GUELPH COMEDY FESTIVAL PERFORMERS 2026

Community Showcase - Thurs. Oct 15

*DAN LATNER*

Dan Latner is a Guelph-based singer-songwriter, fiddler, and recovering international tour guide. He has released two albums of original material: *No Fun Intended*, a comedy breakup album, and *Not for Kids Really*, an album of kids’ songs for grownups. His comedy songs explore the important questions in life, along with several extremely unimportant ones.

*GCVI IMPROV TEAM*

The GCVI improv teams are a battalion of rapscallions from GCVI in Guelph - they’ve been working in their current iteration for over 3 years, and have been growing with more teams every year! They are a group of students from Grade 9 to Grade 12+, and for the Guelph Comedy Fest, they’ll be featuring some members from all of their teams playing a few games - we hope you enjoy, and come out to enjoy their shows!
*Follow the team @gcviimprov on Instagram*

*COMMUNITY OF HEARTS IMPROV CLUB*

The Community of Hearts Improv Club is made up of passionate singers, dancers, actors and artists of all kinds. Members of the club are dedicated to independent living and love getting involved with their community. Led by Hayley Kellett, the COHIC have performed at fundraisers and showcases for friends and family since 2019. They are excited to charm you with their talent and share in the laughter at GCF 2026.

*BUILD-A-TROUPE*

We’re bringing together 12 brave community members to create a brand-new comedy troupe in just 5 weeks!

BITFEST - Fri. Oct 16

*Could be you?*

Applications for Bitfest will be available soon!
*Get ready for FAST AND FURIOUS PREMISES!*
In Bitfest, expect to see experimental comedy unlike anything you've seen before. Shortform improv but everyone onstage is wearing blindfolds and/or earplugs? Maybe! A duo-prov set between someone onstage and their parent's dog over Zoom? Perhaps! The shortest D&D campaign ever played? Why not! The only rule is it needs to be 5 minutes or less.

LOCAL LEGENDS - Fri. Oct 16

*LAUREN PROUSKY*

Lauren Prousky (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and writer based in Kitchener. She first performed her super serious poetry 11 years ago and, surprised by the audience's laughter, figured she should start trying to be funny on purpose.

stevey hunter

stevey hunter (they/them) is a queer comedian, actor, and writer based in Toronto. They have performed and taught improv across Canada and have performed at festivals like Improvaganza, Vancouver Improv Festival, Winnipeg Improv Festival and more! Most recently they were a member of Bad Dog Theatre's Featured Players and are a founding member of Halifax's award-winning improv troupe: Hello City. Follow them on instagram @steveyhunter

***RILEY HARDWICK***

Riley Hardwick is a Toronto-based comedian who spent four years on the mainstage at Vancouver's Improv Centre, producing independent shows including Wikiprov and Local Affairs with his awesome friends. @rileyhardwicka

*KEVIN SUTTON*

Kevin Sutton (they/them)
Being a poet is central to Kevin’s experience of life. It breathes magic into the ordinary, speaks somatically from their connection to Land, World, and Universe, and teases mysteries loose with alchemical wordplay truly understood solely by bees, cats, and the oddest of humans. Kevin’s book: https://www.publicationstudio.biz/books/sublingual-syllabus/

***SARAH BENNETT***

Stationed in Toronto, Sarah Bennett is a multidisciplinary comedian who has performed across Canada and the United States. You might know her from appearances at the Toronto Sketch Festival, Toronto Fringe, Montreal Sketchfest, Late Bad at Just For Laughs Toronto, Guelph Comedy festival, a finalist in the “Sketch To Death” competition, or from her irreverent online presence. She debuted her half-hour of sketch at Second City’s “Spotlight” this past year, and she is kind to others.

***JOE PAVIA***

One of the earliest stories Joe Pavia covered as a young radio reporter was an open house presentation detailing plans for a new Highway 7 between Guelph and Kitchener. That was the late 1980s. Today, Joe’s only real career goal is to stay employed long enough to cover the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
You can hear Joe weekday mornings reading news and traffic on *The Morning Edition with Craig Norris* on CBC Radio One 89.1 FM (and streaming on the CBC Listen app). Over a multi-decade career that began at CFRU, Joe has reported and read the news at radio stations in Guelph, Orangeville, Toronto, and Kitchener.
While turning on the microphone to read the news is always serious business, tonight Joe steps out from the news booth to share the lighter side of broadcasting. You’ll hear stories about on-air mishaps, relationships with sources who can tip you off to a great story, unforgettable listener interactions, and the all-time-best-ever news story he covered.

SACHIN SINHA

Sachin Sinha (he/him) is an actor and comedian living in Toronto. He got his start with the Canadian Improv Games in his hometown of Ottawa and currently performs with The Second City Touring Company and his troupe, Mrs Beast. When asked if improv truly is all about the idea of "yes, and", his response was "not the way I do it."