Little Mountain Gallery launches paid comedy residency for emerging Vancouver comics

Little Mountain Gallery in Gastown is launching the Comedy Residency Mentorship Project, an eight-week paid development program designed to give emerging Vancouver comedians a formal pathway to professional growth.

Unlike theatre, dance, or music, stand-up comedy has few structured development programs. Most comics build their skills by performing at open mics, testing new material in front of live audiences, and learning from experienced performers—usually for free. The residency takes that informal process and structures it.

Over eight weeks, participants meet for weekly mentorship sessions, receive regular stage time at Little Mountain Gallery, and get feedback from professional comedians while developing new material. The program covers writing, performance, finding an authentic voice, and the business side of working in comedy. Participants are paid for their time—still far from common in the early stages of a comedy career.

"Comedy is an art form where there's no real path for development compared to other disciplines. You just have to figure it out on your own, usually for free," said Brent Constantine, executive director of Little Mountain Gallery. "Looking around at mentorship programs other disciplines had access to, we wanted to emulate that for comedy."

The residency is led by comedians Niki Mohrdar and Aaron Read and prioritizes performers from equity-deserving communities. "The performers in this group are active on stages across the city and really interested in this kind of focused work," Constantine added. "Getting stage time and feedback over two months, with people who are invested in you and with your peers, is how artists can grow."

The program wraps up with two public showcases on September 26 and October 7, giving audiences a chance to see the comedians perform the material they've spent the past two months refining.