Jacob Balshin (photo by Emily Cooper)
Just For Laughs Vancouver and CBC have announced that original series The New Wave of Standup is returning for Season 3 beginning March 24 on the free CBC Gem streaming service.
The third season showcases 14 Canadian comedians with diverse backgrounds and unique comedy styles who perform standup sets that explore topics including dating, workplace politics, family dynamics and overall observations about life and finding the humour in it. Among the rising stars are Jewish community members Jacob Balshin and Laura Leibow.
Balshin was the winner of I Heart Jokes Awards Newcomer of the Year in Toronto and was later nominated for Breakout Comic of the Year. He has recorded sets for CBC’s Laugh Out Loud and Sirius XM. He is currently fresh off a month-long run of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. His standup clips on TikTok have amassed millions of likes and a loyal group of fans who enjoy his personal, loose and free style of joke-telling.
In 2022, Leibow was chosen to be a part of New Faces at Just For Laughs at the Montreal and Toronto festivals and also did a taping for CBC Gem’s New Wave of Standup. She has a witty and laid-back comedic style, performing on the club circuit, in alternative rooms and in theatres. She has performed in clubs like the Improv and Micky’s in Los Angeles, and Gotham and Broadway Comedy Club in New York City. She is the editor of the comedy website Unoriginal and hosts two podcasts for the Canadian Jewish News. She can be heard frequently on SiriusXM and on 604 Records’ comedy compilation album The Great Canadian Comedy Rumble.
The new season also features comedian Brendan D’Souza, a fast-talking non-binary comedian and podcaster. Travis Lindsay – an on-air correspondent and writer for CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes – brings a mix of jokes and storytelling. Rachel Schaefer has been featured on CBC Radio’s Laugh Out Loud, and appears on the JFL Original’s comedy album Stand-Up BC: Yee-Haw Hell Yeah.
Courtney Gilmour has written for and made appearances on CBC’s The Debaters and Humour Resources. Using a rapid-fire joke style and laid-back demeanour, Bobby Warrener has performed standup at multiple festivals, on TV and on tours across Canada. Charles Haycock has performed at many festivals, as well.
Seán Devlin was a 2022 Juno nominee for his comedy album Airports, Animals, and was a consulting producer on Borat: The Subsequent Movie Film, as well as writer and director of the satirical feature film When the Storm Fades. Dino Archie made his network late-night debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, while Heidi Brander is a writer for CBC’s Son of a Critch, Baroness Von Sketch Show and Still Standing, who has served for three seasons as head writer of This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Jackie Pirico has multiple Just For Laughs television tapings under her belt and a feature film (Sundowners); she also has made appearances on Viceland TV and Crave’s new mockumentary series New Eden. Malik Elassal is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer, performing in clubs across Canada and appearing on various TV shows, while Mike Green produces shows Secret Standup Series and Comedy At the Handsome Daughter, which is one of the longest running weekly shows in the country.
To watch the season, visit gem.cbc.ca/the-new-wave-of-standup.
– Courtesy C2C Communications