World’s Smallest Comedy at 300
Never Forget To Have Fun
This feature is part of Forget The Box’s MTL Event Series.
If you've ever seen a comedy show at Hurley's Irish Pub, it was probably produced by the World's Smallest Comedy team. With a trivia night, a booked show, and an open mic every week, plus a variety of one-off shows, they're keeping the laughs alive on Crescent Street, and they've been doing it for years.
It's the perfect venue for what they do; it's cozy, dim, and the walls are made of stone, all ideal for comedy. I've spent loads of time there, both in the audience and on stage, and I always leave in a better mood than when I arrived. Hungry? They've got a killer menu at fair prices. Sober? Zach the bartender can whip up a bitching bevvy sans alcohol. Drinks? Duh. A weird drink you just made up? You can get that too. The jokes however, are served up fresh thanks to WSC, and WSC alone.
While I'm privy to both the hilarity and the lore, I'm sure not everyone knows the behind the scenes of these local comedy staples, and as they’re coming up on their 300th show, that seems like a shame.
World's Smallest Comedy Night was an open mic started by Vance Michel and Walter J. Lyng. Soon after, Zak Kik joined the team, then Troy Stark, and most recently, Abby Stonehouse. The group became a production team, and they added shows.
I caught up with World's Smallest Comedy co-founder, comedian, and host extraordinaire, Vance Michel to get the timeline and details in order. Let's start at the beginning.
WSC started before the pandemic, making it one of the few holdovers remaining from a nightlife that seems irrevocably changed. It started in a small, unused corner of the bar before moving to the stage it now calls home, and it all started with a podcast at the pub.
“One day [in July 2018], Keith Heisterman was doing a Go Plug Yourself podcast with Walter Lyng as his co-host. During a break Walter says to me ‘What if we had an open mic in this room? It would be easy to fill. Imma ask whoever runs this place and see if we can make that happen.’ There was room for about 10-15 audience members. A couple of weeks later, Walter calls me and tells me we are on to start the open mic in the small room, August 20, 2018. We called it the World's Smallest Open Mic. The Mission was to have an open mic where comedians can perform without any pressure on how they perform. It didn't matter how bad or good you did. You can always get a spot.”
I told him that WSC feels like it's been the most consistent mic over the years both for length, and fewest cancelled shows. But I'm here for the facts, and he clarified that I'm almost right.
“I would like to believe we are the longest running independent stand up comedy show but that title belongs to Grumpy's Drop the Gloves. We are second behind them.”
Still, WSC is regularly voted in the top 5 in MTL. So what distinguishes it and keeps it top tier? Well, it's a few things, not least of which is Vance himself.
“The talent you will see performing at our shows. The environment in Hurley's Irish Pub (shoutout to Zach Oskradel for contributing to creating the ambiance). The charismatic, handsome and very funny Vance Michel who hosts the show almost every week,” he says, which is hilarious, and also true. “The people can't get enough of him! Also the sense of community that is felt after every show. What keeps us at the top is that we don't stop.”
I can attest to the sense of community; even before I started doing comedy, I would go to Hurley's for the hang. It's like a party and a reunion all at once, and you can run into people there that you haven't seen in ages, or connect with people you saw at Grumpy’s last week. I've had great conversations there, and solidified some real friendships. There's something about the shows in that space that creates the much coveted third place for a lot of people.
Coming up on the 300th show, I know there are tales to be told, and I asked Vance if he had any favorite moments.
“So many favorite moments I can tell you! I'll tell you just one. It was when we had our 5 year anniversary show and Green Phantom chopped Goofy Welldone in his chest on stage. It was loud, and I saw his soul leave his body once he got hit.”
The birdies have been twittering, and I heard some new fun changes were coming to the regular format this year. Going right to the source, I asked Vance if it was true.
“You heard right. There will be new shows, so please follow us at The World’s Smallest Comedy Night on Facebook and @wscomedynight on Instagram to keep up with all the new updates for upcoming shows. You can also check worldssmallest.club for info.”
As an artist, I know how hard it can be to keep up the practice. So many people will ask what you really do for a living, or insinuate that art is a hobby and not a way of life. Plus, a career in entertainment or any art can often feel thankless. I needed to find out what keeps Vance trucking, and his dream alive.
“The allure of show business keeps me motivated. I don’t ever want to not be in the entertainment industry, so just being around other entertainers every week keeps me motivated. What makes me keep creating is that no matter what I create, whether it's bad or good, nobody is gonna do it like me. It's still a unique imprint I put on this earth.”
It sounds simple enough, but it's quite profound: whatever your art is, you doing what you do, how you do it, is a once in the world event. Not once in your life, but once in the world. That's important and empowering, and makes me wanna do what my soul’s made to do as hard as possible.
While a lot of artists work alone, there are many times -- in our art careers, and in life -- where it's necessary to be a team player. After eight years and nearly 300 shows, Vance is the right guy to ask for insight on how to keep team projects alive and well.
“Never lose sight of the mission,” he tells me. “The minute you forget why you did this, things can get confusing. Learn from each other. Your teammate may see things you can't see, and it is very helpful to view all perspectives and pass the ball around. That's the real reason behind the longevity of The World’s Smallest Comedy. Walter, Zak, Troy, [and now Abby], and I just been passing the ball around. Keep your hope alive. For real you will have bad days that make you think you should quit. These days should never stop you from being optimistic. Never forget to have fun, because things will get tedious, irritable, and downright aggravating at times, so be aware when things are up and soak in that moment.”
Walter Lyng and Vance Michel on the OG World’s Smallest Comedy stage at Hurley’s Pub (2019)
