Comedic activist troupes drop by on Metro Vancouver tour
By Savis Irandoost, Contributor
The Douglas Students’ Union was pleased to host the ShitHarperDid.com Live! Comedy Tour in the DSU lounge last Wednesday, with dozens of students making their way out to laugh along to chides thrown at their current prime minister.
Preceding the performance, audience members shared assumptions and expectations with The Other Press.
“I’m expecting a bit of an [anti-]Stephen Harper rant,” said Abby Brown-John, SFU alumni. “Let’s put it this way—I’ve never been a Harper fan. I’m here to enjoy. I hope it’ll be funny.”
“I’m not really involved in politics. I’m here to learn more,” said Justin Lizee, Douglas student. “I haven’t heard a lot of good things about Stephen Harper from anyone I’ve talked to. But then again, I also hang out with a lot of NDP supporters.”
In 2011, ShitHarperDid was started by a group of artists hoping to raise awareness on the Harper government and encourage youth voter turnout.
“In hours, the website was shared and we affected millions of young people. They started doing their research,” said ShitHarperDid co-founder, comedian and activist Sean Devlin.
The event featured Devlin, Brigette DePape, and 2012 Best Improv Group in Canada, The Sunday Service. It was hosted by comedian Graham Clark.
Devlin opened his speech by stating “The Conservative government is spending $215,000 every day on advertising themselves, which is five times what an average Canadian makes every year. People responsible for the crisis in this country are not the ones paying for it, they’re the ones benefiting. The tar sands are not in the best interests of this country. That’s why the government is spending so much money trying to convince you otherwise. That’s the type of work the devil would even take note of.”
“It’s so boring, heavy, and depressing for the young people to vote. That’s why we’re asking for your emails. If you’re willing to give us that, then that’s the real start,” said Devlin. “This is a great turnout, but I’m sure it’s not the representation of how many people would have been here. But by showing up, you’ve already done something.”
The show ended with The Sunday Service doing funny, non-political skits that involved audience participation.
“It was a little funny, a little provocative. I expected a little more info. It’s good that it started on a funny note and ended on one. They’re taking a really good approach, stepping out of just being online. It’s good to get the word out to as many people as possible,” said Jen Alsop, student.
The ShitHarperDid team released their new and much anticipated website on April 1.
