Faculty of Law hosts comedy night to fundraise for community organization
Spencer Van Dyk | Fulcrum Staff
Photo by Mathias MacPhee
THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa’s Faculty of Law hosted its second annual fundraising comedy show Feb. 7 in an effort to raise money for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).
Seven law students and one professor performed at The Draft pub for an impressively large audience and helped raise a total of $1,800.
ACORN is a national organization that advocates for low- and moderate-income families to seek justice in social issues like neighbourhood safety, health care, and affordable housing. The U of O group raised money in particular for the landlord and tenant project.
The comedy night was organized by Michael Currie, a second-year law student who volunteers for ACORN. Currie has been dabbling in comedy for a couple of years now, so the event was right up his alley.
“I think it’s just one of those unique pastimes that people are willing to come out and support a good cause for,” he said.
Currie put together the first show last January. He knew some fellow law students who wanted to try it out and used some of his connections in Ottawa’s comedy scene to entice some more performers.
“It was easy getting other comics to come out for a good cause,” he said. “Since then, I’ve been surprised how many students want to try it.”
Because of the enthusiasm of the many first-time performers, the familiarity of the crowd, and the fundraising aspect of the event, the evening was a big hit. Currie said one of the main draws was that most people performing and attending knew each other, which added to the atmosphere and the overall enjoyment of the night.
Hosting the show was common law professor David Wiseman.
“He’s never done stand-up before,” Currie said before the show. “He’s funny in the classroom, so hopefully that translates to the stage. I think it’ll be great.”
Currie hoped the dynamic of this year’s show would hold more appeal than last year’s because it featured all members of law school rather than professional comics.
As expected, some of the comics told law school jokes, which were, of course, very well received.
