volume of applications, we are unfortunately not able to provide feedback on submissions. All applicants will be contacted by Wednesday, June 24, 2026.
For questions, please contact [email protected].
2026 selection committee
This year’s week of excellent comedy and good vibes will be curated by comedian and storyteller 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, the watah theatre, and the theatre centre. 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 the co-chair of the Junos Comedy Advisory Committee.
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:
Submissions due Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.
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.