“Outrage” comic to play Cranbrook despite backlash
Published 11:33 am Wednesday, March 4, 2026
The Key City Theatre will host the controversial outrage comedian Ben Bankas this month, despite backlash from members of the community, on social media and elsewhere.
Ben Bankas, originally from Toronto, now based in Texas, is known for his outrage style of comedy, often targeting Indigenous people, 2SLGBTQIA+, the political left, and modern liberal viewpoints.
In spite of this, or because of this, Bankas’s shows have been selling out across North America. They’re also being cancelled at a considerable rate, especially after he made jokes about the death of Renée Good, a woman who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis in January.
Unlike cancellations in other Canadian and American cities, the show in Cranbrook will be going ahead, after due consideration from the host venue.
“No one at Key City Theatre endorses this event,” the Key City Theatre said in a statement posted on its website. “We disagree with the content, and it does not reflect our values.
“This performance is a rental. Historically, we have not assessed or adjudicated the content of rental events. We operate as a space for artistic expression. At the same time, we recognize that not every event aligns with our mission and values. As a result of this situation, we have put formal policies and procedures in place that will allow us to decline future rental events that conflict with our mission and values. This will shape decisions going forward.”
“For this specific event, we have a signed rental contract. After careful consideration of the legal, financial, and institutional implications, we have decided to honour that agreement.”
“Reversing a signed agreement once it has been made would establish a standard of cancelling contracted events after the fact which would affect every artist and every community that works with us. We are not prepared to create that standard. Decisions about alignment must be made before agreements are signed, and our updated policies ensure that they will be.”
As of time of publication, tickets for Ben Bankas’s Cranbrook show have mostly sold out.
Fernie Pride Society (FPS) issued a statement describing his material as “hateful rhetoric” that disparages immigration, the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and includes “dehumanizing commentary” about residential schools and Indigenous peoples.
In the statement, the society expressed concern about the Theatre’s decision to host the show.
While FPS said it appreciates the Theatre’s public acknowledgement, hosting Bankas would cause harm to 2SLGBTQIA+ and Indigenous persons and compromise their safety in the community.
“Policies exist precisely to guide difficult decisions when values and harm are at stake. The responsibility of stewarding a public cultural space includes weighing not only financial and legal implications, but community safety and trust,” FPS stated.
“We are left to question, does the Key City Theatre value financial implications for visiting Third Party Rentals more than reputational ones for regional patrons and performers? If public trust is eroded, where does the Theatre go from there?” FPS added.
FPS called on Key City Theatre to reconsider the decision to host Bankas and cancel the Mar. 20 performance as well as to publicly outline proposed policy changes for rental contracts with performing artists.
It urges Key City Theatre to engage with 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, immigrant, women’s and disability organizations about the impact of the event; and to donate rental proceeds from the event to an equity-seeking organization in Cranbrook and surrounding area.
FPS said cancelling the show is not supporting censorship.
“Let’s be clear: this is not about censorship. Freedom of expression in Canada is protected, but it is not absolute, and it does not shield institutions from accountability for the platforms they provide,” FPS noted.
“Venues make programming decisions every day. Declining, at any time in the rental process, to host performers that reinforce and platform bigotry is not the erosion of artistic freedom; it is an exercise of institutional values,” FPS added.
FPS said it remains open to meeting with Theatre staff for further discussion.
The Key City Theatre added in its statement that its commitments “to equity, inclusion, and community partnership remain unchanged. They are reflected in our programming, partnerships, and daily work. One rental event does not define who we are, and it does not change the direction of this organization.”
