Amateur comic Matt Gray is showing that sometimes giving back to the community can be a laughing matter by bringing a new series of charity comedy events to the Byward Market’s Zaphod Beeblebrox.
Standup comedy show “A Comedian’s Guide to the Galaxy” is scheduled to debut Oct. 30 at the York Street nightclub, featuring a range of local comics. According to Gray, the jokes will be both clean and dirty, and told through both one-liners and storytelling.
All funds raised will go towards The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada and the Ottawa Food Bank.
Gray, 29, works as a body piercer at Planet Ink on Rideau Street. In his spare time, he has been performing standup at various venues in the city for the past year.
He said he came up with the idea as a way to “do shows any time I want,” but he also has more personal intentions.
“Somebody important to me is suffering from leukemia, and it hasn’t been looking good lately,” Gray said. “If they happen to pass, then I’d be happy to have their name live on through my shows.”
He added that he hopes the donations will help other people in similar situations. Gray is also passionate about helping Ottawa’s comedy scene grow.
“Ottawa could always use more spots for comics,” Gray said. “We have tons and tons of comedians but there’s not that many places for people to get stage time. Most guys would just kill to be on stage.”
Ryan King only took ownership of the renowned Zaphod’s in February. He said the club – best known as a music venue – has done comedy shows before, but it’s never been a regular thing.
“I don’t really know that much about it, so we’re sort of, you know, going to see how it goes,” King said. “Matt had a good proposal. He’s super enthusiastic, he came up with a cool name, so why not?”
While comedy may not be Zaphod’s forte, the club is no stranger to fundraising for a good cause.
“We do lots of charity events pretty frequently,” King said.
“We did one for (fire-ravaged) Fort McMurray a couple of months ago. Before that we did an event with The Flatliners for a leukemia fundraiser.”
He said past charity shows drew in big crowds, but that it’s always hard to predict turnouts.
Gray’s inaugural “Comedian’s Guide” takes place at Zaphod’s on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. The cover charge is a $3 donation or a canned food item.
Gray said the event will continue monthly for now, but that he eventually hopes to make it a weekly show.
Elgin Street comedy club Yuk Yuk’s also holds regular charity comedy events, alongside their Preston Street location.
“We do probably over 100 fundraisers on- and off-site every year,” said Howard Wagman, co-owner of Yuk Yuk’s Ottawa branch. “We raise money for everything from liver cancer to local hockey games.”
Wagman said fundraising is very important to his club, and that charities need money now more than ever.
“It’s a win-win when people buy tickets to an event where they’re getting something back and they’re able to help somebody out,” Wagman said.
High-level Canadian comics usually perform at Yuk Yuk’s events, he said, but added that many attendees tend not to know who the stars are.
“A lot of people don’t know the best comedians in the country, unfortunately, unless they’ve got a regular television show,” Wagman said. “That’s an unfortunate thing.”