Call for Submissions
The 19th Annual Winnipeg Comedy Festival is April 25 – May 2, 2020.
The festival is accepting submissions until November 29, 2019.
Please email your submission to: helene@winnipegcomedyfestival.com
Please tell us:
- which theme(s) you are pitching to (see themes below)
- where you would be flying from
- your contact info and if you have representation (and their contact info if applicable)
Important:
- Be TV-clean.
- Sets 8-10 minutes are ideal.
- Video links preferred. Video files, written submissions, or links to websites with clips also accepted.
Themes:
Below are six themes, FIVE OF WHICH will become our five TV galas. Feel free to submit to more than one gala.
Technology
A look at the highs and lows of hi-tech: how it’s changed our daily lives and our society … internet, fake news, shortened attention spans, texting, emojis, comment sections, catfishing, porn, Tinder, Amazon, photoshopping, social media, Instagram, Netflix vs TV, surveillance, tracking, privacy, trolls, facial recognition, etc.
Animals
Jokes about animals – pets, farms, zoos, wild animals – our relationship with them, what they say about us, and how their behaviour informs our own.
Travels
Travel tales, vacations gone wrong, culture shock, etc. Tell us where you’ve been, how you got there, and what happened! It’s a look at the world through Canada’s eyes, and Canada through the world’s eyes.
My Generation
Boomers, Gen X-ers, and Millennials compare and contrast the virtues and vices of their respective generations – possible angles: pop culture, technology, parenting styles, dating practices, values, nostalgia, etc.
Vices – Pick Your Poison
A funny look at all our coping mechanisms and ways we self-soothe or self-medicate – booze, marijuana, caffeine, social media, sex/porn, exercise, tattoos, food, video games, internet, routines/rituals, OCD, therapy, gossip, drama, shopping, etc.
Strange Days
A look at the alarming state of our world – global warming, fake news, anti-vaxxers, robots, fascism, the end of objective truth, apocalypse scenarios, zombies, cult of celebrity, bread and circuses, etc.
Here’s some friendly advice:
- Be unique. What do you as a performer offer that your peers can't?
- Have a point of view. What does your set have to say about its subject matter?
- Have a showcase set that's focused and cohesive. Try to have a beginning, middle, and end. Nothing wrong with a joke salad, but for a themed gala, a set that coheres is king.
- Don’t showcase your crowd work, showcase your material.
- Be timely while being timeless. Keep in mind our shows air a year after taping and beyond, so avoid topical jokes that date your material.
- Remember - we're not making a list of our 30 favorite comics, we're casting TV shows. We have 6 spots to fill in each of 5 shows. Each of those 6 spots is different and ought to touch on a different aspect of the gala theme.
- We will contact you if we are interested.
- Although we book US and international acts, those spaces are limited due to Canadian content rules on the TV show.
- We are delighted that you took the time to have us consider you!
The Winnipeg Comedy Festival is The Gas Station Arts Centre’s flagship event and has come to include year-round outreach programs and shows, rural shows, workshops, and television broadcasts that attract over 2 million viewers annually on CBC. The Winnipeg Comedy Festival is proud to be the highest-rated comedy festival series on CBC Television.