Simmy de Trini celebrates 7 years of stand-up comedy

Simmy de Trini (Rhea-Simone Auguste) has joined the ranks of female comedians alongside household names like Nikki Crosby and Rachel Price.

Auguste has been making waves in the local comedy circuit with sold-out stand-up comedy shows and a solid social media following, and for the first time, she will taking her show to the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA).

Her show, Stand-up Down South 2: Simmy in SAPA takes place on June 2.

Her show at Queen’s Hall in March was sold out, and she has a similar hope for the southern venue.

"Selling out the last show was a surprise because it happened the week of the show. Sales were consistent then the final week there was a boom," she told WMN.

"I was emotional over it because it literally changed my life and my sons' lives after years of grinding hard and making sacrifices and doing smaller venues. To be able to taste what success feels like momentarily as a producer and as a performer. All I can do now is to keep building from there and continue working hard to deliver a premium quality comedy show that adults can enjoy."

Auguste has been working toward this moment for the better part of a decade, including during the covid19 pandemic.

"This show actually marks my seventh year in comedy. Technically I've only been performing for five because of the pandemic, but my journey as Simmy started seven years ago in Kaiso Blues Cafe in Port of Spain."

She said she didn’t expect stand-up comedy to be something she would be able to do for a living as it's not really a common professional choice.

"I'd worked for years in media and corporate communications, and doing stand-up was initially a side thing to allow me to have some free space to be myself as a performer. I was going through a lot of painful private problems and comedy was just cathartic. It helped me to laugh past the pain and I found it to be a way I could connect with others over common ground and lighten their load with laughter too."

Auguste began getting bookings for performances and opportunities to entertain people at private engagements and corporate events and has now become a familiar face on the local comedy circuit.

"I am on radio too, but my main work has been as a stand-up comedian. Of late, people have been asking me why I don't do more skits on social media like Jr Lee and Certified Sampson and my position is – I am really trying to stay in my own lane and focus on building my name as a stand-up comedian. I love doing live stand-up performances and I've been sharing clips from my performances because I want to build support for my live shows."

She said building her audience was an imperative for her as she wanted to expand regionally and internationally.

"I went to two comedy clubs in Washington DC back in 2023, and in order to perform at their clubs they told me I would need to submit some clips of me performing, and that's when it dawned on me that I hadn't been filming my live sets.

"If I want to grow my name regionally and internationally and get bookings for shows outside Trinidad and Tobago, I would need to have a demo reel of sorts to show promoters. I'd also benefit from having a crowd showing up for me as it would indicate that there's an interest in my material."

Auguste describes her material as quirky, self-deprecating, introspective and sometimes spicy.

"I write a lot of my jokes from my personal experiences and I also try to touch on things that I feel my supporters would find relatable – relationships, parenting, work/life balance and, depending on the crowd, sex and sexuality. It’s different strokes for different folks because I adjust and adapt for different spaces."

She said sometimes she gets corporate bookings so she has to do clean, work-friendly jokes for that.

"Then, I might have a gig at a casino late at night and I would have my rated-R jokes for that. I've worked at church harvests so I have family-friendly material for those spaces. It comes down to being versatile as a comedian and I try to stay flexible so I have more options for work."

Her show in SAPA will be a mature show for adults-only and will feature other standup comedians and musical guests.

"I have a few peers in the industry who I trust to deliver some good laughs alongside me. Men like Kess Ramsey, Kwame Weekes, Kevin Soyer, Jerome Richardson and my host for this show is Keevan Lewis (Keevo). Each comedian has a unique style and different perspectives. I also have Benjai and Chris Garcia as my musical guests at this one, so it's a full showcase of quality entertainment."

The reviews for her NAPA show were overwhelmingly positive, with audience members crying tears of laughter.

"I feel like adults who are used to adulting could use a break to laugh and relax. I structure my shows to have something for everyone because to me, humour is subjective."

Stand-up Down South 2: Simmy in SAPA starts at 6 pm. For more information visit www.islandetickets.com/event/StandUpSouth or call the hotline at 780-7859.