Inside With: Kevin Janus, Producer of the Comedy Igloo

This Sunday at UNDER St. Marks, comedian Kevin Janus produces and emcees The Comedy Igloo. a Canadian themed, seasonal stand up event featuring some of the most popular comics in the city: Christian Finnegan, Debbie Shea, Andres du Bouchet, Becky Donohue, and Joe DeVito. When we went to get tickets, we were miffed to find out the show was totally sold out already. The Apiary sat down with Kevin to find out why The Comedy Igloo is to Canadian comedians what Ozzfest is to metalheads. The Apiary: How long have you been doing comedy? Kevin: Between Toronto (where I was born and raised) and New York, I guess I've been doing comedy for about eight years now. In Toronto, I used to produce an arts festival every summer. I was also the lead singer of a cowpunk band called The Yeehaa Cowboys. Once here in New York, I've switched to a different type of show -- one that incorporates five or six stand-ups with their own acts into an overarching Canadian theme that ties it all together. TA: How often do you produce a show here in the city? KJ: Being a lawyer at a New York law firm doesn't really allow me the time to perform as often as I would like. But, I try to put on an Igloo seasonally because no matter the temperature outside, it's always warm and cozy inside. We like to say that the Igloos are an "irregularly scheduled" event. You've got to keep people on their toes. TA: Why is it called The Comedy Igloo again? KJ: I guess the starting point is that I'm Canadian. The Comedy Igloo is playing on the stereotypical vision that most Americans have of Canada: that we all grew up in igloos, that we all tool around on our dogsleds and that we have produced a disproportionate number of comedians per capita. We try to keep as much Canadian content as possible and get Canadian comics whenever we can. As of late, I have been hosting the show as a French-Canadian character named, Jacques Fournier. He is allegedly the host of Eastern Quebec's number-one rated talent show, Reach for da Star Quebec. TA: How did people know about the show? It completely sold out before it was listed anywhere in the press! KJ: The show sold out on Tuesday. In fact, we're oversold (there will be people on the floor and in the aisles). It just breaks my heart to even think of turning anyone away from a show. But it's always a great thing to sell out. We got a great response from our mass e-mailing and word of mouth from the last show. I think part of it is the fact that, because the shows are spread apart, a little bit of scarcity is created. I mean, if you miss this one, it's not like you can just come back next week or rent it on DVD. It's a now-or-never proposition. I think people know that I'm not just going to throw something up there in a haphazard fashion--that I'm going to take my time, plan, and deliver them a high-quality product. That's what I expect when I go to see live entertainment and I try to make sure that my audience gets that. TA: Final thoughts? KJ: Go to our website and get on our mailing list! We'll try to pick a bigger venue for the next show (probably in August), but the best way to hear about the next one is to get on our mailing list. Forgive the site's appearance, though, it's under construction. TA: Thanks Kevin! For supplemental reading: The original Jacques Fournier

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