Stand-Up (actually, Sit-Down) Comedy

Alan Shain's comedy has attitude, and you won't forget his act very quickly. His disability is obvious and his brand of comedy is unique. Alan uses humour to attack the idea that disabled people are passive and helpless, which is reflected in the name of his company, Smashing Stereotypes Productions.

Alan's stand-up comedy is suitable for a wide variety of venues. A hysterical rebuff at public attitudes to disability, he attempts to answer burning questions such as 'Do wheelchair-people ever go to the bathroom? Are all wheelchair-people related to each other? Do they ever think about sex?' You'll probably learn just a little bit more from Alan than you really wanted to know.

After getting his start in comedy in1989 at Yuk Yuk's Komedy Kabaret, Alan has since toured his shows extensively across North America and Australia. He blends comedy with a strong flavour of honesty and truth, and attacks stereotypical attitudes towards people with disabilities.

"My brother and I went out to eat," Alan says, "and the waiter asked my brother how many menus we wanted. I answered the question with, 'There's two of us at the table, so I think we'll take 4-menus.' The waiter did, in fact, bring us 4-menus."

Since first touring the comedy club circuit, Alan now also tailors his shows for high schools and middle schools, colleges and universities, as well as community events and festivals.

Gets the kind of laughs most comics only hear in their dreams
- Ottawa Citizen

Very witty and very down to earth - CBC Radio

Humour that breaks barriers - Footscray News, Australia - Though as a comic, Alan Shain is a really lousy juggler.