 Dawn Ford performing at Comedy on Mackay. Sometimes as comedians, we walk away from a show where everyone bombed — the comics, the crowd work, the energy in the room — and we console ourselves by blaming the audience. “Tough crowd tonight,” we say, nodding in solidarity, as if we were all helpless passengers on a sinking ship.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, it’s not the crowd. Sometimes, the root of that flat, uncomfortable, or low-energy night comes down to how the show was hosted.
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 Photographer: Eric Spicely (@spicewonder) One of the best things about stand-up is that there’s no one way to be funny — and thank God, because if I had to write like Seinfeld or shout like Sam Kinison, I’d have quit ages ago.
Still, I meet so many new comics who ask, “What’s my voice?” like it’s something you pick off a shelf. The truth is: voice comes from trying, failing, and figuring out which style of funny feels like home. So let’s talk about the different kinds of comedy styles out there — and what it actually means to “have a voice” in stand-up.  Saba Jakeman, co-producer and co-host of Comedy on Mackay with audience members. There’s a unique kind of anxiety that creeps in five minutes before showtime when half the chairs are still empty. For comics, that silence hits differently. We start doing mental math: Did I post enough? Should I have made a reel? Did my followers ignore this one? Is this my fault?
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AuthorTina Cruz (@tinatellsjokes) is the founder of Comedy on Mackay—named one of Montreal’s top 5 comedy nights by CultMTL—and a seasoned performer making her FringeMTL debut this summer. Archives
October 2025
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