When Pete Zedlacher comes to Nanaimo next week, he’ll be here for business and pleasure.
That’s because the Calgary-based comic is in town for the Snowed-In Comedy Tour, a travelling show originally started by comedian Dan Quinn in 2009 as an excuse to visit Western Canadian ski resort towns. The tour has since grown to 70 stops across Canada and the comedians have even taken it to the United States, France, Switzerland and Australia.
Zedlacher’s first taste of the tour came in 2014 when he filled in for a few dates. He liked it so much that he returned the following year to do a larger portion of the tour and the year after that he did the entire thing. He’s taken part in the tour ever since.
He said he was drawn to the idea of “finding that balance between doing what you love and finding other things that you love and then bringing them together.” Getting to do that with his close friends and tour the country is a bonus.
“This tour is incredibly remarkable in that we’re doing things that we love during the day and then we get to [perform] in big, beautiful theatres at night,” Zedlacher said.
This year’s tour comes to the Port Theatre on Jan. 15. The core trio of Quinn, Zedlacher and Paul Myrehaug will be joined by guest comic Debra DiGiovanni. Zedlacher said each of the comedians are very different and they all bring something unique to the show.
“Dan is recently married so for the last two years he’s been very much our relationship comedian … and Paul is living in Europe so he’s got that angle and I’m the Canadiana comic, if you will, I guess I talk a lot about what’s happening in our country,” he said. “And Deb’s our single female on the tour and so she’s got that saucy energy and she’s just a powerhouse.”
Zedlacher said he’s looking forward to playing the Port Theatre, which he calls “one of our crown jewels on the tour,” as well as just catching up with his funny friends. He said at the end of the tour they all go their separate ways.
“Dan’s in Vancouver, I’m here in Calgary, Paul lives in the south of France and tours Europe and Deb’s down in L.A. So we rarely cross paths seven, eight months of the year and then we get together and have a brand-new show,” he said. “So the first few shows that we do together we’re all kind of watching each other’s sets going, ‘Oh, wow. That’s what you came up with this year.'”
WHAT’S ON … The Snowed-in Comedy Tour comes to the Port Theatre, 125 Front St., on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. General admission is $45, $35 for seniors, $25 for students. Tickets available at the box office.
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