Schedule (click on the artist for more information)

Friday, January 12, 7 PM  
Yukon Arts Centre, $30

A contributor to CBC Radio and Television and a veteran of over twenty years of live performing as a guitarist/vocalist and comedian, Todd Butler’s skills are honed to an exquisite point. He swings easily from lambasting politicians in hilarious political parodies to interpreting the latest news stories with a twist guaranteed to entertain you with a stunning combination of musical parody, whimsical wit, outstanding musicianship, and outrageous satire.

Todd Butler has been guest host of CBC Radio’s Madly Off in All Directions, and has performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Winnipeg Comedy Festival on CBC TV, Vancouver Comedy Festival and the Calgary Folk Festival.

In concert, Todd gets musical too, showing audiences why his 2003 instrumental CD, Dobro and Guitar (with Doug Cox) was picked as one of the year’s Top Ten by Acoustic Guitar Magazine. He goes from slow, smoky blues to breakneck bluegrass with such ease that the audience is left in a state of excited suspense wondering where the next turn will take them! A night with this guy is a twisting journey through such varied musical terrain as Funk, R&B, Reggae, Country Swing, Blues, Bluegrass and thoughtful ballads in the finest singer/songwriter tradition. Combine this with edgy political satire, and you have an evening guaranteed to redefine your idea of what a comedy concert should be!

Enjoy Todd Butler on his latest CD IDLE CANADIAN and on TODD BUTLER GOES MADLY OFF - LIVE .

“Best known for his clever satirical songs, Todd turns out to be a terrific guitarist with great technique and subtlety” Roy Forbes, Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

“Comedy tunesmith Todd Butler emerges as the surprise show-off with his over-the-top flatpicking” Bob Keelaghan, Penguin Eggs.

“Todd is a *&%*#@&%, but not a bad guitarist” Brian Mulroney.

Website: http://www.toddbutler.com

Thursday, January 11, 7 PM
Yukon Arts Centre, $ 25


Al Rae is a Winnipeg stand up comic and comedy writer. He is the winner of the Just for Laughs National Homegrown Comic Competition 2000. Prior to Little Mosque on the Prairie, Al was a writer on the sitcoms Blackfly and Big Sound (GLOBAL) and has appeared on CBC’s COMICS, Open Mike with Mike Bullard and a one hour COMEDY NOW special (CTV).

He was the host of the CBC Television comedy special In Search of Prairie Punchlines and was the head writer of the Saskatchewan Centennial Celebration for Queen Elizabeth II starring Brent Butt, and wrote the script for Jan Arden at the 2005 Juno Awards. He has hosted two comedy information shows for CBC Radio, That’s Capital about finance and Spin Off, a highly popular election satire show. His eight part comedy drama series Monsoon House with Russell Peters aired on CBC Radio in the fall of 2006.

He has written two shows for theatre Unscheduled Stop (Perrier Award Nomination, 1989 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Hen and Chickens Theartre, London) and How Do You Know When You’re Done (Gas Station Theatre, Winnipeg, Tim Sims Playhouse Toronto 2000) As a comic, he has opened for The Beach Boys, Kids in the Hall, The Waterboys, Squeeze, The Smothers Brothers, Wayne Newton, and has performed with The Chieftains, Bob Newhart, and barely survived a brief road tour with the late Sam Kinison. Al is currently the Artistic Director of the CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival.

Thursday, January 11, 9:15 PM
Westmark Hotel, $ 20


Clean Irene & Dirty Maxine is a modern, moral and morbid tale of obsession and demise, in which an alphabetic procession of distressed damsels meet their absurd and untimely ends as victims of their fixations. Written entirely in rhyme, the show combines social commentary, theatrical precision and black comedy.

Clean Irene & Dirty Maxine has toured to The Downstairs Cabaret Theatre in Rochester NY, the Hysteria Festival in Toronto (Nightwood Theatre / Buddies in Bad Times Theatre), the National Arts Centre in Ottawa for International Women’s Day 2004, and Winnipeg’s Fem Fest 2005. The show also won the Jury Prize for "Best New Play" SummerWorks Festival 2003 in Toronto, "Best Performance" Award at the Ottawa Fringe Festival 2003; “Best Production”, Now Magazine, Toronto, “Pick of the Fringe” 2003, Halifax Nova Scotia.

Independent Auntie is a multi-award winning company dedicated to mixing the personal and the political with the poetic and the imagistic. It is committed to creating original theatrical work by and about women. It strives to create surprising, highly entertaining theatre, with equal interplay between word and movement, social critique and cultural satire. Anna Chatterton, Evalyn Parry and Karin Randoja combine their various backgrounds in physical theatre, playwriting, clown, poetry, music and comedy to make their unique brand of stylized, highly physical black comedy. Anna and Evalyn (writer/performers) have been working together for 10 years; Karin (director/creator) has been working with them since 2002.

Website: http://www.independentauntie.ca

Saturday, January 13, 7 PM
Westmark Hotel, $ 20


A one man sketch extravaganza that is not for the faint of heart. Topics include a pep talk for starving Africans, infants with the blues, death to smiling people, pornographic horse racing, the inner workings of Charlton Heston’s mind, blood suckers. God playing dice, cross dressing performance poetry and retards in love. Warning: the politically correct will be shot.

