Timmins residents may learn the answer to that age-old question Whose Line Is It Anyway? during the Timmins Rock’s second-annual Comedy Show at École secondaire catholique Thériault on Tuesday, March 12.
The show, scheduled to start 7:30 p.m., will be headlined by Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Colin Mochrie and his spouse, fellow comedian Debra McGrath.
It will also feature Caitlyn Langelier, who has appeared on CBC Connects and Just For Laughs.
She is a past winner of the Eugene Levy Writing Award.
Rock president Ted Gooch is hoping to build upon the success of the initial show featuring Gerry Dee at Thériault on Nov. 26, 2017.
“Last season, we branched out and wanted to try something different and fun,” he said. “We brought in a big name, with Gerry Dee, and hosted a comedy show and it was really the feedback from the fans and the people who follow the club and really enjoyed that night out that led to this year’s show.
“The fans asked if we could continue with it, so the directors got together and we decided to put on a second show to continue with it and we hope this one will be just as successful.”
This year’s show of course features three comedians — Mochrie, McGrath and Langelier — not just one.
“A couple of months ago, we posted some ideas on social media to get feedback on who people would like to see and Colin Mochrie’s name came up in the results quite a bit,” Gooch said.
“We looked into it and he does a great improv show with his wife, Debra McGrath, so we reached out to his team and they were available.
“Being the star of the hit television show Whose Line Is It Anyway? he is very famous and I think people are really going to enjoy the show.
“Colin and Debra are a duo and they are going to headline the show, with the opening act featuring a young comic, Caitlyn Langelier, who is part of the YukYuk scene.
“She also works with the CBC and has won some awards.”
When the Rock brought in Gerry Dee, he also dropped the puck as part of the opening ceremonies for one of the Rock games.
That is not on the agenda this time around and not just because there are three comedians and only one hockey puck.
“Things are definitely up in the air this year,” Gooch said.
“Although the (playoff) dates are scheduled, it’s a matter of trying to fit each team into each spot. It will come down to the last game of the season.”
The Rock at this point could finish either in third or fourth in the NOJHL’s wacky East Division, depending on the results of Thursday night’s game between Powassan and French River.
Being the fourth or fifth seed in the East would see them take part in the best-of-three play-in series, while finishing third or higher would ensure a bye through that round of the playoffs.
“Because of that, it was hard to try and line anything up,” Gooch said.
“It would be almost impossible to have them drop the puck this time but if this show does well, we will try to time a third edition in the middle of the season, to have the comedians come out and be part of a game, as well.”
Any profits raised from the show will help the Rock continue to ice a Junior ‘A’ franchise in Timmins.
“Last year, with Gerry Dee, was a success,” Gooch said. “There was a significant cost, of course, to bring these comedians Timmins, so once we hit that break-even point, anything above and beyond is going to be a plus.
“We would like to hopefully raise a good $5,000 and put that money back into the team and pay for a lot of the expenses we have. We hope to see everyone come out and support the club, enjoy a nice night out and have some laughs.”
It should provide a little relief from the intense battle for playoff positions that has been going on since the NOJHL’s Christmas break, as well.
“If we wind up in the play-in series, this show will be smack dab in the middle of that,” Gooch said.
The auditorium at Thériault has 735 seats and Gooch is hopeful the show will be a sellout.
“We have already sold more than 250 seats and we are encouraging people to not wait until the last second,” he said.
“We are very encouraged with the sales to date. Similar to our other fundraisers, the majority of the tickets are purchased in the days leading up to the event. We are confident we will be able to provide a sellout for our comedians.”
“They should log on to our website and pick out their seats through the interactive map the same as they would for one of our hockey games. They can reserve their spot and then enjoy the show.”
VIP meet-and-greet tickets had been available for the show, but Gooch notes they sold out within a half hour of tickets going on sale.
The remaining tickets range in price from $40 to $60, depending on where they are located in the auditorium.
To obtain tickets people should visit timminsrock.com.