The Snowking’s Winter Festival provided a bit of adult-oriented comedy on Saturday night with the most recent iteration of its event, Comedy Night at the Snow Castle.
Several performers made their way to the icy stage to entertain the chilled attendees, who braved the minus 30 weather just to enjoy in the stand-up segments.
“It was great being part of the team bringing comedy back to the snow castle,” said Skye Plowman, one of the comedians. “The castle has always been such a unique venue for folks who might not have much experience a chance to try it out on stage, as well as being a cool opportunity for seasoned performers.”
Plowman, who was the opening act for the show, also spoke to the dedication of the 50 plus crowd of Yellowknifers who made their way out.
“(It) really speaks to how excited Yellowknife (is) to get back out and take in a show.”
For Jay Bulckhart, co-director at the aRTLeSS Collective and founder of the Dead North Film Festival, it was his first time performing at the event, which is something that did bring out a few nerves. However, his performance was part of another initiative he was taking on in his own life.
“One of the courses that I’m taking was to do something that scares you,” he said. “Well, to do three things that scare you.”
”’(Stand-up comedy) was one of things that really sort of scared me,” he continued. “Unlike any other art form, comedy is the one where you go up and the crowd is welcome to hate you. You would never go to a cello concert and heckle someone, but with comedy, that’s the expectation on some level.”
Despite Bulckhart’s aforementioned nerves, he felt his adult-oriented routine went well.
“I wanted to tackle something that scared me, and it certainly scared me, but I also had a weird peace about it,” he said.
Overall, according to program coordinator Taylor Shephard, who goes by Sir Slush on the Snowking’s crew, the event in its entirety went fairly well, with only a minor hiccup occurring due to the chilly temperatures.
“As we gave the (wireless) mic to Skye, it just decided to not work anymore,” chuckled Shephard. “(But with) quick troubleshooting, we’re able to get things solved in time for all the performances.”
On top of Comedy at the Snow Castle, Shephard also drew attention to some other events folks can look forward to.
“This week we’re hosting an evening event called ‘A Regal Affair’ which will feature Crook the Kid, Dyln, and fire dancer, Josiane Lanmoreaux,” he said.
The event will take place on Saturday, March 19 from 7 to 10 p.m.
Other upcoming events can be found on the event page on the Snowking’s website.