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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 12 ,2 02 0 | 12 475 Thompson Drive, Cambridge N1T 2K8 Fax: 519.623.9155 367 Woodlawn Rd. W., Unit #1, Guelph Fax: 519.763.4814 A family of 4 pack To the KW Home & Garden Show ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN! Contest open to residents 18 years of age or older. All entry forms must be filled out completely and received by contest closing date of March 20 th at 5pm. Winners will be contacted by phone. Drop off, fax or snap a photo of ballot filled out and email to cdellow@starmetrolandmedia.com MAR 27 th -MAR 29 th MAR 27 th -MAR 29 th (5 family packs available - approx. value on tickets $20) Name: Address: Phone Number: KW Home & Garden SHOW CONTEST The Aud - 400 East Ave. Kitchener Win!!!   - or - 519.658.9025 | www.grahams.ca | free in-home consultation 11 Queen street east, cambridge WinDoW coVerinGs for anY room BUY 2 GET 1 FREE Blinds, Shades & Shutters It's often at the gut of good comedy - people like to laugh at things they can relate to. Yet for members of the queer community, finding such a venue can be tough. Most queer comics gravitate to bigger cities, and comedy shows outside the genre are often male- dominated. That's what an inclu- sive brand called Comic Sans aims to change. "Sans misogyny. Sans rape jokes. Sans harm." Started by comedian Al- ice Rose as "Alice's Big Queer Comedy Show" at the Patent Social, in 2018, the Comic Sans brand, on- stage every third Wednes- day of the month, has grown to include other marginalized groups, in- cluding comics with disa- bilities and people of col- our. Moreover, it shines a spotlight that focuses on the "diverse, eclectic, in- tersectional voices" of LGBTQ+, BIPOC and femi- nist performers. "Because you can go to other shows and you'll see a lot of other middle-aged Black men, but if you come here you're going to see something different," said Rose. "You're going to see people with different expe- riences." On March 18, Comic Sans is bringing the Water- loo region its first-ever comedy festival showcase for one night only. Eight up-and-coming comics - all of whom have the chops to do big things - will perform their best ma- terial for industry reps from Just For Laughs and other companies and festi- vals from across Canada. Just for Laughs books talent by attending new showcases and filming it as an audition process, Rose explained. "So all these comics are going to be showcasing their best seven-minute material for industry pro- fessionals, booking agents, casting agents," she said. "It's going to be ground- breaking because it's one of the first fully LGBTQ+ showcases and it's the first to happen in the Kitche- ner-Waterloo area." Local comedians in- clude Ben McKay (Tinder Tales Waterloo, Jokes at Jane's) and Kez Vicario- Robinson (The Making Box, Comedy Bar). Both have been doing stand-up for the past two years and said it means a lot career-wise to just to get their names out and on the radar. "To get anything within this industry is such a big deal," McKay said. Vicario-Robinson, 22, a genderqueer jester, start- ed doing stand-up after taking in some of Rose's shows and friending her on Facebook. Rose encouraged the now-rising comic to pur- sue a love for comedy. Vicario-Robinson does a lot of storytelling about personal experiences and situations and talks a lot about family, with two queer siblings. "There are stand-ups from every walk of life and everyone's got funny things that will relate to their communities, and people will see themselves in them," Vicario-Robin- son said. "It's really important to see queer people and trans people laughing and enjoy- ing themselves, I think. I think it's really therapeu- tic to laugh at yourself and for people to see it's OK to laugh at yourself." The show's co-produc- er, Serra Dawn, said a strong queer community will have a subset of come- dy. "Waterloo, being a uni- versity city, has a lot of young people, a lot of queer people as well, so we're just another natural hub for this to happen," she said. "It takes a trail- blazer." Rose said she ultimate- ly aims to create a safe space that celebrates di- versity and provides tal- ented amateur comics with opportunities. All proceeds from the March 18 showcase at the Patent Social, at 17 Erb St. E., will be donated in sup- port of recovery costs for Dawn's gender confirma- tion surgery later this year. To find out more, vis- it the GoFundMe page. Tickets are available at eventbrite.ca. QUEER COMEDY BRAND PRODUCING FIRST FESTIVAL SHOWCASE BILL JACKSON bjackson@kitchenerpost.ca WHAT'S ON 'SANS MISOGYNY. SANS RAPE JOKES. SANS HARM.' Comedian Alice Rose (right) was in Waterloo promoting the upcoming Comic Sans Festival Showcase on March 18, alongside comedian Kez Vicario-Robinson, co-producer Serra Dawn and comedian Ben McKay. Bill Jackson/Torstar