​How Does Standup Comedy Relate to Life

Quinn Lague performing at the Open Mic at Comedy on Mackay

There are a lot of reasons why people do standup comedy.

Some do it for the pure joy of short-form storytelling—turning life’s absurdities into something others can relate to. Some do it for the attention. Some use it to process the horrific and the terrific—to reclaim their story.
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For me, it’s the last one: reclaiming my narrative.

Standup comedy can be one of the most enriching things in life—a way to bring light to the grind of the boring and mundane. But it’s also one of the most honest mediums for understanding failure and resilience in real time. One night you’re killing it; the next, you’re bombing in front of a crowd with your most personal material.

When we think about humour in a broader sense, we think about how it can be to our advantage to disarm a tense room with a laugh—or even by addressing the tension in real time. In the Montreal scene, some of the most authentic comedians have done exactly that.

“How are you doing? I’ve seen you with your arms crossed this entire time.”

That one line can release the tension that had been brewing in that one individual—and the audience feels it too. While some audience members might not be used to, or even welcome, participation in a comedy show, it creates a sense of levity that, as comedians—and as human beings—we often take for granted.

When I think about my life as a musician, we deal with tension and release all the time—similar to standup, except there’s an unpredictability to it. I can practice my instrument for hours and produce something that I know is good. However, with standup, I can recite my set a billion times in front of a mirror, but unless I have control—or a grip on the room—it can fall flat unless I adapt in the moment.

Often, this is what we call riffing—commentary improvised on the spot. When it involves audience interaction, it becomes crowd work, because we’re leaning on the crowd’s energy and response. That spontaneity offers something fresh and new. It allows the audience to feel included in the show—a kind of inclusivity that’s unpredictable, but powerful.

I know it might sound like a strange way to think about standup, but it really does reflect life. We have to talk about the hard, weird, scary, and angry stuff—because those are the very things that can bring us together. That’s how a room full of strangers ends up laughing together.

If you’re new and have never tried standup comedy before, drop by every Tuesday at Comedy on Mackay at 10 PM for our open mic!