OPENING NIGHT
We're Back Thursday January 23! Opening Night kicks off the 11th annual Icebreakers Comedy Festival at the rustic Oast House Brewers. Hometown hero Joe Pillitteri MCs with the hilarious Olivia Stadler and one of the stars of Letterkenny, headliner Jeff McEnery!
*Unfortunately, this venue is not fully accessible*
MC
Funnyman Joe Pillitteri was born and raised in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. He is an emcee, stand-up comedian, inspirational speaker and motivational leader. Having raised more than $500,000 through sold out comedy fundraisers, Joe has received numerous awards including Citizen of the Year for his outstanding contributions to the community.
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Joe Pillitteri delivers side splitting comedy geared to any audience and in the next breath motivates and inspires through his MC and keynote material that keeps the crowds on the edge of their seats. He is genuine and experienced and with a patient and lovely wife and four kids, the material is endless.
MC
JOE PILLITTERI
Funnyman Joe Pillitteri was born and raised in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. He is an emcee, stand-up comedian, inspirational speaker and motivational leader. Having raised $906,544.56 for the Terry Fox Foundation through sold out comedy fundraisers, Joe has received numerous awards including Citizen of the Year for his outstanding contributions to the community.
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Joe Pillitteri delivers side splitting comedy geared to any audience and in the next breath motivates and inspires through his MC and keynote material that keeps the crowds on the edge of their seats. He is genuine and experienced and with a patient and lovely wife and four kids, the material is endless.
Featuring
OLIVIA
STADLER
Olivia Stadler is a comedian and TV writer best known for her work on the award-winning Crave original series Letterkenny. She has appeared in three seasons of Roast Battle Canada on CTV Comedy and Crave, and in 2024 made her Just For Laughs/ComediHa debut as a co-headliner at the festival in Montreal.
In late 2023 and early 2024, Olivia embarked on a 13-city theatre stand-up tour with Letterkenny Presents, which included a standout performance at the Nashville Comedy Festival in Tennessee.
Known for her sharp wit, keen observations, and unapologetic honesty, Olivia delivers a captivating presence both onstage and off.
Watch for her on CBC Gem’s New Wave of Standup in 2025!
Headliner
JEFF
MCENERY
Jeff McEnery won the prestigious "Tim Sims Encouragement Award" and followed that up by winning "Yuk Yuk's $25,000 Great Canadian Laugh Off" and “Best Stand Up Newcomer” at the Canadian Comedy Awards. Since then, Jeff has made multiple appearances at every major Canadian comedy festival including the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, Winnipeg Comedy Festival and Halifax Comedy Festival. He was nominated for “Best Male Stand Up” at the Canadian Comedy Awards and his hour-long Comedy Now! stand up special aired nationally on CTV. As an actor, Jeff had a recurring role as Alexander on the hit show Letterkenny. He had a lead role in the movie Dog Pound and was a cast member on The Comedy Network’s sketch show Hotbox. Jeff has also made guest appearances on Murdoch Mysteries, Covert Affairs, The Jon Dore Television Show and Naturally, Sadie. As a television writer, McEnery is a graduate of the Vancouver Film School’s Writing for Film and Television Program and was a story consultant on the CBC's Still Standing.
