Live Stand-Up at the CSAC

Many of Fredericton’s most recognized comedians will take the Charlotte Street Arts Centre stage for an evening of laughs on April 7.

Matt Carter

Mary Green, Maggie Estey and Jimmy MacKinley are just a few of the local comics taking part in an upcoming fundraiser in support of the ongoing renovations at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre. The evening will also include performances by Brian Conoley and Ben Conoley, as well as the CSAC’s own Courtney Steeves, who will also serve as the evening’s M.C.

Steeves works as the CSAC’s Community Manager and is a big fan of comedy. While chatting with Grid City Magazine about the upcoming event, Steeves jokingly admitted to mixing business with pleasure in hopes of improving her own comedy game.

“Why comedy? Well, this might have been a bit of a selfish drive, but when I was in Toronto last year I took a course from Second City and I fell in love with it,” said Steeves. “When I came home I saw that there was a growing comedy scene in Fredericton and wanted to get involved. During these times of madness in the world it’s nice to have a good laugh, so as Community Manager, when we were thinking of events to host at here Charlotte Street Arts Centre, we thought we would give it a go and see if it works outside of the bar scene.”

The event is one of several upcoming fundraising events in support of the CSAC’s Accessibility Expansion Program. The 130+ year old building has been undergoing a number of renovations over the past year including the addition of an elevator, new multi-purpose rooms and offices.

“We are having our Grand Opening on May 31 to give people a taste of the amazing strides we’ve made so far,” said Steeves. “We have a great venue that has some solid bones to it, but needs some more bells and whistles to really activate the space.”

Steeves said the lineup for CSAC’s first Stand-Up Comedy Night came together pretty quickly once her idea was given the green light.

“I first pitched the idea to Ben and Brian Conoley whom I’ve known for years, and we built the roster from there,” she said. “Graystone Brewing hopped on board right away, and all the comedians were pumped from the beginning too. Our goal was to get a well-rounded crew, and I think we’ve achieved that nicely. Comedy is a tricky one because people have different senses of humour, luckily there’s a little taste for everyone…. and beer.”