This Pride Month, why not catch a queer comedy legend in action? On June 21, Elvira Kurt will headline an epic Pride stand-up show in the heart of the city, alongside a stellar lineup of Toronto’s top 2SLGBTQ+ comedians. 

In 1993, Elvira became the first openly queer comedian to perform on Canadian television, paving the way for decades of 2SLGBTQ+ comics in our country. She was the host of the game show Spin Off, and has worked as a comic, writer, host and actress on countless other TV programs, including Canada’s Drag Race, The Great Canadian Baking Show, Drink Masters, and Baroness Von Sketch Show.

Back for its fourth year as an offcial Pride Toronto major cultural event, the Gay AF Comedy Pride-Stravaganza will once again present an all-star lineup of queer comedians for an afternoon of outdoor comedy at Campbell House Museum. Daphney Joseph, Anto Chan, Alice Rose, and Ryan Durgy are set to perform alongside Elvira. 

Ahead of the show, we had a chance to connect with the trailblazing comedian to hear more about her pre-show rituals, her plans for Pride Month in Toronto, and her advice for emerging queer comics. 

What do you love most about the comedy community in Canada? 

That each successive generation of comics makes it their own. It means the scene now is more inclusive than it’s ever been and I am here. for. it.

How has your comedy evolved recently? 

Recently I’ve been enjoying playing with the form of stand-up. How can I use the space to make a show feel more theatrical? How can I change the pace and rhythm of the show? What I love most about stand-up is that there’s no guarantee of success, every night is an experiment… after all this time, 40-ish years doing stand-up, I’m still so excited to be on stage in front of a crowd. 

What can you tease about your set for the Pride-Stravaganza? 

I’ll be serving equal parts rage, joy, and hope. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Gay AF Comedy (@gayafcomedy)


 Do you have any pre or post-show rituals? 

Pre-show, I draw this very non-linear little word map of all the ideas I want to cover with detours built in for related ideas or fresh jumping off points or places for a tangent, or two… it’s like a loopy, zigzagging flow chart of possibilities in between a start point and where I think or hope I’ll finish. After the show, I like to go back to the map and see what route I ended up taking by being in the moment.

 What is a book/film/album/show you recently consumed that more people should know about? 

Right now, I’m reading Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger. I’m not really sure what made me pick it up but now I can’t put it down. On deck is Alison Bechdel’s Spent: A Comic Novel. I am soooo excited to read it because I’m such a comic book nerd. Back in the day, only two artists would make me gasp out loud in the bookstore when some work or a collection of theirs would drop: Alison’s Dykes To Watch Out For and Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes.

Do you have any plans for celebrating Pride this June? 

As always, Dyke Day, we march, we hang, me and my chosen fam.

Do you have any advice for young queer comics? 

Sure, it’s the same advice I give to myself: say yes to every show you’re offered, don’t try to be like anyone else and be kind to yourself.  

What can you tell us about the projects you have on the go right now? 

That there’s a lot of them: film, television, theater and, in my spare time, more touring.

Tickets to the Gay AF Comedy Pride-Stravaganza on June 21 are available now.