Laugh on the Ave: A new era of comedy

WHY does Dracula read the Newsday? It has good circulation.

Yeah, maybe we should stick to reporting. But if you do wish to laugh until you cry, you can attend a session of Laugh On The Ave – one of the newest comedy show series to take over the country.

Started by a group of young, budding comedians in 2020, the show has made its way to north, south and central Trinidad, attracting hundreds of attendees.

On its Facebook page, it says: As the younger generation of local comedians, we created Laugh on the Ave to serve as a platform for testing stand-up comedy material and honing our craft. Not only were we successful in doing this, but we found ourselves creating a movement that resulted in sold out shows across the country and a loyal and diverse following."

Initially, these comedians performed at other people's shows. It was when those shows began "slowing down," they thought, "Why don't we just make our own?"

Comedian and team member Louris "Lyrix" Lee-Sing started doing comedy in 2018 and immediately fell in love with it.

But she told Newsday that prior to Laugh On The Ave, she and her colleagues would sometimes perform for audiences of five or six.

In fact, she said, "I think we, the comedians, used to have more fun than the audience members just supporting and cheering each other on."

Their humble beginnings only increased their hunger for success.

When Laugh on the Ave was initially created, it lived up to its name as it started at Ariapita Avenue, Woobrook, with the first show on February 20, 2020.

Lee-Sing said the turnout was even better than they expected, which added to their confidence that they can make this show become something grand.

Fellow comedian Kwame Weeks said that comedy tends to be seasonal in Trinidad and Tobago.

"People tend to have shows around Carnival time or Christmas. Just after Carnival has historically been comedy season in Trinidad...People may do shows for Mother's Day, Father's Day."

He said they also wanted to shift that dynamic, with the team "doing around four months of almost weekly performances" in 2022.

In addition to the regular, more casual shows, the team has also held major ones at venues such as the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA), San Fernando.

Weekes said they are trying to create a space where those wishing to be comedians can have an opportunity to "test the waters."

"Before we start performing, we have a 15-minute open mic where people can come and test jokes...People used to come through consistently and try (telling) jokes and a lot of them were very funny."

He said it has been a "very positive experience," and they have managed to create a "really loyal fanbase.

"We are just trying to capture the market and show people what we have."

Lee-Sing is also an experienced film and theatre director and producer, and also manager of the Best Village Programme. She also brings this experience on to the comedy stage, sometimes serving as stage director for their shows.

She recalled a particular show at which 300 attendees came, but in addition to that, several of them left tips after the show which amounted to around $2,500.

"The show was only $40 and people enjoyed it so much that they were pulling out $100s to tip us."

The team members split the total earnings of each show among themselves, so everyone gets an equal share for their efforts.

Some major names in the local comedy landscape have also performed alongside the team, including Errol Fabien and Kenneth Supersad, among others.

Weekes said the experienced comedians are always very helpful to the younger ones and are sometimes a mentor to them.

Lee Sing agreed, calling them "wonderful" and "very generous."

Some of the other regular comedians featured in these shows include Kevin Soyer, Gervail "Jr Lee" Lemo, Kareem "Jonathan Proof" Forde, Shae "Couva Lord" Bethel, Jerome Richardson, Kess Ramsey, among others.

The series is set to resume in June.