A news crew shoots a report in front of the Just for Laughs theatre Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Montreal. The company that runs the annual comedy festival has filed for bankruptcy protection. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

By Derek Craddock

NO LAUGHING MATTER

Sask. comedian devastated as Just For Laughs cancels Montreal festival

Mar 5, 2024 | 5:00 PM

It could be the final curtain for one of Canada’s greatest comedy attractions and one Saskatchewan comedian is sad to see it go.

The company that operates the Just for Laughs Montreal comedy festival has cancelled this year’s edition as it seeks to avoid bankruptcy.

Groupe Juste pour rire Inc. said in a news release Tuesday that it is seeking protection from its creditors as it begins formal restructuring under Canada’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.

The company said it plans to continue operations “in a scaled-down format” as it restructures and hopes the festival will return in 2025.

“The decision to initiate restructuring proceedings was reached after thorough consideration of all options available to the company, taking into account its very difficult financial situation given the significant changes in our business landscape in recent years,” the company said.

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For Prince Albert-based comedian Kelly Taylor, memories of his past experiences at the festival and comedy shows started flooding in when he got wind of the news Tuesday morning.

Prince Albert-based comedian Kelly Taylor. (Kelly Taylor/Submitted)

His first experience with Just For Laughs came many years ago at a home-grown comedy competition, in which he finished in the Top Two. Although he passed on a chance to send his content to Jimmy Kimmel’s booking agent, he still had other companies like Happy Madison reach out to him.

“There’s a lot of opportunities there if you have a good festival,” Taylor said. “For Canadians like (me), that was our kind of one chance to get seen and when I did my very first one, we had a great Just For Laughs and got a bunch of stuff out of it.”

As he reminisced about his experiences with Just For Laughs, Taylor remembered bumping shoulders with some of the best in the business including Jimmy Carr and Jim Jeffries, calling it surreal.

The festival has presented many of the biggest names in standup comedy, including Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle, Amy Schumer and Jerry Seinfeld. In addition to ticketed indoor shows, the French and English festivals featured free outdoor performances.

Martin Roy, the CEO of the Quebec festival association the Regroupement des événements majeurs internationaux, said that while he’s saddened by the news, he’s not surprised.

“We’ve been saying for months, even years, that things are not going well in the festival sector, in particular for the festivals that are presented free of charge, among others, in downtown Montreal,” he said in an interview.

Taylor, who is currently performing in Winnipeg, acknowledges there are many avenues for people to recognize his comedy, especially on the internet. However, to see a festival as big as Just For Laughs is a hard pill to swallow.

“Pretty sad that that was the biggest thing in comedy for it to be done.”

–With files from The Canadian Press

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com