A Variety Show For Palestine
Music, Wrestling, and Comedy for a Cause
Have you ever attended an event that featured sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, bands, AND live wrestling, where 100% of the ticket sales went to life-saving mutual aid for Palestinians in Gaza? Me neither! That’s why, at 7 PM on Thursday, September 11, I’ll be at the Variety Show for Palestine, taking place at Théâtre Sainte-Catherine.
The minds behind this stacked spectacle are Zarina, a 27-year-old first-grade teacher, and her boyfriend, Mason Persaud, a 22-year-old comedian. After nearly two years of protesting Israel’s genocide against Palestine and the Canadian government’s complicity in such atrocities, Zarina decided to pivot and focus on raising money for people in Palestine, in conjunction with continuing to protest and raise awareness. With Mason’s experience in producing events and his network of local performers, combined with the couple’s devotion to raising as much money as possible, the variety show was born.
Every single cent of every ticket purchase will be donated to the Gaza Mutual Aid Collective (GMAC), a volunteer-run organization that began its operations in 2022. In addition to raising funds for individual families in Gaza, the GMAC has fundraisers dedicated to the distribution of food baskets for Palestinians displaced by the ongoing genocide and forced evacuation orders from the Israeli Occupation Forces. For such fundraisers, the GMAC partners with dedicated volunteers in Gaza, who use the funds raised to purchase essential items at markets, then distribute them at refugee camps. Due to Israel’s creation of famine and its weaponization of aid, in addition to its ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, mutual aid is now more important than ever.
Tandem Jump - Photo by Emilia Hellman
Although Montreal’s arts and culture sphere has no shortage of enthralling events, Mason’s variety show concept stems from his desire to put on an event unlike any other that you can find in the city, in order to attract as many donations as possible. His first variety show fundraiser for the GMAC was put on in 2024, while he was a student at McGill. While at university, Mason regularly produced variety shows with McGill Improv and McGill Sketch Comedy, attracting hordes of students with tickets priced at five dollars or pay-what-you-can. Since the money made from shows was always put into the subsequent shows, for their final show at McGill, Mason and his friends wanted to put the money towards an important cause. A trusted friend of Zarina, who has family in Palestine, helps run the GMAC, which is how the idea to fundraise for the organization came about.
The night will be structured into two distinct parts: comedy and wrestling first, followed by music. Performers were sourced from Zarina and Mason’s network of friends, or friends of friends, in addition to people with whom Mason has been on show bills before. Everyone they’ve reached out to has been incredibly enthusiastic to put their talents towards supporting such an important cause. Attendees will have the chance to enjoy Tandem Jump, a sketch comedy group formed at McGill that consists of Mason, Jonah Border, Daniel Korsunsky, and Luc Langille. The group recently performed at Just For Laughs, with an upcoming performance at POP Montreal, and is “very excited to be bringing people out for a good cause.” Guled Abdi, a member of the sketch group TallBoyz, which had a sketch comedy series on CBC from 2019 to 2022, will be doing stand-up comedy. Also performing stand-up will be Liam Casey, a local teacher and rugby player.
Leah Sparks - Photo by Jason Barker
For the wrestling of it all, local legend Dante Dubois will be going up against Leah Sparks, a professional wrestler and aerialist. Mason did another event with Dante in February, and described his wrestling as “the best thing I’ve ever had on a show.” After laughing your ass off and feeling the adrenaline of live wrestling, it’ll be time to dance! First up is Basil No!, a band that performs a mix of ska, indie, and rap rock—an ideal combination for a variety show. Closing off the night is Dresser, an indie rock band based in Little Italy.
In order to raise as as much funding as possible for the GMAC, attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a handful of raffles. According to Mason and Zarina, all of the raffle prizes are from “our friends who do cool stuff,” so donate generously for the chance to win a variety of cool items, including handmade tote bags, CKUT Radio merch, screenprinted pro-Palestine posters, handmade wooden goods, and Pizza Bouquet coupons! Come in large numbers to witness this evening of non-stop entertainment and support an essential cause.
Head to Thepointofsale.com to secure your ticket before they’re gone! For those who cannot attend the event but would still like to donate to the Gaza Mutual Aid Collective, more information can be found on their Instagram here.
If you’re reading Forget The Box, you’re a supporter of free, independent arts coverage. We ask you to take a moment to consider donating $1 to help us continue our mission to spotlight ground level, underground, and marginalized art in Montreal. Every little bit helps.
