Grinders “Grind it Out” for Open Mic Comedy at Theatre Sainte Catherine

Trying to find Theatre Sainte-Catherine was like trying to find Waldo. Next to impossible! Mainly due to my poor directional skills, but also because I’ve only been living in this city for about a month now. I was frantically trying to make it to the show for 8, and by the time I finally arrived, I managed to make it with 15 minutes to spare before the show started. Sweet! So, this gave me the opportunity to check out the venue for the very first time.I quite like this venue. It’s a tad smaller than what one would typically envision the size of your atypical theatre to be. That being said, what it lacks in size, it certainly makes up for in character and charm.  It has two floors for seating, with a beautiful winding staircase that connect the two, and a disco ball fastened to the roof. I loved the way the little reflective beams of light kissed the room… it added a nice touch.

Grinders Comedy Lab essentially acts as an outlet for newer and less experienced comedians/ performers to manifest their artistic visions and try out new material. Which is inclusive of anything ranging from stand-up comedy, music, film, monologue, improve, sketch, magic, poetry etc.

The group operates within Theatre Sainte-Catherine, and hosts open mic nights on select days of the week. It is such an ideal venue for promoting and giving exposure to comics that are new to Montreal’s comedy scene.

Overall, some jokes were hit, and others… well… not so much. It’s expected at these kind of things though, and I imagine that it must be pretty terrifying testing new material for the first time in a room full of strangers.  It’s a lot of pressure, so I commend these comedians for their bravery and spirit. Stephan Petersen hosted throughout the night and did a fantastic job of maintaining the energy of the show (and insisting on dancing to Tom Petty tracks).

Grinder’s offered us an amazing line-up that consisted of comics; George Hamilton (A.K.A GHP), Scott Carter, Mike Meo, Jackie Pirico, Mariam Khan, Susan Flemming, Shawn Stenhouse, Morgan O’Shea, Tommy Marshal, Pantelis (A.K.A Big P) Each person was unique in their delivery and comic style, so I felt there was a lot of variety in this show.

In summary, I had a really fun time at this show and I plan to return to the venue again this Friday for the “Anonymous Comedy show” (where you can laugh at racist jokes and nobody will know that you’re a racist because everyone is wearing masks!) Very exciting stuff. Theatre Sainte Catherine is located on 264 Sainte-Catherine street Est.

For more exciting upcoming events from Grinder’s you can like their Facebook page <<< here

Cheers,

–
Grace