Beloved Calgary comedy show comes to a close after two decades

Amir Said · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

After 2 decades of hijinks, a staple of Western Canada's drama country has travel to a adjacent successful Calgary.

Open-mic drama amusement Comedy Monday Night has welcomed everybody from first-time comics to Hollywood stars since laminitis James Moore's archetypal amusement successful 2005.

The past of astir a 1000 open-mic nights wrapped last period aft a 20th day event, with fans packing the downtown pub Modern Love — longtime location of Comedy Monday Night since it was formerly known arsenic Broken City —  to observe the show's success.

"It was a cleanable ending, due to the fact that I didn't archer anybody that was the past show, I conscionable told them it was the 20th anniversary," said Moore who was interviewed past week connected CBC Radio's the Calgary Eyeopener.

"Everybody showed up present for a celebration, not a funeral. And truthful astatine the precise extremity of the show, I thanked everybody, and I pulled the ripcord and I'm present drifting disconnected into the sunset."

• Comedy endowment nurtured astatine long-running unfastened mic, Calgary's Comedy Monday Night

LISTEN | Comedy Monday Night organizer connected bringing the long-running amusement to an end: 

Comedy Monday Night played a pivotal relation successful shaping Calgary's unrecorded drama scene. It's featured the likes of Better Call Saul prima Bob Odenkirk, arsenic good arsenic a astonishment amusement from The Hangover's Zach Galifianakis

When Galifianakis first introduced himself, Moore had nary thought who helium was.

"I looked astatine him and helium didn't look similar Brad from The Hangover," said Moore. "He mislaid a batch of weight, helium chopped his beard existent close."

After vetting Galifianakis's identity, helium welcomed the Between Two Ferns host on signifier for what was bound to beryllium the venue's astir high-profile show. 

"Comedians person been wondering what it takes to get a walk-on spot astatine Comedy Monday Night, and past nighttime that question was answered: $10 cardinal container bureau and 3 pieces of ID," joked Moore, quoting chap comedian Chris Griffin.

Comedy Monday Night has besides been a spot for newbies to hone their trade and successful galore cases adjacent instrumentality the signifier for the archetypal time.

"We've been precise fortunate connected the endowment improvement side, due to the fact that determination was a batch of kids who perceived this arsenic a truly bully accidental to get into comedy," said Moore.

Among those occurrence stories is Calgary comedian Spencer Streichert, who has gone connected to unfastened for large names successful the manufacture similar Jim Jefferies and Kenny Hotz.

"I've learned from the best," said Streichert.

Everyone who stepped connected signifier astatine Comedy Monday Night received the aforesaid rundown, Streichert said, nary substance their experience. New comedians were taguht about how to clasp the mic, wherever to look for the airy and signifier etiquette.

"[Moore] made definite that everybody that was getting connected signifier was arsenic nonrecreational arsenic imaginable truthful that the show, adjacent though it had a batch of amateurs connected it, would beryllium a precise nonrecreational show," said Streichert.

Moore's dedication surely paid off, arsenic Comedy Monday Night leaves down a dedicated fanbase and a lasting imprint connected Calgary's drama scene.

"It didn't substance if you were a nonrecreational headliner oregon an unfastened mic-er," said Streichert. "Everybody came present and it was a existent investigating crushed of if you were funny, due to the fact that the assemblage would beryllium hot, but you inactive had to beryllium funny."