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Comedy show benefits Airdrie Food Bank

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Comedian Scott Porteous and others will stop in Airdrie Sept. 9 for the Human Condition Comedy Tour, with proceeds going to the Airdrie Food Bank. Photo Submitted/For Rocky Vie Publishing

A stand-up comedy show Sept. 9 at Good Earth Coffeehouse and Bakery will, according to Winnipeg-based comedian Scott Porteous, give members of the community a chance to enjoy some laughs while supporting the Airdrie Food Bank.

“One of the reasons why we want to do this – I was joking around [that]…we’re just being selfish in the most selfless way,” Porteous said. “We love stand-up comedy and we love to travel, and if we could find the means to help someone else out in the process, even better.”

The Human Condition Comedy Tour began Sept. 2 in Camrose, said Porteous – the tour’s lead organizer. Airdrie is one of more than 20 stops in Western Canada, each benefitting a local charitable organization.

Comedians Scott Russo – “observational, and he’s able to make anything funny,” according to Porteous – and Shawn Gramiak, who Porteous called “one of the best storytellers,” round out the tour’s lineup. For his part, Porteous described his own comedy style as “a bit self-deprecating, a little awkward,” focusing on one-liners.

The comedians will cater to their audience, Porteous added. The show will be family-friendly, but if the comics scan the crowd and notice children are absent, their material could get a little edgier, he said.

“It is a café, it is a public forum, so obviously, we’ll pick our spots,” he said. “If you want to bring your kids, by all means, do so. They might not get some of the jokes, but we definitely make sure no one’s going to get offended or any angry letters will be sent to us or the charities.”

According to Porteous, the tour was mapped out based on where charitable organizations wanted to partner with the comedians – he said he sent a “mass message” to different local charities about tour, inviting them to reach out.

Christine Taylor, Airdrie Food Bank’s events, marketing and communications manager, said she received Porteous’s message in January and jumped at the opportunity.

“We run the food bank on these types of events and donations and sponsorships, so I was absolutely interested,” she said. “We are thankful for all the events that people put on for us, but…this was something different that we had never done before – something that you could go to in the evening and have fun, and it would benefit the food bank.”

Taylor said the event promises to be a fun night full of laughs that will greatly help the work of the food bank in the community.

“We’re just the entertainment; the charities are the stars,” Porteous said. “We’re totally aware of that.”

The show will start at 8 p.m., and tickets are on sale for $15. Porteous said ticket sales will be split equally between the tour and the charity, with any additional donations going directly to the Airdrie Food Bank.

“If someone wants to do a ‘pass the hat’ or something, that would go all to the charity,” he said. “We’re just taking some [of the ticket sales] because we’re travelling, so we need to cover our costs to be able to do this tour.”

Tickets available online by searching “Human Condition Comedy Tour” on eventbrite.ca. Tickets will also be available at the door if the show does not sell out beforehand.
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