July 19th, 2011
Laugh Out Loud
With so many performances at the Just for Laughs Festival (from July 14–31), it can be hard to predict whether you’ll laugh ‘til you cry, or just cry. Montreal-based comedian Sugar Sammy is taking a break from the festival stage and we lucked out by getting his pro tips on how to get the best out of the fest.
1. You never know who’s going to be at the Best of the Fest, but according to Sugar Sammy, you may just find some big international stars warming up their sets (and having a drink with the crowd after).
2. Pick up a pass for the Comedy Conference ($99) from July 27-30 to attend panels, speeches, and discussions about the business of comedy. Way funnier than your industry conference.
3. “Discover” up-and-coming, alternative and underground comics at the bilingual Zoofest with a $39.99 pass for covering all shows.
4. Check out Cheat Live with Bill Burr, Robert Kelly and Joe DeRosa for the funny side of infidelity (guess there’s a funny side to everything).
5. If you’re French, or at least a franglophone, go see Mike Ward S’Expose, an edgy francophone comic who isn’t afraid to push boundaries.
Who knows? You may even bump into Sugar Sammy at one of the shows. But if his absence from the stage is making your heart grow fonder, just sign up at www.sugarsammy.com to be the first to hear about something big coming up soon in Canada (and, no, he didn’t give us any hints!). —Jennifer Nachshen
Festival Line-up and tickets at www.hahaha.com
For more of Jenn Nachshen’s interview with Sugar Sammy, see today’s Editors' Diary.
