YVR Funny: Vancouver comedians take centre stage in new TV docuseries

Vancouverites know that the city is home to amazing comedy talent, with hilarious shows happening on stages every day of the week.

Now eight of Vancouver’s top emerging comics are getting the spotlight in a new TELUS STORYHIVE docuseries premiering on screens and at the Fox Cabaret on Tuesday, November 15.

YVR Funny, created by comedian and filmmaker Jackie Hoffart, is an original series that serves as a new stepping stone within the Canadian comedy industry.

 

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“YVR Funny blends short stand-up sets with intimate sit-down interviews,” said Hoffart to Daily Hive. “This TELUS STORYHIVE-funded series champions the diverse perspectives and styles of the comedians it highlights. 

“I hope audiences and viewers get a glimpse at these eight talented comedians and feel inspired to become their fans and follow their careers.”

The cast of local stand-ups featured in YVR Funny includes Toddy, Savannah Erasmus, An Te Chu, Danika Thibault, DJ On, Sasha Mark, Em Cooper, and Tin Lorica. According to Hoffart, showcasing a diverse group of comedians is one of their core values as a producer and a filmmaker.

Tin Lorica/Instagram

“Vancouver is a challenging city to live in, and stand-up comedy is one of the most accessible art forms,” explained Hoffart, who produces comedy events around the city with their wife. “That being said, there are many people who perform once or twice and then fade out of the scene because it can be difficult to find opportunities to practice your skills in environments that are not also often openly hostile to women, trans people, queer people, fat people, disabled folks, and so on.

“It is in this context — and for this reason — that I started producing shows, to begin with. I wanted to create stand-up shows that I felt like attending and, as society has shifted over the past five years, I am proud to say I think the stand-up scene in Vancouver has matured a bit as well. It’s still fairly common to see all-white or all-male lineups, but less common than it was in 2017.”

Jackie Hoffart (Robyn Pekar/Submitted)

YVR Funny will have its in-person premiere at the Fox Cabaret on November 15, with the live audience getting to enjoy all eight episodes with the comedians. Tickets are on sale now.

The series will also be available on the same day, along with all of the TELUS STORYHIVE Voices cohort of projects, on TELUS Optik TV On Demand. By the end of the year, audiences can stream each episode from the STORYHIVE YouTube channel.

Danika Thibault/Instagram

“Potentially, a viewer might also see themselves reflected in a comedian’s answers to an interview question and feel inspired to try stand-up themselves,” shared Hoffart, who has been hosting comedy shows since 2017. “I want to break down barriers to imposter syndrome and help people feel like their storytelling, their comedic craft, their sensibility deserves to be part of the conversation.

TELUS has greenlit Season 2 of YVR Funny which films in November and December and will air sometime in the summer of 2023.

YVR Funny Premiere

When: November 15, 2022
Time: Doors 7 pm, show 7:30 pm
Where: Fox Cabaret – 2321 Main Street, Vancouver
Cost: $10 plus fees, purchase online