Hometown Toronto
To Davis, a mother of three, stand-up comedy has always been an escape. "I lived around the corner from a comedy club," she says of the first time she tried amateur night, "and needed to get out of the house." Davis is a regular on the Yuk Yuk's comedy circuit and is now doing public speaking, lecturing audiences on the importance of humour in parenting. "My material is just how I feel as a mother, as a woman. I'm just too tired to lie."

Line "We moved out of the city because of the kids – but they found us.... I'm not your average soccer mom. If my kid scores, I just honk from the car."

Watch Kate onstage

HOMETOWN Huntsville, Ont.
SIGNATURE A sketch comedian and actor, 20-year-old Murphy's favourite creation is Daisy, a woman who repeatedly gets pregnant "for all the wrong reasons." "Someone told me to put the kids up for adoption. No way. I'd sell them but I'd never give them away."

Watch Megan onstage

HOMETOWN Calgary
SIGNATURE Fraser, 23, is a stand-up with a deft sense of timing and razor-sharp delivery. "I was making out with this dude the other night and everything was going great. I started moving my hands lower and lower and that's when I felt it – the elastic waistband on his jeans. First I was shocked, but then I was impressed. Usually you can't get jeans like that past the age of eight."

Watch Megan onstage