The Big City Improv Festival continues this week, and we have in our midst a powerhouse player that's so good that he was cast by both SNL AND MADtv. Who's that talented? Follow me as I walk you through This Week In Comedy...

SUN OCT 20 / SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE FT. JEFF RICHARDS / COMEDY BAR / 945 BLOOR W / 9PM / $15

The last time I went to the sketch show Sunday Night Live, I had a blast! Jeremy Woodcock (you'll remember him from such films as Bessarion), is one of my favourite writers in Toronto right now, and you've gotta know that he's putting together something dynamite for this week's guest, Jeff Richards. Who's he? Well, let me ask you this: which is better, MADtv or SNL?

Well, Jeff Richards is the first person ever to be cast by both freakin' shows. Enough said.

ALL WEEK / BIG CITY IMPROV FESTIVAL / VARIOUS LOCATIONS / FESTIVAL PASS $40-60; INDIVIDUAL SHOWS $10-20

I think it's fair to say that most people are completely unaware of the improv talent that's bursting at the seams here in Toronto. It's a shame, too, because I've laughed more at improv shows than I have at stand-up events. Word? Word. There's just something innately fun and compelling about seeing hilarious people involved in scenarios without a script. Perhaps that's because the best comedy, even in stand-up, is often unscripted (or at least, made to seem so à la apparent spontaneity). Anyhoo, the Big City Improv Festival boasts Jeff Richards (MADtv, SNL) and Phil Lamarr (MADtv, Futurama, Family Guy), so yeah, there's gonna be fireworks all week long!

MON OCT 21 / HAIKU HEAD TO HEAD DEATHMATCH / SUPERMARKET / 268 AUGUSTA / 730PM / $5

You want to fight me? No match for my dragon punch. My might? Ends your line.

It's harder than it sounds! Think you got what it takes to haiku battle your way to the top of the food chain against some of the best (bored?) writers and performers in Toronto? Then come on down and test your might against a stranger's dragon punch in what I can only imagine as one of the funnest nights in Toronto this week. And, ok, maybe my opening haiku was lame, but check out Cynthia Gould's post on the Facebook page and you'll get an idea of what you'll be up against:

Harajuku smile
Your haiku performance...lose?
BANG - Yakuza hit!

Love it! You'll need about 27 haiku's written beforehand, so get cracking!

About the Author: This is Michael Jagdeo, and I refuse to write about myself in the third-person. My blog, Diary of a Stand-up Comedian, walks you through the up's and down's (they're mostly down's, really) in my quest to become a killer comic in Toronto.