The Comedy Club Bangkok is the city's only dedicated English-language comedy venue. For the past year, it has hosted weekly stand-up and improv comedy shows above The Royal Oak pub. The club tonight (Sep 25) celebrates its first anniversary with a special show. Headlining is American comedian Matt Davis.
Guru speaks with club founders Chris Wegoda (stand-up creative director) and Drew McCreadie (improv creative director) about the club, its future and other trivial matters.
How do you choose the comedians you invite to perform?
Chris Wegoda: We simply choose great comedians, with an eye on variety. Since opening, we have quickly become a key venue in the region, bolstered by the fact that people love coming to Thailand.
Drew McCreadie: Indeed, we try to leverage our position in Southeast Asia and find comedians who are touring the area or who are interested in touring Asia. We are constantly building and strengthening ties with comedy clubs in other countries and building a network.
Chris Wegoda, left, and Drew McCreadie.
If you had to date a non-human species for a year, what would you date and why?
DM: I would date a cactus, because it is very low-maintenance.
CW: I would also date a cactus, as they are always wet on the inside.
What would you tell someone in Bangkok who is looking to perform stand-up comedy for the first time?
CW: Firstly watch a stand-up show, get a feel for it and keep an eye on what is "working".
DM: They need jokes! They should start by taking one of our stand-up workshops. We have some of the best open-mic nights in the world, and that is in part due to people taking workshops and learning the fundamentals of comedy before they throw themselves onto the stage.
If you were sentenced to life in prison, and could bring one item, what would it be? The item cannot be used to aid your escape.
DM: The door chime they use in 7-Eleven.
CW: My girlfriend.
Do you find comedians need to tailor their acts to suit an international audience?
DM: Each nation has its own unique sense of humour, for sure. But there is a lot of common ground, and we try to exploit that as much as possible.
CW: For stand-up comedy, you need to not make references that are too specific to an international crowd ... that's a given. [But] a lot of the humour of stand-up comedy is in the relationship between the comedian and the audience, and the comedian and the joke.
What is your favourite memory so far regarding The Comedy Club Bangkok?
DM: Having Toby Berner, a long-time professional improviser from Vancouver, joining myself was a real thrill.
CW: The grand opening will always hold a special stressful place in my heart, when we squeezed 170 people into the venue. But it's honestly hard to pick favourite memories when every show is so much fun.
If you had to perform for one military dictator, who would it be and what jokes would you tell?
CW: General Idi Amin, and I would do ironically racist jokes. I like to live dangerously.
DM: It would be Stalin, and they would all be jokes about someone called "Ivan Jackov".
What are The Comedy Club Bangkok's plans for the upcoming year?
CW: Keep your eyes open for an international comedy festival, as well as expanding to more nights a week and more shows out of Bangkok. This is just the beginning.
The Comedy Club Bangkok's first anniversary show will be held above The Royal Oak pub, Sukhumvit Soi 33/1, tonight at 8pm. Tickets, which include a drink, cost B500 in advance (until 5pm) or B750 at the door. Visit http://fb.com/comedyclubbangkok or www.comedyclubbangkok.com.