Cam Wyllie Presented The Cam Wyllie Sketch Invitational

There's a very clear career trajectory for sketch comedy in Toronto. You take an improv class, you take The Second City Conservatory, you and a few of your classmates form a troupe, book some stages at Comedy Bar West, and then either do a Fringe show, or peter off until you finally break up or keep going until This Hour Has 22 Minutes accepts one of your packets.

Canada's sketch legacy has coasted on SCTV for almost 50 years. We've had many solid sketch TV shows since, but if you look around, we rely on the old guard to decide who gets a TV deal. Solid troupes like TallBoyz and Baroness Von Sketch received some acclaim but only partially breaking through to the mainstream. Meanwhile, we have a bustling and talented live comedy scene with acts that deserve wider recognition at home and abroad.

Cam Wyllie has been part of many Toronto sketch troupes and has spent over 10 years perfecting his art. He has also travelled throughout North America to perform in festivals. His sensibilities lean towards what he calls "dumb" but actually feels more true to himself.

Fresh off winning the Best of the Fest Award at this year's Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Cam Wyllie put ten thousand dollars of his own money on the line to create the Cam Wyllie Presents The Cam Wyllie Sketch Invitational. He invited troupes from all over North America to compete in a 7pm and 9pm show at Factory Theatre for the $10K prize, plus an additional prize of 500 bucks for the Dumbest Sketch in North America.

Ably hosted by Yaw Attuah, arguably the most likeable comedian currently working in Toronto, he set the tone of the evening as an incredibly celebratory night that would be fun—full stop.

The evening was judged by Toronto sketch producer and actor Gabe Meacher, Hallmark and The Second City star Andrew Bushell, and all-star sketch comedian Susannah Kiernan, with the panelists giving notes to each troupe after their set.

All of the troupes present brought unique sensibilities, but they were mostly game to be as absurd as possible. Opening the night was Big Ol’ Mess from Denver, Colorado. A looser, more meta start to the show with standard fare sketches but performed with an infectious and cheeky attitude. Their standout sketch involving rolling office chairs ended on a limp joke, but redeemed itself in a callback.

Anders Yates has been a prominent figure in Toronto for quite some time as an improviser and solo sketch comedian. He is skilled at portraying different characters, and his performance was clever and well-executed, featuring an outstanding piece of physical comedy.

Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller's bit was hands down the dumbest of the night, and she rightfully took home the $500 award for the Dumbest Sketch in North America. It's hard to explain why it was funny because it was ONE note, a bit too long, and you had to be there. However, as the judges noted, "dumb comedy" means that "even though you thought it was below you, you couldn't help but laugh," Fateema had everyone laughing.

Cam Wyllie then took the stage and immediately brought an energy we hadn't seen. There was a sense of professionalism and comfort that was previously missing. I don't want to describe his act because it is well worth seeing in person, but I must highlight each sketch's detail level. Please keep your eyes on the screen during the incredibly accurate karaoke video, and keep reading the lyrics even when he stops singing - a hilarious detail.

The 9pm set started with the South Carolina rap group The Bustercups. I've always been iffy about comedy rap groups as live performances, as joke timing and rhythm can falter when performing live. These two were all hit, no misses. The Bustercups easily won me and the audience over with solid one-liners and the best use of a puppet in the entire show. They are an incredible, charismatic duo with genuinely catchy songs.

Reuniting for the night was the Toronto sketch troupe Herbeaver. They shone the most in their musical sketches. A little rusty from not having performed in a while, they were having a good time, and it didn't affect their set too much and only added to the charm.

The final act of the night was arguably the show-stopper The Incredible Shrinking Matt and Jacquie. Matt Schmid and Jacquie Baker brought an extremely polished set all the way from Philly that included filmed sketches. Arguably, the best acting of the night was coupled with incredibly dumb premises and characters. I'm shocked they haven't been scooped up by Adultswim or Netflix.

Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller wins! Photo by San Veliz

The night ended on a high note. After the judges awarded Fateema 500 dollars for the Dumbest Sketch in North America, Cam, facing financial ruin, got to keep his 10 grand with an oversized novelty cheque already laminated, and conveniently filled out from his name to his name.

After the show, I caught up with Cam, and he said about the night: "I believe that the sketch comedy community extends beyond the limits of whatever city you live in. You can perform in other cities for great audiences. You can find creative partners in a different country. Your best friends and favourite acts can be a troupe you met on the other side of the continent. The Cam Wyllie Sketch Comedy Invitational proved that this is all possible if we think big."

Toronto’s sketch comedy scene is thriving with numerous fantastic sketch acts and will only keep growing as there’s more room for performers and writers to experiment. Events like this demonstrate that it's worth it to swing big. If you bill it, they will come.

Featured