McNamara is one quarter of the sketch comedy troupe Statutory Jape, and one third of another sketch comedy troupe, Reverse Oreo. Both troupes are involved in Toronto Sketchfest 2010, a veritable smorgasbord event of sketch comedy. Lasting from November 2nd to 7th at various locations across Toronto, the 5th installment of this increasingly popular sketch comedy festival will feature over 40 troupes from across the continent.

The city of Toronto has a strong comedic tradition, Second City being one of many examples of comedic genius. Sketchfest brings the funny in a whole new way. Not improv or standup, it is a hybrid of all the qualities most enjoyed by comedy audiences: hilarious, short and relatable.

Statutory Jape, one of many Torontonian troupes performing at this year's Sketchfest, prides itself on its "high-reference, low-brow" comedy. McNamara self-deprecatingly refers to himself as the low-brow component in their sketches. Praising his collaborators Eric Turk, Simon Pond, and Aaron Hagey-MacKay as "really, really smart," McNamara takes the credit for the fart joke component of his co-members' political sketches.

Clearly, something about the troupe's modus operandi has paid off. At last year's Sketchfest, Statutory Jape won the Arbitrary Award of Merit, a great distinction at the festival. When asked how the troupe would bring it even harder this year, McNamara refers to Sketchfest as the "Super Bowl of comedy," and divulges the troupe's year-long polishing efforts in order to "bring their A-game."

"We've tried some different themes out that are a bit more risky than last year, so we've just got to see if that goes over well."

McNamara also chalks up his good chances at Sketchfest this year to the other sketch troupe he is a part of, Reverse Oreo. When asked to compare the two troupes, McNamara decides on this: "It's a bit more wacky…not that we're going to go onstage and go "waka waka" or something like that…We offer the same thing, but a lot more pop-culture references."

Some first-time Sketchfest goers might be surprised to find that sketch comedy is not stand-up, and heckling is a major no-no (one of McNamara's pet peeves). They will also be pleasantly surprised at the sheer variety and ingenuity of each troupe's performance. This festival is audition only, so comedy lovers of Toronto really get to see the cream of the crop. "Super awesome amazing. Go, go, go. Go see it!" proclaims McNamara. Sounds like a no-brainer.

For more information on Statutory Jape and Reverse Oreo, visit staturoryjape.com and Reverse Oreo's Facebook page. For more information on Toronto Sketchfest 2010, visit torontosketchfest.com.