Royal Canadian Air Farce | |
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Medium | Television, Radio, Theatre, Audio Recordings, Home Video |
Nationality | Canadian |
Years active | 1970-present |
Genres | Sketch comedy, Political satire |
Notable works and roles |
Royal Canadian Air Farce radio (1973-1997) TV (1980-1984, 1993-2007); Air Farce Live TV (2007-2008); Air Farce New Year's Specials TV (1992-present) |
Members |
Don Ferguson Luba Goy Craig Lauzon Darryl Hinds Aisha Alfa Jessica Holmes Emma Hunter See also: Cast history |
Former members |
Roger Abbott Dave Broadfoot Martin Bronstein John Morgan Arnold Pinnock Penelope Corrin |
Website | www.airfarce.com |
The Royal Canadian Air Farce is a comedy troupe best known for their radio and television series which were broadcast in Canada by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Although their weekly radio series ended in 1997 and their television series ended in 2008, the troupe are still active through an annual New Year's Eve special on CBC Television.
The group started in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 as an improvisational theatre revue called The Jest Society, a pun on then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's famous goal of making Canada a "Just Society". The original cast was John Morgan, Martin Bronstein, Patrick Conlon, Gay Claitman, and Roger Abbott.
After a number of personnel changes, the group became the "Royal Canadian Air Farce" as early as 1973, broadcasting through CBC Radio from the Curtain Club in Richmond Hill, Ontario (400 Newkirk Road at Elgin Mills Road East). The CBC gives the date of the first broadcast as December 9, 1973. By this time the lineup consisted of Roger Abbott, Don Ferguson, Luba Goy, John Morgan, Dave Broadfoot, and Martin Bronstein. They quickly became one of the network's most popular programs. Most of their later shows were based in Toronto and recorded in CBC's Cabbagetown Studios; however as the troupe became more popular, they frequently travelled throughout the country to record their weekly radio broadcasts, which featured a mixture of political and cultural satire heavily influenced by the style of Wayne and Shuster. The touring show also often included one or more sketches satirizing local culture or politics, which were not aired on the national radio broadcast.