Ready to make ’em laugh for CNIB

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This article was published 08/02/2016 (3668 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A night of laughs and friends is what one local comedian has in store later this month.

Big Daddy Tazz — a resident of Old St. Vital — along with a few of his friends will hit the stage at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre (180 Market Ave.) for the 15th annual Big Daddy Tazz & Friends Comedy Night on Feb. 26. The event is in support of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and sponsored by the Rotary Club of Winnipeg East AM.

“Every year, I pick a particular charity and call upon my friends from across North America and they come and do a comedy variety night,” Tazz said.

There’s no real agenda for which charities he picks, he said, but they must involve children in some way and they have to be local so the funds raised stay in Manitoba.

“(The) CNIB is a charity that anybody at any time can all of a sudden need,” Tazz said. “Anyone can lose their sight at any time. When you get older, things like macular degeneration and cataracts or anything like that can happen. (CNIB) has so many great programs that teach independent living, which is so amazing. It gives people a chance to live their lives the way they want to, even if they’re tethered down with some sort of label.”

In the past, Tazz has raised money for the Children’s Rehab Foundation and Mood Disorder Association of Manitoba along many others.

Tazz will be accompanied by 2015 SiriusXM Top Comic Derek Seguin, Kelly Taylor from Just For Laughs and Matt Falk and Andrew Lizzotte from the Winnipeg Comedy Festival.

“Seguin is a bilingual comedian out of Montreal,” Tazz said. “It’s all different styles of comedy and it’s not dirty. It’s an evening everyone can enjoy. I keep it clean by choice. A lot of charities would rather have the material clean and it’s corporate and TV-friendly.”

Live entertainment will be provided by Canadian country/pop duo Keith and Renee and Phillips Smith.

“You don’t often get to see these guys together in one show, they’re all headliners in their own right,” he said.

Tazz said the show takes 365 days to plan. As soon as one show is over, planning for the next gets underway.

“I’m hunting for the next charity and organize and get bones underneath it,” he said. “Once all the meat is on it, it’s ready for the public.

In the past, Tazz has seen upward of 1,000 people come out to the event.

“There’s 50/50 draws and other things like that — we raise a fair bit of money,” he said. “The price point for the tickets is fantastic. It’s a couple hours where you can bring a donation, sit down in a seat and forget about the world for a while.”

Along with the fundraiser, Tazz is setting a personal goal of visiting 60 schools this year to talk to kids about bullying and mental health.

“My dream would be to hit 100 schools throughout Manitoba,” he said. “My quality of life is fantastic. Every day, I wake up with the ability to make my family laugh.”

Tickets for the show run at $20 a head and are available by calling 204-789-0947 or 204-949-2600, or online at eventbrite.ca

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