Battle of the Bards

John started Bards a long time ago, at a point in time when Russ had disappeared in search of a life. The premise was simple: he knew people who liked to perform, he knew people who liked to win money, and he knew people who liked to watch others make fools of themselves onstage. Thus was born Battle of the Bards, a competitive coffeehouse (that eventually stopped serving coffee).

John left for the United Kingdom in the fall of 2005, came back to Kitchener-Waterloo in August 2007, and returned to the Bards stage in November 2007. Over the years, he has contributed significantly to amateur theatre in productions for the FASS Theatre Company and the Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre (among other groups). Now a graduate student at the University of Waterloo, he portrayed Bob Cratchit in KWLT’s recent production of “Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge”.

Russ first performed at Bards in November 2004 (we think), quickly becoming known for his completely unprepared and highly random attempts at stand-up comedy, as well as a little trick known as the Tennis Racquet of Doom. When John left for England in 2005, Russ took over the show, determined to keep the host’s seat warm until his friend’s return. Who knew that he would actually do a better job of running it? (Russ did)

Outside of Bards, Russ is a professional writer and part-time journalist. He recently directed “FASS 2008: Kiss your FASS Goodbye”, and was previously seen alongside John in “Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge”. Russ spent much of 2007 organizing the Schools Challenge, part of the City of Waterloo’s 150th Anniversary celebrations, and was recently involved with the Food Bank organizing the inaugural Canstruction Waterloo Region 2008.