Over three days, seven New Faces categories will be showcased in Montreal with shows hosted by Langston Kerman, Chris Redd, Mark Forward, Nath Valvo, Darcy Michael and Jeremy Baer.
New Faces is the most highly anticipated industry showcase which serves as a launching pad for the next generation of comedic talent. From their humble beginnings in 1983 at the Saint-Denis Theatre in Montreal to laughing our way to become the largest global player in the humor industry, JFL made funny their business. Each year, the company make millions of people laugh with festivals at home, in Montreal and abroad. JFL is home to some serious talent. They’ve hosted comedy’s greatest and watched up-and-comers skyrocket right before their laugh-so-hard-we’re crying eyes.
JFL has staged its own comedy, musical and touring shows. Often broadcasting digital and television content.
Other New Faces alum to go onto Hollywood fame includes Mike Birbiglia, Ali Wong, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, W. Kamau Bell, K. Trevor Wilson, Fortune Feimster, Pete Davidson and Ramy Youssef.
During a recent 2023 Just For Laughs appearance, comedian James Roque delivers a one-of-a-kind performance that leaves the crowd in stitches.
In 2023 James was handpicked to be part of the New Faces International Showcase at the prestigious Just For Laughs Montreal comedy festival.
James’ New Zealand television credits include being a core guessing panelist on The Masked Singer NZ, as well as being featured on TVNZ’s Have You Been Paying Attention? NZ, 7 Days, Jono and Ben, Funny Girls and the New Zealand Comedy Gala. James has opened for some of the most popular comedians in the world including Ronny Chieng, Nick Kroll, Demetri Martin, and Ron Funches.
Through his comedy, he has amassed a following of over 100,000 people across Tiktok and Instagram combined. In 2023, he moved to Toronto, Canada with an eye on the future.
As well as a solo career, James is also one third of the sketch group Frickin Dangerous Bro, alongside Pax Assadi and Jamaine Ross. The trio debuted their TV show Frickin Dangerous Bro: On The Road in 2021. He is part of cult-hit improv troupe SNORT which continues to sellout it’s weekly show at Auckland’s Basement Theatre.
Outside of comedy, James has also been involved in theatre. He is a co-founder of Proudly Asian Theatre, a theatre company dedicated to showcasing more Asian-NZ stories onstage and and has played the lead role of Sidu in Indian Ink Theatre Company’s Kiss the Fish, which has toured New Zealand and USA.
