Stand-up comedy is serious business

The demand for stand-up comics in India is booming with market size likely to challenge the US and UK in the next few years – Sruthy Susan Ullas Stand-up comedy is a live stage performance by a solo artiste committed to keeping her audience in good humour by relating wisecracks, memes and jokes drawn from her own experiences, popular culture and occasionally poking fun at the powers-that-be. Stand-up comedy is all about eliciting laughs from audiences in the mood for levity. Historians trace the origins of stand-up comedy to New York Citys burlesque shows that flourished in the turn-of-century vaudeville theatres, featuring fast-paced comedy routines with ragtag crews of white Americans and immigrant workers for audience. Standard vaudeville gags focused primarily on the female chase, money troubles, gold-digging wives and harping mothers-in-law. With the advent of radio and television in 1927 and closure of many theatres, comedians moved their acts to intermissions of live musical stage shows and into nightclubs. In the 21st century, stand-up comedy has re-emerged as a popular form of entertainment worldwide and in India as well, with performances not merely restricted to pubs, bars and theatres but featuring in award functions, corporate programmes and private parties. Stand-ups are also sensations on social media, the Internet and television. An estimated 500 stand-up comedians are plying their trade in the Indian media and entertainment industry. Among the more popular are Kanan Gill, Kenneth Sebastian, Vir Das, Radhika Vaz, Aditi Mittal, Satish Perumal, and Rubi Chakravarthy. Prominent comedy groups include All India Bakchod and East India Comedy. Study programmes Obviously, comedians are rarely employed on the basis of their formal education qualifications although a liberal arts degree is useful. A good sense of humour, improvisation and quick wit, excellent scripting and communication skills, good memory, on-stage confidence and the ability to think on the run, are some attributes of a successful stand-up. A background in extra-curricular activities in school or higher education is also useful. Informal theatre workshops and online tutorials such as Stand Up Mastery by the late American comedian Ralphie May are recommended by most stand-ups. Inevitably, some American institutions offer courses in comedy, voice modulation, etc. Among them are the American Comedy Institute, New York, San Francisco Comedy College, University of South Californias Comedy at the School of Cinematic Arts. Pay and progression Newbie artistes usually start by charging Rs.5, 000 for a 30-45 minute performance. While lesser known local comics can expect to earn between Rs.20,000-50,000 per show at private events, veteran artistes demand — and get — Rs.4-5 lakh per show. Professional profile Comedy is serious business these days. The demand for stand-up comics in India is booming and over the next few years, we will be competing with the US and UK in terms of market size. But, its a challenging job — good scripting requires wide reading, patience and commitment. A four-minute joke can take over three months to perfect. Moreover, in India we also need to take extra care not to…