Local laughs in store at Comedy Showcase

There will be lots to do on Saturday for National Indigenous Peoples Day, but if you are comedically inclined, Kahnawake Tourism has the show for you.

As part of their Indigenous Day Celebration at the Golden Age Club, there will be a day-long event that will feature stand-up comedy from Jo Rice, Hank Leblanc, and Aaron Lawrence, along with other activities like live music, face painting, art and food vendors, and workshops.

While not a trio, the three comedians are friends and performed on the same ticket at the United Church Hall for Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (KOR)’s Cultural Awareness Month; that show gave them the opportunity to perform at the Golden Age Club on Saturday.

“That show got a lot of traction, and we ended up getting an offer from Tourism,” said Rice.

At first, they had specifically offered him a one-hour timeslot, but Rice felt as though Leblanc and Lawrence should be included in the show, too.

“It would be stupid of me not to include them in something like this with an organization from Kahnawake, especially when they’re looking for local and Indigenous talent,” said Rice.

“I wanted to hook them up with the opportunity of working on another show in town.”

As such, all three will be performing a set in a two-hour block on Saturday, from noon to 2 p.m.

The three comedians each said that putting on more comedy shows in Kahnawake is something they were striving towards.

Rice said that Kahnawake was full of talented people, but they might not always have a place where they can show their talent or discover it.

“Even before I started comedy, I knew Kahnawake had hidden gems all over it. There are musicians, there are comedians who don’t even know they are comedians. There are people with talent that don’t even know their talent, and there’s people who know their talent but don’t have a place to showcase it,” said Rice.

Leblanc, for his part, wants to help make comedy more accessible on this side of the river.

“I’ve always loved comedy, and I noticed that there’s not many opportunities for anybody to do anything on this side of the bridge. Everything is in Montreal, generally,” said Leblanc.

“I’m just looking forward to seeing some smiling faces, hoping that we can get people laughing, and get them interested in comedy. Everybody is really receptive. We’ve done one other show in town, and it went really well.”

Having only been doing stand-up for less than a year, Leblanc said that he hopes he can show others in the community that they too can do stand-up comedy - or, at the very least, make them run out of excuses why they can’t do it, much like he ran out of excuses before starting last August.

“I’m really hoping to inspire people to give it a shot, because we have a lot of very funny people in town that I think would really enjoy and excel at stand-up comedy,” said Leblanc.

Lawrence echoed that, adding that putting on your first performances in front of your community can help make it feel less nerve-wracking.

“If you ever wanted to try doing comedy, coming to a show, especially amongst your peers, amongst your community members is the best way to find that out. All these guys are doing it, so why can’t I?” said Lawrence.

“Half the battle is just getting on stage.”

He also said that his experience in front of a crowd in Kahnawake has been totally different than a crowd on the island.

“You can be a little bit looser. They get the jokes. I have reservation jokes, I have Indigenous-based jokes that I can’t tell to, like, a non-Indigenous audience because they just won’t get it, or even if they would get it, they wouldn’t ‘get’ it,” said Lawrence.

Rice encouraged people who are not sure they’d like live stand-up comedy, or only watch specials on platforms like Netflix or through highlights online, to give their show a shot.

“Expect it to be more intimate than a comedy special, especially because we’re from a small community, and most of the people there will know each other. You’re not really coming to watch three comedians try to blow your socks off with a comedy special. You’re coming to have a good time with three comedians who are trying to try to help everyone else have a good time,” said Rice.

The show, as well as the other activities at the Golden Age Club on Saturday, is free of charge, and will be happening outdoors, rain or shine.

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