Chennai gets exclusive space for stand-up comedy

There clearly is no dearth of talent, both in English and Tamil. But what is missing in this booming stand-up comedy scene in the city is an exclusive space where comedians can hone their act based on the response from discerning audience. To fill this void, Bengaluru-based Counterculture started a comedy club in Alwarpet 

last week.

Budding comedians usually test their material during open mics – a brief slot given to amateur comedians to perform – that take place in restaurants and pubs. But because these events are part of the ambience of the venue and not the primary event, it is difficult to judge the response the person gets from there. 

Apart from the open mics and spots that they get in big TV shows, it would help the budding talents to have a place to test their content before a knowledgeable audience. This is where Counterculture Comedy Club, an intimate space with 150 seats, comes in.

“The club will be open for four days – open mic on Thursdays, shows by Tamil comedians on Fridays, and shows by comedians from all over India on weekends,” the manager of the club, Nitin Subramanian, told DT Next.

According to him, with Tamil stand-up comedy starting to take shape in the city, giving these comedians separate time and a specific set of audience would help it grow. “It is important for comedians to have enough stage time,” he added.

“Almost all the big cities, including Bengaluru and Mumbai, have their own comedy clubs. Having an exclusive club for stand-up will put Chennai on the map. This will definitely help in improving the comedians in the city and their craft. It will also increase the number of people coming to attend live shows. 

We have got good response on Friday and especially Saturday, with over 80 people attending the show,” said popular comedian Sudharsan alias ‘Soda’, who performed at the club’s inugural show on Thursday.