Ten Workshops From Across Canada Conclude As Part of CANCOM Comedy Symposium

The Foundation for Canadian Comedy (CANCOM) announced the closing events for The CANCOM Comedy Symposium, a series of free hybrid and online events featuring professional development workshops for Canadian live comedy performance workers. The CANCOM Comedy Symposium began in October 2022 and continued monthly until its conclusion in March 2023. Industry peers attended in-person and online, participating in a one-of-a-kind event hosted by some of Canada's top industry leaders in comedy.

There will have been six 90-minute hybrid workshops livestreamed from comedy stages in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax. Each event featured diverse comedians, in-theatre and on-screen, facilitating discussions and workshops with comedy professionals both up and coming and with international recognition. The comedians were joined by industry guests on a wide range of topics, and each workshop offered interactive moments and downloadable resources for all who attended. There were four additional online follow-up workshops to review content for anyone unable to attend the hybrid livestreams.

Workshop topics were comedian-inspired, and included Pay Culture, IP & Branding, the Star System, Touring and Showcasing, Pro-Health, Anti-Oppression & Anti-Competition, and Investment and Funding. For the first time ever, federal funding has gone toward a national comedy program designed, managed, and delivered by comedy artists, for comedy artists via the Canada Performing Arts Workers Resilience Fund. The success of the CANCOM Comedy Symposium is vital to establishing ongoing funding support for comedy artists for their future content creation and career advancement.

The goal of CANCOM Comedy Symposium is to provide long-term career networks and improve skills for comedians and comedy tech workers. These workshops will help them create content, find employment, and access the support necessary while pursuing comedy success domestically and on the global market. The programming will be made accessible to live comedy performance workers in all geographical regions and equity-deserving populations.

CLOSING EVENT:
Sunday March 26th, 2023
1PM PT/ 2PM MT / CT / 4PM ET / 5PM AT / 5:30 NFLD
Watch Interactively: https://comedysymposium.virtualvenue.ca/
Comedy Bar Danforth, 2800 Danforth Avenue
Attend in-person in Toronto: RSVP to info@cancomedy.ca

FINAL LIVESTREAM:
Friday March 31st, 2023
5PM PT/ 6PM MT / CT / 8PM ET / 9PM AT / 9:30 NFLD
Watch and Ask Questions: https://streamyard.com/watch/6i5DWq8nzmd5

About CANCOM

The Foundation for Canadian Comedy (CANCOM) stimulates the production of exceptional Canadian comedy IP by comedians, making Canada competitive when responding to market-driven and regulatory demands for such content. As a federally registered, not-for-profit incorporation, CANCOM creates new models of collaboration that benefit relevant Canadian comedy stakeholder organizations and government departments in the evolving digital media ecosystem.

About The Canada Performing Arts Workers Resilience Fund (CPAWRF)

The purpose and objective of the temporary funding program, CPAWRF, is to retain Canadian skilled workers through a temporary program that invests in sector-led and delivered initiatives, which improve the economic, career, and personal circumstances of independent and self-employed workers in the live performance sector.

CANCOM COMEDY SYMPOSIUM
https://www.cancomedy.ca/cancom-comedy-symposium/

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Costume Design - Top 3

1. Ryan Park - The Lost Boys

19.8% of votes

2. Qween Jean - CATS: The Jellicle Ball

14.6% of votes

3. Linda Cho - Schmigadoon!

14% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats