Comedian, facilitator and event producer. I love jokes and how they can help us move through hard stuff. Sign up for the Cathartic Laughs newsletter for tips on how to joke about the curve balls life throws our way.
🍌 What Winnipeg Comedy Fest Gala Themes will you apply for?
Hi funny people,
The Winnipeg Comedy Festival wrapped up earlier this month and has already shared its 2024 gala themes.
Five of the following six themes will be filmed and you can submit more than once. Below are shortened writeups on the themes because it's great to have them in your head in advance if you plan to apply.
YOUR NEXT ACT
The transitions show. Material about different phases of life, big changes, upheavals, milestones, fresh starts.
CUSTOMER DISSERVICE
Unhappy To Serve You - retail and customer service stories, from the customer’s perspective or the service provider’s perspective.
LOVE YOU, MAN
A look at the current state of masculinity – traditional notions vs contemporary notions, what’s gotten better about men / what’s gotten worse, masculinity as a spectrum, toxic vs. non-toxic, transitioning to or from male.
THE PERFECT SHOW
Material about personal and social pressures to strive for perfection and live up to unrealistic ideals – professionally, personally, in relationships, in appearance, in lifestyle, in your family, etc.
BACK IN THE DAY
The Nostalgia Show – a funny celebration and examination of our love affair with “the good old days.” pop culture, tech, parenting styles, politics, culture, etc. and how we often “remember” something that really only existed in our imaginations.
SICK JOKES
Material focussing on encounters with the front lines of healthcare: doctors, nurses, emergency rooms, procedures, diagnoses, treatments, wait times, waiting rooms, web md, dentists, prescriptions, pharmacies, vaccines, appointments, insurance, lab tests, ambulance rides, etc.
The festival is accepting submissions from Oct 1-31st, 2023. That seems a ways off, but I find these deadlines always sneak up on me!
Feel free to workshop some jokes with us and get started on the process!
Next Workshop
We will see you tomorrow, Saturday May 27th at 10:00 AM PST, on Zoom for our informal joke writing meetup. You can come even if you don't have goals or jokes you are actively working on, you can join in and give feedback to others. Can't make this one? Next one is on June May 10th, so mark your calendar.
Jokes We Love
I have been obsessed with watching a British show called Taskmaster. British comedians and media personalities compete in ridiculous tasks to win a golden statue of the hosts' head. The banter between the hosts and guests is amazing. If you watch it on Youtube, try it on the Brave Browser - I find I can get around paying for it and there are no ads on the full length episodes that way.
Stay funny and see you tomorrow!
Em
--
💙 Share jokes online 💙 We have a Cathartic Laughs online session this Saturday at 10am-noon PST on Zoom. Sessions run every other week.
💻 Zoom Link 💻 https://zoom.us/j/92589681139
Meeting ID: 925 8968 1139, Dial by location:
+1 778 907 2071 Canada
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aSC4fV13H
🎧 The Cathartic Laughs Podcast 🎧is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow for interviews with folks about how joking and humour helps then get through tough times.
Em Cooper
Comedian, facilitator and event producer. I love jokes and how they can help us move through hard stuff. Sign up for the Cathartic Laughs newsletter for tips on how to joke about the curve balls life throws our way.
Hey friends and fam! Hope you are well and enjoying the sun. Recently, I was lucky enough to do a bit of hosting for my friend Katie-Ellen Humphries self-produced comedy album taping and get a little insight into that process, which was cool. My take-away: it takes a lot of talented and nice people, working together to make a filmed comedy special happen. As I didn’t visit Glen, or his two cats, this weekend, I am worried they are going to forget who I am entirely and will go back to fully...
Hey all, Thanks for signing up, or for staying signed up, to this comedy newsletter. We were on hiatus, but are now back with occasional emails on the topic of joking about life. And what a time to be alive! A Canadian Federal election, in Vancouver an important by-election on Saturday April 5th (pls vote!) and in the US, Senator Cory Booker finished a marathon 25 hour speech. As a human, I was so inspired to see him highlight citizen's needs and recount stories of his hero John Lewis, who...
Hi funny people, Our last Cathartic Laughs session will be tomorrow, Saturday Dec 9th. Over the past few years we have gathered every other week to swap jokes, give constructive feedback and share updates on what life is throwing at us. I have a massive amount of appreciation for everyone who has joined in. Special appreciation goes to Adora Nwofor, who set the tone of these sessions with her love of comedy, open approach to facilitation and willingness to address challenging issues. These...