Achi news desk-
The head of the comedy company stepping in to take over the troubled Just For Laughs franchise says he will make room for English-language content at future festivals, but he will “need time” to prepare a long-term plan.
On Monday, a Quebec Superior Court judge approved a deal that allowed ComediHa! Purchase the brands Juste pour rire, Just For Laughs, Zoofest, ComedyPro, the Gags, as well as the audio catalog.
The confirmation came after Just For Laughs’ financial woes led to the cancellation of festivals in Montreal and Toronto.
ComedyHa! previously announced that it will host a comedy festival in Montreal at the end of July just before its flagship event in Quebec City.
On Tuesday, CEO Sylvain Hora-Bédard told CTV News that there will be some performances in English.
“When the problems happened with Just For Laughs, we started planning in March to hold a comedy festival in Montreal because we know that the metropolis is a cornerstone of comedy around the world,” he said. “We’re planning to do a 10-day festival, mostly in French, but we’re going to have a side of it that’s going to be in English under the Just For Laughs brand with new comedian faces, new Canadian stars and also American stars that we’re going to announce next week.”
The news is cautious relief for English-speaking comedians in Montreal.
“I’m glad the void is being filled, but when it comes to the English side there’s still a very big void,” said Montreal comedian Joey Elias.
Hora-Bedard said it will take “time to make good decisions” about the way forward.
“Next year, we have to go back to the way it used to be,” he said, referring to the flagship JFL festival.
The ComedyHa! The Montreal Salute Festival will take place from July 18 to 28 at the Place des Festivals in the heart of Quartier des spectacles, Place des Arts, Espace Saint-Denis and Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne.
More information is available on their website.
– with files from CTV Montreal’s Maya Johnson and The Canadian Press.