Hecklers Bar & Grill has long been a fixture on the Victoria comedy scene.
While the kitchen has been running throughout the pandemic, the comedy stage has sat empty since March of 2020.
“It’s been a lot of waiting on regulations,” says co-owner Aaron McGeough. “We didn’t want to open until everything was opened up and everything seemed safe.”
Now after nearly two years of inactivity comedy is set to make its return to Hecklers and it has everyone excited.
“It’s just such a special place,” says comedian Dan Duvall.
“It’s most comics in Canada’s favourite club to play, I don’t think people even realize in Victoria that we have a premiere North American comedy club right here in Victoria that we get the absolute best comics that Canada has to offer,” adds Duvall.
Hecklers are teaming up with Vancouver-based Comedy Here Often? and 604 Records to bring a steady stream of well-known headliners into the Victoria club every Saturday night.
“We have done some work with them recording albums in the past and both of us were looking to produce excellent comedy shows in Victoria and it just made sense to work together,” says McGeough.
“Now we’re in a situation where we can book great comics, we can record them, we can then but that content on the internet, the comics can make extra money for it, the venues get featured,” says Duvall. “It’s an all ships rise situation for comedy in not just this part of the world but also Canada as well.”
The pandemic has also inspired a mini comedy boom in Victoria, with comedians and audiences itching to get back out.
“Comedy’s been happening in Victoria for I want to say six weeks now and every single show is sold out,” says Duvall.
“We even have huge crowds at open mics so I think people are excited, people are excited to get back to doing things out in public,” adds Duvall.
The first show at Hecklers will be on Sept. 11.
Cole Sorenson
