RIYADH: Improv night at Comedy Pod in Riyadh is providing a platform for the next generation of Saudi comedians and keeping the genre alive and thriving in the Kingdom.
Comedians usually come together to engage in a night of organized stand-up rather than depending on hackneyed jokes, or shortcuts, to win a laugh. The improv nights have proved to be an essential tool in both fine-tuning rising talents and gauging the wits of a Saudi audience.
Lama Alfard, a Saudi comic, told Arab News: “Comedians who began their career in Riyadh during the 2010s consider Comedy Pod to be a dream come true.
“In the past, (comedians) used to perform in large shows without having a dedicated place to practice and refine their material, but with Comedy Pod this is no longer a problem.”
The club creates a careful lineup of sessions and performances each week. Tuesdays are closed mic nights, meaning both the talent and the audience are comedians. Anyone who wants to take a stab at stand-up comedy is welcome onstage, while the other comics give feedback on their performance.
The best-performing acts are selected for the Thursday Stand-Up Night group where between nine and 11 people perform their joke routine for a public audience.
Those who do not quite make the cut are encouraged to perform on Saturday, which is amateur or test night, where they can experiment on a public crowd.
These events often involve different themes or concepts like “What’s the Deal With?” where audiences determine which topic the comic will address, or “Improv Pants,” which is a team-based act.
Osama AlYahya, co-founder of Comedy Pod, said: “We created these categories because there used to be an issue with stand-up before. In 2013, for example, a first-time comic’s only opportunity (was) to perform in front of 3,000 people, huge crowds. We didn’t have smaller local performers.”
While the space is great to try out new jests, there are three untouchable topics: religion, politics, and sex — the latter being more ambiguous to define within a comedic frame, so slip-ups may occur, he said.
A natural goal for every comic, if they are good enough, is to tackle — or cackle — an even larger audience. Every month, the Comedy Pod holds a special night at Mohammed Al-Ali Theater in Boulevard Riyadh City, with a crowd of around 600 people, to showcase the best-performing comedians throughout the month.
The beginnings of stand-up comedy in Saudi emerged in the form of private events at compounds in the Diplomatic Quarter and in expat-populated spaces like Aramco. Naturally, the acts were in foreign languages, predominantly English.
The Comedy Pod, on the other hand, embraces the craft strictly in Arabic.
AlYahya added: “We’ve seen stand-up in English, and Saudi or Arab comics (have been) performing in English since 2007 or 2008.
“They don’t go far. It’s not logical to present, here in the Kingdom, in English to a Saudi audience.”
He noted that the club wants “the Saudi sense of humor to reach international standards. It has its own character, value, and reality in terms of what can be said, what topics are discussed, how it’s communicated.”
Starting off in 2021 from the grassroots, a 40-50 person audience was brought together by word of mouth as the initiative met with great praise. Performers received interest from comedians and actors including Barakat Assiri, Ibrahim Khairallah, and Hashem Hawsawi.
Initial performances were held to an all-male crowd. Now, the attendees are around 70 percent female.
Comedy, in its global form, is known to be a male-dominated field. While its participating acts are most often male comedians, Comedy Pod aims to create a safe space for women and is always “keen on inviting female comedians to participate, even if they don’t have any content to try out,” AlYahya said.
Alfard, one of the few female Comedy Pod participants, said that the club has created strong bonds with its community “to the point that many female attendees have been inspired to participate in open mic nights.”
Possibly one of its largest accomplishments was in encouraging 14 Saudi comedians to take part in the first season of the OSN+ series “Stand Up! Ya Arab!” which is a first-of-its-kind show that features two comics from the Arab world in every episode.
Alfard, who has been on the scene for over 10 years, was one of the Saudi women featured in the series.
She said: “I was honored that a few of these women asked me for tips before they tried stand-up, which I am always happy to provide.
“It is exciting to see an increasing number of women getting involved in comedy, theater, and other performing arts, and I eagerly anticipate seeing more of their work in the future.”
The club’s goals are not merely entertaining the public, but also to promote a sustainable and growing industry around comedy and the performing arts.
Saad Al-Shatti, a regular member, was a flight engineer when he stumbled upon the Comedy Pod. After joining its performances for three months, he landed a job as a content writer for Telfaz11.
Another Comedy Pod member who has made a name for himself goes by the stage name Brown. He used to work as a bus driver and is now a full-time comedian.
Comedian Sary Al-Khalid spoke to Arab News about his experience at the club, and said: “This platform has made me a better performer, a better writer, and I overcame my fear of the stage very quickly.
“Stand-up comedians face many difficulties, and one of them … is thinking a joke will land well on stage but ends up failing.”
He overcame this challenge with the help of feedback from fellow comedians and peers.
The Comedy Pod is currently collaborating with Smile Entertainment, one of the pioneering producers of stand-up comedy in the Kingdom, and Muvi Cinemas, to present Riyadh Laughs.
The initiative, organized by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, will present a jam-packed lineup every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, starting at 8:15 p.m. at Boulevard Riyadh City’s Muvi Cinemas until the end of October.
AlYahya said: “In an age where content reaches you on your phone in the comfort of your living room, we are content that urges you to leave the house to watch.”
