Vancouver comedy going to the dogs
Standup comedians perform to a roomful of canines — and their people
Big Dog Energy is the dog-friendly comedy show that Vancouver needs. Created by Amy Walsh, a comic who moved here from her native Ireland 2½ years ago, the monthly event features local and visiting talent performing to a roomful of dogs — and their people. This month's all-local lineup includes Efthimos Nasiopoulos, Sean Devlin, Colin Sharp, Cass Furman, K.C. Novak and Sophia Johnson. We talked to Walsh about her canine comedy coup.
Q What gave you the idea for Big Dog Energy?
A I am a big fan of dogs and I had dogs at home in Ireland. Then I was looking after dogs here via this app called Rover and found that many of the couples that I was looking after dogs for were like, `Oh, we can't go on date night without like leaving the dog because he has anxiety' and all this kind of stuff. So I thought, well, why don't I try and create a date night that they can bring their dog to? And also, I could see how much Vancouver people adored their dogs. I've never seen so many dogs in strollers and in jackets. Irish dogs, not really like that. I asked Austin Jamieson, who runs The MOTN, `What do you think? Dog-friendly comedy show?' And he was like, `Let's do it.' He trusted in my insane idea of having dogs at a comedy show. And we've been doing it pretty much every month for nearly two years now.
Q What were some of the growing pains?
A One time, I think it was the second show, we had a dog that wouldn't stop barking and the owner just didn't take it outside. So now at the start I say, `Look, if your dog is getting a bit restless, just bring `em out for a walk and bring `em back in.' And then it's kind of sorted. But honestly, it's been pretty smooth sailing for most of it. People think, with all those dogs in a room, that it must be crazy, that there must be a lot going on. But everyone's just so happy to be there. And all of the dogs are so well behaved. It's mind-boggling.
Q Are the dogs paying attention to what's going on onstage?
A Some sit there and watch. But most just go to sleep. They're a little bit giddy at the start when there are so many dogs but once they settle in they just go to sleep and then the owners get to have a nice time.
Q Do you have a fully stocked MilkBone bar and water stations?
A That would be the dream! If we had a dog-treat sponsor we could have a full-on bar for them. But we have water bowls and I'll have treats in my pocket and sometimes we have the little puppuccinos too.
Q Are some comedians more comfortable interacting with the dogs and improvising dog jokes?
A Yeah. You don't need to have dog jokes but a lot of them like to interact with the fact that there's a whole roomful of dogs. One guy didn't even do his set, he just played with a dog and riffed off that. At the first show, one of the comedians thought it was a joke that there would be dogs in the audience. He was like, `Why are there so many dogs?' Well, it's a dog-friendly comedy show. That's the whole shtick. And he hated that there were so many dogs. But he got through it. He was a trooper.