The 12th annual New Year’s Eve Comedy Night at the Shenkman Arts Centre is fast approaching, and welcoming 2024 with laughter could be just the thing.
“I’m most excited to perform in that theatre venue,” says Jenn Labelle of the Arts Centre, which seats four to five hundred. Labelle is one of three great comedians performing at Comedy Night. “It adds a different element when you’re performing in front of that big of a crowd. People on nights like that are excited to be out of the house and celebrating.”
“I would say my style is primarily relatable comedy,” she adds. “I get very inspired writing jokes about things that have happened to me or that I’ve observed.” Labelle is a comedian, high school teacher, and athlete who lives in Ottawa’s east end.
“I was lucky enough to find my three passions in life,” Labelle explains. “I started kickboxing when I was just out of university… It opened my eyes to the benefits and results you’ll get if you push yourself outside your comfort zone.”
“Anything I do that I’m passionate about, I want to be successful with it, and I want to do well. That definitely has translated to comedy as well. It started as a kind of simple hobby or something like a suggestion that my friend told me I should do, and it just turned into a whole other part-time career for me.”
Labelle is open about the challenges she’s faced. “I found that when I first started there’s a bit of a stigma about being a female comedian, and I think most female comics would agree that… when you walk on stage, you have more to prove.”
Labelle needed hip surgery last year, but keeps fit with strength training and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts, these exercises boosting her confidence. “I think the confidence comes from being physically strong… Teaching gives me another level of confidence in terms of speaking in front of people… You just need a lot of confidence on stage, or the crowd will see right through you—just like my students would if they see that I’m not confident in the information I’m trying to teach them.”
“I poke fun at the world of teaching but mostly at the struggles of it,” Labelle adds. “Comedy is very much a release for me—being in a leadership role day in and day out and having to have a certain level of seriousness to my job—it’s nice to get on stage and kind of let loose and talk about the things that stress me out or seeing the funny in (kind of laugh at) my pain.”
The New Year’s Comedy Night will also feature Rob Pue and Leonard Chan. “I think that [the audience is] going to get a lot of variety in the comedy among the three of us, a lot of different vantage points,” Labelle says. “Rob is very much a storyteller, and he’s so good at finding so many different punch lines in one story, whereas I’m more observational, and Leonard brings… a level of modesty… and professionalism while still being very silly on stage… Overall, you’re going to hear a lot of different subjects covered.”
Don’t miss out! Get your tickets for the 12th annual New Year’s Eve Comedy Night and learn more here.
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