Founder Of The Royal Comedy Theatre
Meet Mat Mitzy – Founder of The Royal Comedy Theatre. Mat established the Royal Comedy Theatre with the desire to create an entertainment venue in Toronto where comedians could have a space to push the boundaries of free speech with uncensored high level entertainment.
The Royal Comedy Theatre is known for hosting the Casting Couch and bringing acclaimed Just for Laugh and Comedy Central comedians.
We sat with Mat and discussed about all of them and also about his future plans. Here is our exclusive interview with Mat.
Hi, please introduce yourself to our readers.
My Name is Mat Mitzy. I’m a 31-year -old businessman.
How did you get interested in comedy and when and why did you decide to open the Royal Comedy Theatre?
I fell into it when I purchased the building, and the bar came up for sale. I sold a construction business around the same time and wanted to have another business to keep me busy, but also allow me to do something creative and enjoyable.
What is the capacity of the Royal Comedy Theatre?
100 people total. About 80 max in the show room.
What sets the Royal Comedy Theatre apart from the rest of the venues?
I don’t think any other comedy club brings in American comedians as often as we do. Our weekend shows this year are filled with performers from Comedy Central, Netflix and other American TV networks.
Tell us a little bit about your team and the folks that put this together and make this possible…
We’ve had help from several comedians with ties to other clubs, most of whom would prefer I don’t mention by name. Our manager Will Kristiansen is the life blood of the club, he is a gifted joke writer and a good comedian. He is one of the few comedians with a sense of responsibility. Every time I show up at the club he’s exceeded my expectations of what work needs to be completed. He is the Hank Hill to my Buck Strickland.
How was the Covid like for you?
Great, I lost 130 lbs by dumping my girlfriend.
How did it affect your business?
I bought the liquor licence for next to nothing and was lucky enough to never have a by-law officer, or public health official stop in. Toronto Batman did give a few of us Covid in December. At that time I had a work opportunity in the US and spent the entire month of February in Texas and California. We re-opened in March.
We now see a boom in the stand-up comedy scene in Toronto.
When I opened the club, Comedy Bar was the only other competitor in the area and they appeared to be busy almost all the time – that’s where I saw my opportunity. Other “comedy clubs” in the area are not free standing establishments, they do not have: employees, a liquor licence, business licence etc. I do get bothered that my business is compared to other “comedy rooms” that operate in the basement of other bars. I’d like any prospective customers to look at the acts we bring in compared to other clubs, look at our reviews compared to other clubs and use that to choose where you want to see a comedy show.
What do you think is driving this boom?
I think like the growth of rooms in the city there has also been a growth in the number of comedians in the city. Covid made it attractive for Canadian comedians in the US to come home, many people made decisions about pursuing comedy instead of their careers at that time. Operators at what I call the “comedy rooms” have been on record as saying, “they are comedians who started to put on their own shows because they couldn’t get stage time“ – what does that tell you about the quality of show you’d see there?
Tell us about your charity nights?
I’ve given up on them. So many people would buy tickets then not show up to the venue. It appeared they felt content with knowing their money went to a good cause – we need alcohol sales and buts in seats to keep the doors open. Sadly we won’t be doing charity shows until around Christmas.
Who are some of the leading stand-up comedians in Toronto at the moment?
Ben Bankas, Rob Mailloux, Kyle Lucey, Paul Thompson, Abbass Wahab, Angelica Scanura, Olivia Stadler, Sandra Bataglini, Boyd Banks, Che Durana, Andrew Packer, Nima Naz, Tyler Morison, Cedric Newman, Keesha Brownie and more. My favorite up and coming comedians are Max Sheldrick, Sai Kit, Evan Dubois, Hanah Veldhoen, Armin Arbabi, Mitchell Alvis, Matt Baxter and Josh Infald.
What are some of your favorite shows at The Royal Comedy Theatre and what do you recommend for the first timers?
My favorite shows are the weekend headliner shows because I always get to see someone new perform, The Casting Couch is always a fun show, that’s presented by Rob Mailloux and The Dark Comedy Festival – it’s a judge panel open mic where the comedian is interrupted during their set; Rob’s nice to newer comedians, but a bit more crude with regular comedians we know so it’s a great kind of wholesome / rude fun. A new customer should come for any show, Open mics and the casting couch take a bit of a dark sense of humor to enjoy.
How successful are your corporate gatherings and birthday packages?
The few we’ve had have been great. We are finding ourselves getting busier and having more difficulty booking them now.
What’s new, different, or exciting in this year?
We are going to be open 7 nights a week later this month, were bringing in monthly roast battles, a weekly casting couch Karaoke show ( judge panel karaoke, presented by the dark comedy festival), Tuesdays we’ll be doing a trivia night and Will Kristiansen is going to be hosting a show called “Happy Thoughts”.
Your message for our readers.
Check out our reviews and our website for the acts we’re bringing through. Your positive experience at our venue is the biggest priority. We are also one of two comedy clubs in the city located at ground level – this means we can accommodate guests in wheelchairs; however our washrooms are in the basement.
Your message for us at TOP (TorontoPages) magazine.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with me for this interview. I’d love for you guys to do a follow up article comparing your experience at different clubs.
