Winnipeg Comedy Festival books most diverse lineup in its history

The Winnipeg Comedy Festival kicked off Monday night, and it's going all week with its most diverse lineup in the festival's history.  

"I'm excited because it's not just like, 'Oh, it's the gay one.' It's like, I have a community around me that are different in all these different ways," said comedian Chantel Marostica.

The 31-year-old former Winnipegger is in four different shows for the fest — including an all LGBT showcase on Saturday night and the all-female No Bro Show 2 on Friday night.

"The Winnipeg comedy scene, when I left, there was only like three women working," she said. "[It was] mostly, you know, men -- white men."

Marostica left for Toronto last year. Even in that short amount of time, Marostica said more women and LGBT comedians are taking the stage in the city, and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival is keeping up.

"You have to make a special effort to be inclusive or it never happens. There's always a good reason why you don't need to do the thinking and it's kind of gross," said the fest's artistic director and co-founder Al Rae. "When you see examples like The Lone Ranger … people will say 'Well, we did try to see if we could find an aboriginal person to play the aboriginal person, but at the end of the day, Johnny Depp seemed to be the best idea,' I never buy that rationale."

Rae has made an effort to book diverse talent since the fest's inception, but in recent years, he said, there are a lot more options for booking comedians from diverse backgrounds.

"There are more women comics this year and every year because there are more female comics who join the stand up world every year," said Rae. "We would always strive to a higher bar because the more women that see other women or the more East Indian comics that see other East Indian comics or the more disabled comics or the more aboriginal comics, the more that will come to the fore."

For the past three years, the festival has had an all-LGBT and all-female showcase.

"When I began stand up it would have been profoundly courageous to go up on stage and declare that you were gay, and you could expect you would not do as well as the other acts on the show," said Rae, who started in comedy in the early 1980s. "That's not the case anymore."

The fest books comics from as wide a variety of backgrounds as possible. This year, Tanyalee Davis, a comedian that stands three feet, six inches tall, is in three shows.

Marostica has four — one LGBT showcase, one all-female and two more.

"It's not just like we're gay so we have all the same jokes. He's booked people that have incredibly different sets and styles," she said. "If you're going to check out a show, it's just … going to be so diverse and random and fun."

Tickets to all-female comedy show going fast

Rae said the shows have been received well — tickets for this year's iteration of the No Bro Show are going fast, and 50 Shades of Gay had to be moved to a bigger venue this year.

The show is hosted by drag queen Tyra Boinks and brings in LGBT comedians from all over Canada.

"I wish more people would do it. There's very little risk involved in doing it," he said. "I am very proud of the city almost every year when we try something that might be considered to be radical."

Marostica said while the Winnipeg's comedy scene isn't as diverse as Toronto's — that's where she's living now — the fest is getting attention from near and far.

"The festival gets a lot of recognition across North America because it books such great talent," said Marostica. "I love seeing how many women are in the festival. It's amazing."

The festival runs until Sunday night, and a full schedule is available on their website.