What is appropriate humour?
It may seem obvious when humour crosses the line, but Christians have not always agreed when it is appropriate and when it is not. In fact, throughout many periods of history, Christians have felt that laughing and comedy were terrible sins. Edmonton First Mennonite Church invited Brian Froese, an associate professor of history at Canadian…
Watch: “The Best Joke in the Entire World”
“Truthfully, comedy is very hard,” comedian Matt Falk asserts in a clip from his new special. “Probably because the best joke in the entire world has already been written, and not by me.” Watch Falk tell that joke: The clip is from Unlit, a 40-minute special that came out last month. You can watch it…
‘Menno(comedy)nite’ keeps audience in stitches
An advertised “evening of hilarity” on Sept. 30, 2017, delivered plenty of jokes, humour and laughs to delight the gathered audience at the Mennonite Historical Society of B.C-sponsored event. “We need to laugh. There are enough tears in the world,” said emcee Danny Unrau, a pastor, storyteller and author who opened the evening with humorous…
More than just punchlines
What makes Mennonites funny, and what does their sense of humour say about them? Those are the questions at the heart of That Mennonite Joke, a new documentary from Prairie Boy Productions. Written and directed by Winnipeg filmmaker Orlando Braun, the documentary follows Niverville, Man., comedian Matt Falk as he traces the roots of Mennonite…
What’s so funny?
Orlando Braun has always been fascinated by filmmaking. He recalls being a child and making detective films with his father’s camcorder, but never thought he could one day make a living making movies. “It didn’t even occur to me this is what people do as a job,” the 33-year-old Winnipegger says. Following high school, Braun…
The 100 percent clean comedian
Matt Falk recalls one of his worst gigs from the beginning of his career as a comedian. He was hired to perform at a corporate event, and during his 30-minute set the audience barely chuckled. The people in the club mostly just stared at Falk and talked among themselves. At the end, he wished the…
