ON STAGE
What: Snowed in Comedy Tour featuring Pete Zedlacher, Dan Quinn, Craig Campbell, Paul Myrehaug
Where: Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St.
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $45 in person at the Royal McPherson box office, online at rmts.bc.ca, or by phone at 250-386-6121
Note: The Snowed in Comedy Tour also stops tonight in Courtenay and Friday in Nanaimo
Four comics each doing 25-minute sets is the essence of the Snowed in Comedy Tour. But for the funnymen whose names appear on the marquee, the snowbound trek through sa国际传媒 has a few more incentives.
The tour 鈥� which features Canuck comics Pete Zedlacher, Dan Quinn, Craig Campbell and Paul Myrehaug 鈥� is booked to take full advantage of winter weather.
Many of the cities on the six-week Alberta-sa国际传媒 leg of the tour just happen to be blessed with popular ski hills, a big benefit for tour founder Quinn and his fellow comics. Without the benefit of what amounts to a working vacation, the Snowed in Comedy Tour participants would be facing long, difficult drives with little respite.
No comic with half a brain is signing up for that. 鈥淲e wanted a vacation and we didn鈥檛 want to pay for it,鈥� Quinn said of the tour he founded in 2008. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gotten bigger over the years, but the philosophy has sort of stayed the same. Snowboarding is a big part of it, and once a week, we go out for a really nice meal and whatever the bill is, the tour pays for it. No one is really complaining.鈥�
The comics kicked off the tour on Jan. 3 in Prince Rupert. By the time the extensive run of dates comes to a close, Quinn and Co. will have hit more than a dozen ski hills in Alberta and sa国际传媒 (the four friends snowboarded in Smithers and Prince George last week, and hit Mount Washington on Wednesday.)
It鈥檚 not all fun and fresh powder, Quinn says. Travelling the highways in a packed Jeep Cherokee isn鈥檛 as glamorous as some might think.
The tour is running two vehicles at the moment 鈥� Campbell and his family in one, and Zedlacher, Quinn, and Myrehaug in the other. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a lot of room,鈥� Quinn said of the non-family ride.
鈥淲hen you鈥檝e got six weeks of clothes and your snowboard gear, it doesn鈥檛 leave a lot of space.鈥�
Quinn is hoping to one day move up a level, in terms of production values, and obtain the services of an official tour driver. 鈥淚t would be great if we had a bus just driving around with our snowboards 鈥� that鈥檚 when we鈥檇 know we made it. Who鈥檚 that? Oh, that鈥檚 just our snowboard driver. It would be awesome.鈥�
The tour wraps up on March 17, in Thunder Bay, Ont., the farthest east Quinn has taken the Snowed in Comedy Tour during its 10-year history. The run now tops out at 48 dates, a massive undertaking for an all-Canadian collection of comics.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not famous American acts or anything. The reason why we鈥檙e selling tickets is that people have come, told their friends, and come back.鈥�
Quinn has clearly found a sweet spot with audiences, as a good percentage of the stops sell out in advance. Few tickets remain for the shows in Courtenay (tonight), Nanaimo (Friday) and Victoria (Saturday). Stops in Port Alberni and Campbell River this week were sold out, according to Quinn.
The success of the tour comes down to the personalities of the comics, Quinn said.
Though each member of the tour has spent some time in the spotlight, be it Just For Laughs appearances or guest spots on CBC鈥檚 The Debaters, they are not household names. The everyman appeal is endearing to audiences, especially in some of the smaller cities on the tour.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a real personality to the shows. Craig [Campbell] isn鈥檛 for everybody, but man, some people love him, because he鈥檚 just who he is. And if you don鈥檛 like him, there鈥檚 three other comics on the show.鈥�
The possibility for expansion is always on the table for Quinn, who does the booking and manages the finances. But he鈥檚 also aware of the risks, having grown the tour from seed to stem.
鈥淣ext year, our plan is to completely dip our toes into Ontario and hit Toronto for the first time,鈥� Quinn said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 tough, though. We鈥檙e a business and it鈥檚 a financial risk. Nobody is guaranteeing us any money 鈥� we only get paid if people show up.鈥�
