Kitchener-Waterloo Comedy Festival goes big for 10th season

The Kitchener-Waterloo Comedy Festival kicks off its tenth season with an opening gala Thursday night with 13 shows in Kitchener and Waterloo over four nights.

When the festival first started out 10 years ago, organizer Phil LeConte says there were just six comedians at two venues in uptown Waterloo.

This year, the event will feature 25 comics across seven different locations.

"I get to see a lot of great comedians who, some of them are my friends and some of them I've worked with in the past," LeConte said. "This year, what we did for the 10th anniversary was sort of go back and look at all the great comics we had the opportunity to work withand sort of brought back most of our favourite comics."

Kitchener-born Rob Bebenek will be in two shows this year, including CBC Radio's Laugh Out Loud with Ali Hassan.

Although there can be more pressure when you're performing in front of a hometown crowd, Bebenek said the Kitchener-Waterloo Comedy Festival never disappoints.

"They tend to bring in some really great acts as well as people who are good friends of mine," he said.

"The crowds are always great, the energy is always great, they're just more fun than a regular show."

Bebenek said he's looking forward to meeting Bruce McCulloch, veteran Canadian comedian and member of The Kids in the Hall.

Headlining the festival is Shaun Majumder, one of the lead cast members on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He will be performing at the opening night gala on Thursday at Centre in the Square.

From the stage to the small screen

For the festival's tenth anniversary, LeConte said they are trying out a few new things, including a free family-friendly variety show on Saturday.

"We always do at least one show for all ages, and in the past, we've sold tickets to it and run it in a theatre, but this year we decided let's just sort of do it free for the public and then that way everyone can come and see one show, you know, no matter what their situation or their economic background," he said.

The event will also be the focus of a TV series, Stand Up Down Time. The first season aired last year and focused onthe Burlington Comedy Festival.

LeConte said the show is all about what comics do when they're on the road and not performing.

Seats for most of the shows have already sold out, but LeConte said they're hoping to have a few tickets still available at the door.