Both laughter and tears can be cathartic, but only laughter is OK in front of your dog. Laugh until you cry with this GrouponLive deal to the Cracking Up the Capital for Mental Health festival. Choose from the following events:
- For $20, you get one ticket for general-admission seating to Women of Comedy: An Intimate and Interactive Evening at the National Gallery of Canada on Wednesday, February 6, at 8 p.m. (a $41 value). Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
- For $20, you get one ticket for best-available seating to Improv Games: Youth Comedy Evening at Algonquin College’s Student Commons on Thursday, February 7, at 8 p.m. (up to a $41 value). Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
- For $20, you get one ticket for general-admission seating to Aboriginal Comedy Evening at the Canadian Museum of Civilization Theatre on Friday, February 8, at 8 p.m. (a $41 value). Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
- For $23, you get one ticket for mezzanine- or amphitheatre-level seating to the Festival Finale at the National Arts Centre on Saturday, February 9, at 8 p.m. (a $46.50 value). Doors open at 7:30 p.m.<p>
Cracking Up the Capital for Mental Health’s citywide comedy festival tickles funny bones in the name of philanthropy during its four days of events, which all benefit mental-health community organizations. The fest kicks off on Wednesday with Women of Comedy, featuring a trio of comediennes in an interactive evening of conversation. Little Mosque on the Prairie costars Deb McGrath and Sheila McCarthy join Canada’s 2012 Comedy Person of the Year Nikki Payne in a frank, hilarious discussion of their professional and personal lives. During Thursday’s Improv Games, Whose Line is It Anyway? star Colin Mochrie heads to Algonquin College to referee a competition in the style of his show, pitting Carleton University against the University of Ottawa.
Friday’s Aboriginal Comedy Evening features standup sets by some of the country’s funniest aboriginal comics, including Don Kelly, Dawn Dumont, and Ryan McMahon. Crackup Up the Capital ends on Saturday night with thunderous guffaws generated by an all-star lineup of standup comedians, including Big Daddy Tazz, Don Kelly, Tracey MacDonald, and John Wing take the stage.
Colin Mochrie
**John Wing (Scheduled to perform at the Festival Finale)**
Warning: coarse language, frank sexuality, macabre grimness