Beneath The Mask

It’s the sum of several stories developed while living’ la Covid-a-loca. It’s about being a germaphobe hypochondriac navigating a plague, feeling both, vindicated and smug -since my fears of germs were justified- and at the same time being terrified of death, and moreover, of having to stop performing standup forever. They say that when a chunky chick like me sits on the floor, she has to have a plan for standing up. Well, the damn virus pushed us not only to the floor but the abyss, and we had to learn to stand up metaphorically and artistically. These are the stories.

October 19, 2021 at 7:00 PM

About the artist

Martha Chaves is a Latin-Canadian-LGBTQ award-winning comedian, actor, activist, and emerging playwright.

With her unique sense of humour, friendly-in-your-face style, and devilish charm, Martha paints hilarious stories drawn heavily from personal experience, like her upbringing in Latin-America. She came to Canada as a refugee, but Martha has established herself as one of the country’s most sought-after comedians.

She’s known throughout Canada for her coast-to-coast stand-up tours and for her tailor-made corporate shows, her many appearances on the Just for Laughs Festival, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, The Debaters, and as a regular cast member of the hit CBC show Because News.

She starred in her two national comedy specials: Comics! on the CBC and Something About Martha on the Comedy Network. Her One Woman Show “Staying Alive” was featured in the Soulo Festival and the Aluna Theatre Festival in Toronto, and in NYC’s SOLOCOM.

Martha won Stand-up Comic of the Year at the 2018 Canadian Comedy Awards, and her comedy album, “CHUNKY SALSA,” was featured among the 11 Best Comedy Albums of 2019 (Interrobang Magazine.)

In her own words, she’s the “most famous LGBTQ-Nicaraguan-Canadian stand-up comic in the world.”