Call to Action

If you can’t attend, no worries. There are other ways to support our Include-ME Program!

Access Comedy 2023

The Include-Me Tour

We are proud to present our 4th annual Access Comedy Show this year, and for the first time we have a series of shows with specific partners.  “The Include-ME Tour” is an unforgettable show full of laughter and inclusivity.

Upcoming Dates

  • June 8th 2023 Our first ever Youth addition that will also demonstrate how to have an inclusive hybrid show.  In partnering with the Montreal Oral school for the Deaf MOSD.  Please note that this event is only available to youth and their families of MOSD
  • On July 16th, 2023 we are proud to announce our new partnership with ZOOFEST and OFF JFL to participate as part of their lineup during this year’s festival. Our very own Abby Stonehouse as the host and our long time ally Erich Preach. Follow us on social media to hear all about the other amazing comedians for this hearing accessible show, a first ever for ZOOFEST and OFFJFL, join the movement! 
  • November 24th was made possible thanks to the support of the City of Montreal’s Diversity and Social Inclusion Service, the Maisons de la culture network and the Maison de la culture Janine-Sutto. Following this demonstration both city officials and the general public will be able to enjoy la tournee Inclus-MOI, produced by Hear Quebec. This free french show again pushes the boundaries of even more inclusivity. 

With our new Include-ME  program we are dedicated to providing quality consultation services that will provide interactive training, videos and toolkit on how to produce an inclusive show. Working side by side with our partners  makes our Arts and Cultural scene more accessible. We hope to inspire others to follow suit and embrace inclusivity as a fundamental aspect of their events. For more information on how to join this movement contact info@hearhear.org

Location

Le Balcon

463 Saint-Catherine St W.

Montreal, Qc. H3B 1B1

Date

July 16th

Price

$41.40

All proceeds will go to supporting Hear Québec’s Include-ME Program. Which was created to support all decision makers out there to make hearing accessible arts and cultural events. 

Hosts and Comedians

abby stonehouse portrait

Abby Stonehouse – Host

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Abby Stonehouse is a stand-up comedian/writer/producer/podcaster. Her storytelling comedy style juxtaposes her hopeful and honest approach to life with the horrific nitty-gritty of reality. Abby made her OFF-JFL/Zoofest debut in the summer of 2018 and again in 2022. In May 2019 she performed and co-produced Montreal’s first fully accessible comedy show; Comedy for a Cause: Accessibility for All. This show happened again this year in September 2022, and is now called Access Comedy. Being a comedian that lives with hearing loss, this show was near and dear to her heart. She is the creator and producer of the Montreal comedy show GET FXCKED. She is also the co producer of Comedy on Demand (formally known as Lawn Laughs). If that isn’t enough she has a new podcast called House of Stone.

Erich Preach – Headliner for July 16th Zoofest

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The 1001 hats of Erich Preach. For nearly 5 years, the friendly host of the prestigious Gala Dynastie, which closes Black History Month and celebrates personalities from Quebec’s black community, has also been at the helm of the cooking show “Mamma en cheffe” on TV5. Erich is a regular columnist on “The week of 4 Julie” for the 2022-2023 season,  “The fabulous destiny of Marie-Lyne Joncas” in the summer of 2022 and 2023, and on “I come to you” with Marc Labrèche in 2023, plus he has a string of commercials and starring roles in various Quebec TV and web series. He often tours abroad with the scathing whistleblowing duo “Aba and Preach”, which he has been performing bilingually since 2017 and which now has over 1.7 million subscribers. Erich Preach is an artist who is always on hand to support causes close to his heart, notably his involvement in the Nœuvembre event for the past 2 years, and his support for the Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI – Haiti 2021).

erich preach comedian headshot

Accessibility Measures

For individuals who are hard of hearing or self identify as d/Deaf:

  • FM Systems are available for hearing aid users and non-hearing aid users
  • T-Loop
  • Closed Captioning
  • ASL  Interpreters

Partners With

Press Release

Laughter Knows No Boundaries at ZOOFEST. 

Hear Entendre Quebec is proud to present for the first time in collaboration with  ZOOFEST & OFF JFL the Access Comedy Show “The Include-ME Tour”. On July 16th we will be bringing you a hearing accessible comedy show not only to share laughter, but also, this event will empower decision makers to create more accessibility for their events. By showcasing the power of inclusivity, we hope to inspire and encourage the integration of accessibility measures across a wide range of events. 

The Show will be taking place at Le Balcon, 463 Sainte-Catherine O, Montréal, QC H3B 1B1. Following our principle of nothing about us without us the event is hosted by our very own Accessibility Ambassador Abby Stonehouse. This event will bridge the gap between the hearing loss community and the experience of pure joy that comedy provides. We make this happen by providing hearing accessible measures such as FM Systems, ASL Interpreters, Closed Captioning and a sophisticated Hearing Induction Loop System that ensures inclusivity for everyone.

As seen on America Got Talent and for the first time in our show,  we are thrilled to have Ahren Belisle, who has overcome challenges with cerebral palsy, a mute comedian who uses technology to assist him deliver jokes and for accessibility. At the same time we have in our lineup the presence of great celebrities such as Erich Preach who has been an ally with Hear Entendre Quebec for the past 2 years. This lineup is also bringing to the stage great local comedians such as Lawrence Corber, Akeem Hoyte-Charles, Joanna Selvarajah and Raajiee Chelliah.  The diversity and inclusion can be experienced through the whole show. 

There is nothing else like this in Montreal. Our biggest goal is to include everyone in the laughter, not only for this show but for every show in the future through the power of accessibility and inclusion. Behind the scenes of this event is our Include-ME program that will make this happen. We hope to educate and inspire others to follow suit and embrace inclusivity as a fundamental aspect of their events and create a more accessible Montreal. 

For more information on how to join this movement as an event planner, comedian or sponsor contact info@hearhear.org .

CALL TO ACTION

  1. Support more accessibility in Montreal by attending this amazing show guaranteed to make everyone laugh. Tickets here! 
  2. Community, business leaders, decision makers and event planners sponsor your staff to experience this epic event first hand, Tickets here! 
  3. Media and marketing experts help share this message write about, talk about it and shout it from the rooftops  
  4. Can’t attend,  but still want to make Montreal more accessible, visit our website to make it happen.  
  5. Follow us on Instagram & Facebook to share your experience at the event. You can follow us to support A more accessible future for all.

For first hand stories of the impact of experience this show please review our previous press release from June 1st 2023

For more information, please contact: 

Heidy Wager, Executive Director

(514)-797-2447

heidywager@hearhear.org

ABOUT HEAR Entendre QUÉBEC: Hear Entendre Québec is Montréal’s only non-profit organization serving the English-speaking community with hearing loss in Québec. Hear Entendre Québec has been providing programs and services to those affected by hearing loss for over 40 years and strives to bring about awareness within the community and shed light on the invisibility of hearing loss. Hear Entendre Quebec aims to make the most out of the hearing we have.

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