For as great a place as Chestermere is for raising families and calling home, when it comes to the social scene and a great night out, your choices are pretty limited. However, when Stephanie Beninger and Arnold Henry came up with the idea to host a comedy evening at The Point, it was not surprising that the event sold out in just a couple weeks of being announced.
Arnold Henry, former NCAA D-1 basketball player, an author and motivational speaker, and his partner, Stephanie Beninger put together an evening of yummy food and hilarious comedy. ‘Laugh Madness: Dinner & Comedy’ was held March 20, 2015 at The Point restaurant. Community members scooped up the tickets quickly and just like that, the event was sold out – which clearly shows that Chestermere is starving for more entertainment and social events in our community.
The evening was hosted by the hysterical Kris LaBelle. Kris has taken the comedy industry by storm. LaBelle has promoted 75 shows in only 5 years. Known for his high energy, self-depreciating style…this comedian refuses to follow the rules and pushes his material to the edge thus earning him the title “The Bad Boy of Comedy”. A master impersonator and crowd favourite, he definitely gained a few more fans after Friday night’s show.
Next up was Calgary native, Adora Nwofor. With a plethora of extraordinary experiences she empowers people to learn and laugh at themselves and the “perfect” world. Her entertainment resume is quickly growing performing comedy regularly locally and across North America. Hosting events and even popping up in Nollywood, CMT and local TV.
Shawn Hogan had the crowd practically rolling in the aisles. Although his path has taken him through many career changes, he has always remained a storyteller with a passion for the stage. Only having entered the comedy world a short 5 years ago, Hogan has already begun to make quite a name for himself. Outside of creating, producing, and hosting one of the hottest independent comedy shows in Toronto (The Hangover Cure Comedy Show), Hogan has also been able to produce and star in 14 straight sold-out shows around his home province of Prince Edward Island, the latest of which were 2 hour one man shows. So far in his young career Hogan has opened for comedy greats like Brian Posehn at the Dark Comedy Festival, Glenn Wool, and burgeoning Canadian star K Trevor Wilson at JFL42
Then it was time for the headliner – the hilarious Gilson Lubin. One of Canada’s best stand-up comedians and award winner, this was Lubin has an outstanding reputation in the Calgary comedy scene and has been seen at Yuk Yuks, Just For Laughs, CBC, HBO’s Def Jam, MTV and Comedy Central to name a few. He has shared the stage with comedy giants Dave Chappelle, Tracy Morgan and D.L. Hughley.
During the planning of this event, Henry and Beninger decided that they also wanted to use this opportunity to give back. So, they decided to donate a portion of the ticket sales to Synergy – a local organization whose mission is to foster youth and community development. At the top of the show, Mr. Henry presented Synergy with a $500 cheque that will be put to great uses.
Synergy Executive Director, Patty Sproule, says “SYNERGY is at a critical juncture in its development as a Not-for-Profit. Over 100 youth are participating in our leadership programs and we are working with over 25 Non Profits to strengthen local volunteer resources. We will be in a position to do so much more when we have community operating space in which to grow our services. Financial support from businesses, individuals, groups and events such as the recent Comedy Night is vital in order for SYNERGY to be in a position to take the next step toward developing its capacity to serve our community. We are enormously grateful to Stephanie Beninger, Arnold Henry and those that purchased tickets to the event for their generous donation to our agency.”
