Host: Martha Chaves

Martha Chaves was born and raised in Nicaragua. At the age of 17, her parents shipped her off to Montreal with the excuse that they wanted her to learn a second language, but it was really because they feared that she would join the revolution. She wouldn’t anyway – she hates wearing cargo pants everyday, assembling and disassembling things that shoot and, especially, blood.

Her parents and siblings were forced to leave the country a year later and they have since lived in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Martha eventually became a Canadian citizen and has lived here most of her life feeling uprooted, cold and confused about her identity (which, incidentally, is what makes her a true Canadian!).

She began her stand-up career in 1993 in Montreal and, considering her background and her existential angst, this was the only career in which she could thrive.

Now based between Toronto and Ottawa, Chaves is one of the top headliners at Yuk Yuk´s Komedy (www.yukyuks.com) clubs across Canada and is also a favourite at the Comedy Nest in Montreal. She has been nominated for six Canadian Comedy Awards in the category of Best Female Stand-up, and won a Soul’d Award in the same category.

Martha has appeared in numerous festivals around North America and countless humanitarian fundraising events. Her stand-up TV credits include her gala appearances in the Montréal Just for Laughs International Comedy Festival (where she has been featured not less than ten times), and her national comedy specials “COMICS!” on CBC and “Something about Martha” on CTV and The Comedy Network. She has made multiple appearances on the CBC Radio’s Madly off in All Directions, Accent on Toronto and The Debaters, and was a staff writer for The Toronto Show and Prime Tonight with Eric Tunney.

Chaves is multilingual and is one of the few comics in the world that has the rare gift of doing comedy in a second, third, and a fourth language. She has entertained audiences from every culture and background on stages all over the world, including the U.N. Peacekeeping Troops in the Middle East, Germany and Alert.

Martha has been the opening act for such Latin luminaries as Gloria Estefan at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto (1997) and Tito Puente at the Club Metropolis in Montreal (1996) and the award-winning poet-novelist, her compatriot Gioconda Belli, at the Teatro Nacional de Nicaragua (2005)

She has shared the stage with Brett Butler, Margaret Cho, Wendy Liebman, Chris Rock and Wanda Sykes, among others.

In her film and TV career she has worked with Oscar winners like Denzel Washington (John Q) and Whoopie Goldberg (Strong Medicine) .She also worked with Portia de Rossi (American Prince), Chris Rock and Wanda Sykes (Down to Earth), and with award winning directors like Nick Cassavetes and Jim Sheridan.

Headliner: Jo-Anna Downey

Jo-Anna Downey is a natural storyteller, and her act has been described as fearless and frank. She has entertained audiences across Canada.

A veteran of the Toronto comedy scene, Jo-Anna who is affectionately referred to as “mama” hosts two successful weekly shows. Her interactive style, encouragement of audience participation, and her quick wit, will shock and delight everyone in the room.

Jo-Anna has been seen on CTV, CBC, The Comedy Network and The Discovery Channel. She has also been heard on various radio programs, including most recently, CBC The Debaters.

Guest: Sandra Battaglini

In 2005, Battaglini was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for her solo show, A Small Battalion of Soldiers, directed by Mark Andrada. It first debuted in Toronto in 2003 and to rave revues in Chicago in 2004. Battaglini’s latest tour de force, Hard Headed Woman, also directed by Andrada, premiered at the Diesel Playhouse in October 2006 to sold out houses and will travel to the LA Comedy Festival this October. Sandra won a Canadian Comedy Award in 2007 for Hard Headed Woman in the category of best solo show.

Past performances include, The Upside Down Widow, 2005 Chicago Improv Festival and Hangin with Jesus, Toronto Festival of Clowns 2007. She is one-half of the comedy prank duo, the drug and alcohol awareness task force, was part of the 2005 Toronto production of the Vagina Monologues with Shirley Douglas and Rachel McAdams and Bellweather’s 2007 production of Mambo Italiano.