Clean Irene & Dirty Maxine has toured to The Downstairs Cabaret Theatre in Rochester NY, the Hysteria Festival in Toronto (Nightwood Theatre / Buddies in Bad Times Theatre), the National Arts Centre in Ottawa for International Women’s Day 2004, and Winnipeg’s Fem Fest 2005. The show also won the Jury Prize for "Best New Play" SummerWorks Festival 2003 in Toronto, "Best Performance" Award at the Ottawa Fringe Festival 2003; “Best Production”, Now Magazine, Toronto, “Pick of the Fringe” 2003, Halifax Nova Scotia.

John has been writing and performing sketch comedy for the past 8 years. He was co-founder of Vancouver’s sketch group, Gut-Wrench and improvises with Urban Improv. He works as an actor, writer, director and producer in both theatre and film. John is co-founder of (r)evolution theatre, which produced his on-man play, The Heretic, which played at the Nakai Comedy Arts Festival in 2005 and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this past summer. Even though he feels very fortunate to be able to make his living on the stage, he realizes he will never be as cool as a rock star, and wishes that he was one.

Thursday, January 11, 8 PM
Westmark Hotel, $ 20


Spring in the Yukon! The spectacular view from Marlene’s window leads her to some private discoveries. But other people have windows, too. A romantic comedy about voyeurism, food, and the 8-track tape.

Sterling Award Nominee for Best New Fringe Work of 2005 and a winner of Nakai Theatre’s 24-Hour Playwriting Competition. Appeared by invitation at the Canadian Embassy in conjunction with the inaugural Capital Fringe Festival in Washington DC in July 2006.

Starring Sue Huff and Andy Northrup

Director David Cheoros

Mature. Adult language, sexual content

The Edmonton Sun said: “…a small, well-observed comic gem about two souls adrift in the Yukon” ... ”riotously entertaining but with a beating heart at the centre.”

SEE Magazine said: “Buy tickets for this totally sweet, totally honest romantic-comedy-with-a-twist before word gets out."

DC Arts said: ”This truly well-made play brings a hilarious contemporary twist to "split-stage" phone conversations as two recovering divorcees reveal themselves through those oft-ignored techniques of clever dialogue, plot and character development. Even the author's notes and “Glossary of Canadian Terms” in the playbill are witty & informative.”

Website: http://www.lue42.com/springalibi07/springalibi07.html

Saturday, January 13, 8:30 PM
Westmark Hotel, $ 25

Leave it to Cleavage knows just how hard it is to be a modern woman, and they know just how to make it better...with some good old fashioned improvised common sense.

And a martini.

(2004 Canadian Comedy Award Nominee for Pretty Funny Improv Group)

Diana Frances - Managing Director of Rock Paper Scissors, stand-up comedian, star of numerous sketch comedy shows on The Comedy Network, nominated for 3 Canadian Comedy Awards (2001, 2002, 2004) for improv and winner of top honors at The New York Radio Awards for her comedic writing with CBC Radio.

Diana Frances is a leading comic performer, setting the direction for comedy in Vancouver for 12 years. She has written and performed sketch comedy shows on the Comedy Network, including "Slightly Bent TV" and "Sucker Punch," and was a re-occurring character on the Comedy Network's "Point Blank." Most recently she's been a contributing writer for CTV's "Comedy Inc." and a writer on the pilot episode of "The Ellie Harvie Show." She has been nominated for 4 Canadian Comedy Awards for Best Female Improviser, and is also a really good parallel parker.

Ellie Harvie - Renowned stage actress, stand-up comedian, Gemini nominated actress, Leo Award winning actress for her role of Morticia from The New Addams Family, veteran of The Vancouver TheatreSports Leauge.

Scetch Comedy Episode 1 & 2

Yukon Comedy Jam

2 different shows:
Friday, January 12, 9:45 PM &
Saturday, January 13, 9:45 PM
Westmark Hotel, $ 20 per show

Comedy Jam. A sweet spread of laughs to cover your sense of humour toast. Come and see what happens when a host of comedians descend upon one open mic.

Dr.Chuck-A-Lotz and the Make-ya-Giggle-Gang. Deep in the recesses of your childhood, you can faintly recall the psychedelic sounds of the Make-ya-Giggle Gang. You were astounded by the cheddar wizardy of the Fro-Mage, you were delighted by the teachings of Yellow Fellow, you laughed along at the antics of Doobie-Doobie-Doo and you felt a kinship with the everyman Dave Parker. This explosion of wonderment and joy comes back for two nights of funky cosmic silliness.

Starring: Roy Ness, Mike Ellis, George Maratos, Kim Hawkins, Brian Fidler, Anthony Trombetta and Chris McNutt.

MCs and Hosts:

George Maratos. George prides himself on taking every day situations and adding some light humour. He also adores his family, so their actions are usually at the centre of his bits. Since first gracing the Yukon stage in 2005 he's played such venues as Paddy's Place, the prestigious Yukon Convention Centre, the regal Yukon Inn, not to mention the New York Comedy Club (it was open mic night). He's also acted in the Homegrown Festival, at the Guild and is a member of the Yukon's only comedy troupe "Jump the Shark".

Anthony Trombetta. Anthony has decided to raise his Personal Comedy Index (PCI) from "dabbler" to "sucker". He long ago thought about giving the Yukon a good solid kick in the comedy pants - so far so good. He also hates talking in the third person.