When “Laugh Without Limits” comes to the stage at The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough on Saturday, April 25, it will not only be a hilarious evening of stand-up comedy, but a reminder of what can happen when performance venues are accessible to everyone.
That’s one goal of Disability Privilege Productions, founded by Toronto comedian Jared Nathan, who created Laughs Without Limits with Blair “TheHandy” Williams as an inclusive comedy show featuring comedians whose lives are influenced by disability.
“It’s about giving opportunities to people with challenges and disabilities who are not usually able to get opportunities,” says Jared, who adds the company name refers to the situations where he is favoured because he lives with disability.
Blair was driven to partner with Jared because of the lack of accessibility he found when it comes to comedy. In Toronto, he says, only two comedy clubs are accessible to him as a wheelchair user.
“I love doing comedy, but the opportunities for me to do it aren’t there,” Blair says. “Greater than that, the opportunity for individuals that use mobility devices to come and just watch comedy aren’t there. Jared and I got together and we thought, ‘Hey, let’s start this production company and we’ll have a monthly show where people that use mobility devices can come to a barrier-free environment and enjoy comedy.'”
They did that through the development of Laugh Without Limits, where professional comedians with disabilities are given paid work, and inclusive “ICU Open Mic” nights, where newcomer comedians can take the stage.
VIDEO: “Laugh Without Limits” promo (2025)
“We want people leaving saying ‘That was one of the funniest shows I’ve seen’, not that it was nice for a disability show,” says Blair. “The comics we have on our show are very strong, very funny people. It’s just a completely different outlook on life.”
Now Laugh Without Limits is coming to Peterborough, hosted in the intimate The Theatre on King by Blair and with Jared as the headliner.
Jared gained a following by winning the Golden Ticket on “Kill Tony,” a popular American live podcast hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban who invite comedians to do clips of stand-up comedy.
“Kill Tony is the number one live podcast on the planet right now and Tony is a very big supporter of comedians with disabilities,” says Blair. “This genre of comedy with the disability community is probably the largest and fastest growing niche, I would say, out there right now.”
Jared will headline with his unique and bold humour and a routine that promises to not only be hilarious but full of thought-provoking insights.
“I like to take people on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs,” Jared explains. “I like to get people thinking and just show people that I’m more than my stutter by using my stutter to take people on a ride.”
As the host of the Peterborough show, Blair will get the audience comfortable and warmed up with his dark humour. Also in the line-up along with Jared will be rising star Tia Percy along with Todd Blenkhorn, who joins Jared and Blair on their “Wheel Stutter Blindly” podcast.
While Blair and Jared suggest Laughs Without Limits is not “disability comedy” — in that there will be topics and observations beyond disability — there will be some poking fun at themselves and others.
This includes stories of the many “interesting experiences” they’ve had because of the way so-called “able-bodied” people interact or approach them.
“We want you to laugh,” Jared says. “We want you to laugh because, even able-bodied, you still might have some challenges or some difficulties in your life that you can relate to. Everyone can relate to struggle, and I think laughing at your situations is a lot better than crying.”
For Blair, comedy has always been a part of his life, even after the injury that caused his quadriplegia.
Just 24 hours after that injury, he was laughing with his family — joking that he’d always be wearing new shoes and that finding parking will always be a breeze — when a nurse asked why he was laughing.
She asked if he thought it was funny that he was going to be “nothing” for the rest of his life.
“I wish I knew where that lady was now,” Blair says. “I’d like to thank her because, with those words, she put gas in my tank.”
“I don’t know if it’s a little bit of fear mixed into it, but I’m not going to be a nothing — I’m going to do something,” Blair says. “I’m going to advocate. I want to make people laugh. I want to have a fun time. I want to enjoy every minute of this amazing life surrounded by people who are like-minded and just want to have fun and want to laugh and want to find the beauty in the tragedy of life.”
In Blair’s belief, “humour will cure everything and anything.”
“There’s especially humour in the taboo, and humour in the things you don’t think you’ll laugh about,” Jared adds. “Humour is just tragedy plus time. There’s humour in everything.”
Layered beneath the jokes, however, the comedians hope to raise awareness for the need for more accessible performance venues across the country.
“Everybody should be able to access entertainment everywhere,” Jared points out. “People should not be limited to anything because of their ability or mobility or anything. That’s the importance of our mission with Laugh Without Limits — to give opportunities for people who can’t go to normal comedy clubs to come see our shows.”
“We want people to come for the laughs, but leave with a bit of a wider perspective,” adds Blair.
Sponsored by Team vanRahan Century 21 to ensure all proceeds go to the show’s performers, Laugh Without Limits will be presented at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at The Theatre on King at 171 King Street in downtown Peterborough.
Tickets are priced at $20 (plus fees) in advance at www.eventbrite.ca/1984392315835 or $25 at the door. The Theatre on King provides venue accessibility and parking information on its venue accessibility page at ttok.ca/venue-accessibility.
For more information about Disability Privilege Productions including other upcoming shows, visit www.disabilityprivilegeproductions.com.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be the media sponsor of the April 25 “Laugh Without Limits” show at The Theatre on King.
