While he’s never stepped foot in Okotoks, an Ontario comedian intends to know the town fairly well before the end of his act.
London comedian of 20 years Jeff Leeson is headlining Comedy Tour, emceed by Cambridge comedian Tige Wright, at the Elks Hall on April 11 at 8 p.m.
Leeson has nothing prepared before stepping on stage. Instead, his audience will play a role in what he says is a combination of stand-up comedy and improvisation.
“It’s really about taking the timing and the beats of stand-up comedy and then adding in the anything-can-happen aspect of improvisation and really utilizing the people in the audience and relying on them for information about the town that can be used in the material,” he said. “I like to get the information from the people at the show so that it’s really more reactionary.”
Leeson’s show is personalized so people aren’t seeing the same act twice.
“They feel like they are really part of the creation of it,” he said.
Getting audience co-operation isn’t always guaranteed.
“Sometimes I’ll have to ask a lot of questions to get information and other times I’ll bring one or two things up and people will yell out more or add to the story as we go,” he said. “You never know what kind of audience you’re going to get, if they’re going to be really rowdy and lively or quiet, and how much it might take to get stuff out of them.”
Not knowing is what he likes best.
“If people are interested in getting to be a part of the show I certainly welcome that and if not I’ll just create it on my own and hopefully they get on board,” he said. “It’s really capitalizing on personalizing it to them and talking more about the things that they would know and really relating to them.”
While some comedians like to bring themselves into their acts, that’s not Leeson’s style.
“Nobody knows who I am, nobody cares or is interested in that,” he said.
Initially, Leeson used the standard set with the same act every night while learning the basics of comedy.
“After 10 to 12 years I got bored of saying the same thing over and over again,” he said. “I thought, how can I go into these places and instead of just saying the same thing how can I really personalize this for them so when they leave they will feel like, I’ll never see that again.”
Leeson isn’t the only one winging it. Wright will also feel out the audience as the evening’s opening act.
“Hosting is the hardest job because you’re the first person people see,” said the comedian of five years. “I try to find the line for the audience. If I can find how far I can go the rest of the acts know where they can be.”
While it can be difficult opening shows, Wright enjoys the challenge.
“I’ve always been the type of person that would rather do things the hard way anyway,” he said.
In his performances, Wright said he cracks jokes at marriage, today’s society and talks about sex in a tastefully vulgar way.
“It’s just something people seem uncomfortable with until I make such a goofy point that everybody else is laughing,” he said. “I very much like trying to get people to laugh at stuff they wouldn’t laugh about if they were anywhere else. I like the idea that maybe you’re laughing at something maybe you don’t think you should.”
Tickets cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door and can be purchased by calling 403-938-4969 or at eventbrite.ca
