This year, for International Women’s Day, the Victoria Events Centre (VEC) is hosting a double header, all-female lineup of amazing comics, with three out of towners who are all headliners in their own right.
In addition to the Victoria shows, the ‘Queens of Comedy’ will also be touring through Port Moody, Campbell River as well as Duncan.
The tour is being produced by Vancouver comic, Jane Stanton who has been doing comedy since 2005 and has become a prominent comedian on the mainland as well as on Vancouver Island.
Stanton has done just about everything there is to do in Canada comedy-wise, including Just For Laughs events in Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax. She has also been on CBC’s The Debaters.
Joining her will be Sophia Johnson, Brittany Lyseng and local Victorian, Julya Van Der Sloot.
Stanton says that she planned this tour because she wants to take her career in comedy into her own hands and she wants to help uplift the other female comedians in the scene who, for a long time, may have not had the chance to be on an all female lineup comedy tour.
“I’ve been doing comedy for 19 years and people will always be like, ‘you’re really funny for a female comic,’” Stanton told Victoria Buzz.
“I don’t even understand why you would say that in [2024], you know, whatever year it is.”
She says when she started, any show could only have one or two female comics on the bill, but she wants to see positive change in the scene where shows can be billed with an all female lineup and no one will think anything of it.
“I’ve seen tours where it’s just all males or they’ll have one female,” Stanton said. “It shouldn’t matter because it’s just strong comedians.”
Since Stanton began her comedy journey she says positive change has happened. There are more female comics around, venues and scenes are getting to be safer spaces for women in comedy and comics have been able to support each other better.
Those sentiments are what inspired her while she was booking this tour.
“You can make your own path,” Stanton said. “Like what I’m trying to do here—I’m producing this show that I believe in and I’m doing it.”
Lyseng and Johnson are also Vancouver comics who Stanton is excited to have on board for this west coast tour.
She says both are amazing and hilarious who have also done prominent Canadian comedy events.
“Sophia is from CBC Gem’s New Wave, she did it last year in JFL and I think she’s actually doing a record later this year at The Mint in Victoria,” Stanton told Victoria Buzz.
“Brittany, I did shows with her and I was like, ‘oh she’s good people,’ and she is also a powerhouse—she’s a headliner in her own right.”
“She’s done Canada’s Roast Battles, she has an album, she’s touring always,” Stanton added.
On International Women’s Day, which is Friday, March 8th, there will be two Queens of Comedy shows at the VEC to make sure that as many attendees will be able to get in on the laughs as possible.
There will be an early show with doors at 6:15 p.m. and a late show with doors at 9 p.m.
Queens of Comedy at the VEC
- Where: The VEC, 1415 Broad Street
- When: Friday, March 8th at 6:15 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- Tickets: Available online
 is hosting a double header, all-female lineup of amazing comics, with three out of towners who are all headliners in their own right. ){kind=link}