The Kitchener-Waterloo Comedy Festival Gala is returning to our main stage for another year of laughter. Once again, the festival does not disappoint and has a very exciting line-up. Sean Cullen will host the show and share the stage… with Pete Zedlacher, John Wing, Chad Daniels, Scoot Herring, Emily Galati, Dwayne Perkins and DeAnne Smith. Headlining the show is Steve Patterson, widely known for his role as host on CBC Radio One’s ‘The Debaters’.
When we spoke with Steve Patterson to discuss his improv career and upcoming show at The Centre he was in Vancouver taping an episode of ‘The Debaters’. When asked about his role on ‘The Debaters’ he said, “It’s a really unique show, because it’s all standups that would normally never be sharing the stage with each other. It gives us a chance to work together and to riff off of each other on stage in front of people. It’s a unique thing in stand-up comedy and I love doing it.”
Now a seasoned stand-up comic, performing improv-comedy wasn’t exactly Steve’s first career choice. In fact, Steve first set foot on a stage to perform comedy as a dare by some of his university friends. London, Ontario born, Steve went to York University. “They signed me up for a comedy night at Yuk Yuk’s that I didn’t know they signed me up for. I went expecting to hangout and watch and then they called my name to go up on stage – so I did literally no preparation for my first ever show.”
When asked how it went Steve said, “It was good enough I guess that it made me want to do it again, but I didn’t do it again for a while since I was in the middle of getting my degree. I didn’t go back for a couple years after that first impromptu performance.”
Jump forward to 2015, Steve now has a long list of accomplishments and appearances as an improv and stand-up comedian, and is also a husband and a father of a 14 month old baby girl. When asked how being a father and husband has influenced his comedy he said, “Being a parent is great for material, but I don’t want to become one of those comics that only talks about being a parent. I do like talking about Canadian politics, so during this last election I was able to equate each of the leader candidates to one of the traits my baby daughter has:
Feeding her is like Stephen Harper answering a question, she just keeps spitting stuff out. Much like Justin Trudeau, she likes the sound of her own voice but doesn’t quite know what she’s saying yet. And like Tom Mulcair, she wears diapers.
It’s clear that Steve loves what he does and is good at it. Steve enjoys performing in front of live crowds best. He says theres’s so much more to see and on television and radio they have to cut things out for time purposes or because of mature subject matter that can’t be aired.
Steve also loves writing new material. “I personally like to keep my content really fresh. I will be creating new content between now and my performance at The Centre in March. I also like to try to throw in some music and song as well as some family stuff. I write letters to inanimate objects like hotels or the concept of yoga, so I will probably be sharing some letters as well. When I perform a live show, I always have something that I do for the audience that night – so it’s a joke you’re not going to hear again and not one that you’ve heard 1000 times.”
Don’t miss Patterson’s fresh and hilarious material. Make sure you get your tickets for a full night of unforgettable comedy on March 3.

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