Comedy show coming to Dufferin Public House tonight

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Shelburne residents get ready to laugh as comedy tour makes visit to the community. 

Stand-up comedians Andrew Packer, Che Durena and Jacob Balshin are bringing their comedy show, Jokes N Tokes or JNT, to the Dufferin Public House on April 14. 

The three comedians developed the comedy show in 2018, around the time when weed was legalized in Canada and have since travelled across the country coast-to-coasts performing comedy shows. 

“Each of us have been in the comedy scene in Toronto for around eight years together and overtime you notice people that are really working hard and taking this seriously. We would see each other at mics all the time and became friends through that,” said Packer. 

The show will see the comedians focus on various topics from Packers long-term relationship, and Durena and Balshin's dating experiences and intertest in the Marvel Universe. Edging away from a standard comedy show, Jokes N Tokes will see a mix of jokes and musical components. 

“We really have our own voices from the life perspectives that we live and also our general personality,” said Packer. “You can expect a mixture of really well put together jokes and performances and crowd interaction. We really like to dive into the crowd and make some moments happened that are just for them.” 

The JNT Comedy Tour had been selling out shows throughout Alberta, Ontario and Newfoundland for the past years as COVID-19 restrictions tightened and loosened. 

“The pandemic was an extremely catastrophic event for a career as a stand-up comedian going out to live shows each night,” said Packer. 

As a result, the three comedians began working hard on their online presence with comedic content on social media. 

The three comedians have garnered their own accolades with the comedy world over the years. Packer has performed in more than 15 countries, been featured in international comedy competitions, and was a finalist in the Seattle International Comedy Competition in 2019. Durena has been featured on Just for Laughs, a runner up is Sirius XM's Next Top Comic and has bolster 6 million followers on Tik Tok. Balshin has been named Toronto's Best Upcoming Comedian at the I Heart Jokes Award in 2018, was nominated for Breakout Comic of the Year in 2020 and has been featured on CBC's LOL Network. 

Jokes N Tokes at the Duffy in Shelburne has sold out.