Adam Gourlay. Friends call him “Cornflake.” You might want to start following his comedy career. He’s in the rookie leagues now, but he’s determined to make it to the bigs.
Gourlay kicked around Guelph academia for a couple of semesters recently, trying to find himself. The tall, smart 24-year-old fell back on his natural abilities. He can make people laugh, while making them think. He’s giving comedy a full-time chance.
“The only thing I knew that I liked to do was make people laugh,” he said in an interview. “I tossed the idea around for awhile, then gave up on it and went back to school here. But I didn’t much like it. I had one of those moments where I realized I had to do something with my life that I like to do. I like to make people laugh.”
Born in Scarborough, the son of an actuary, Gourlay describes his budding comedy as observational. And it touches on all the touchy hot-button topics – religion, politics and relationships.
“I’ve been doing classes at Second City, and open mics, and writing for a satirical newspaper here in Guelph,” he said. “I’m just trying to get my name out there. Now, I’m going to Toronto to pursue it full-time.”
He said there has been a resurgence in comedy acts and comedy appreciation lately, especially in Guelph, where the scene is fuelled by the popularity of The Making-Box improvisational comedy company.
“Comedy has always been there, kind of waiting in the weeds,” he said. “But especially in Guelph it’s this new, big thing. In Toronto, it’s this huge, huge community, and has been that way for years. It’s like this underground kind of community of people just doing the grind, doing the bars, going to open mics in order to graduate to the bigger clubs.”
That’s the world Gourlay wants to dive into, and he’ll do just that starting in July. But before he takes off he’s organizing Cornflake Comedy, a comedy show at Planet Bean coffee shop in the downtown. It happens this Sunday, June 4, starting at 4:30 p.m. at the 2 Wyndham St. location. Tickets are $10, available at all three Planet Bean locations.
The headliner is Joel Buxton, known for his work with The Sketchersons, and the winner of the Top Sketch Canada award in 2012. Buxton has performed in New York and Chicago, and all around Toronto, and he’s also a comedy writer for other acts. And he's a musician.
Guelph comics Cas Knihnisky and Hayley Kellett will also do their bit at Cornflake Comedy, with Gourlay hosting. There may be an open mic segment.
The comedy show is more of of a story-telling variety of comedy, and somewhat less hard-hitting than comedy club stuff, Gourlay said.
“Everyone will feel pretty safe in this comedy environment,” he said. “It’s not exactly family-oriented, but its definitely a less aggressive form of comedy. It’s a come with your friends and family, relax and enjoy some funnies, kind of an idea.”
Gourlay said there are more comedy shows on television and online, and that is giving comedians more opportunities to makes large numbers of people laugh.
“People are starting to follow comedians like they do musicians – starting when they begin, watching them grow and develop,” he said.
Gourlay said just about anything can be funny, it’s just a matter of framing it in a funny way. And people need to laugh, they need comedy, he added. It’s a tension release, but it can also inspire in us an introspective impulse, a desire to reflect on “how things really are, and how others view them.”
