In this period of global confinement, laughter and a sense of community are becoming increasingly hard to come by. Fortunately, we happen to live in a digitalized era where social media has opened new ways of remote communication, allowing people from different countries to chat, call, and share joy and laughter worldwide – whether it’s through tweets, Youtube videos, or real-time virtual meetings. Here are a few of such events that prove laughter is the best medicine for those of us missing daily human interaction.
All events are free-of-charge, excluding donations.
Date & Time: Saturday, November 28, 2020
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM JST
Platform: ZOOM Cloud Meetings
Register at eventbrite.com to receive email with ZOOM link
Hosted by Sammy Obeid, a stand-up comedian, writer, and virtual comedy show host, whose résumé boasts appearances in America’s Got Talent, Conan, and the New York Times. He now hosts KO Comedy, which offers public ZOOM comedy events as well as private ones that you can book through email (kocomedyshows@gmail.com), and Netflix’s ongoing 100 Humans reality series, which tackles sensitive subjects, including age, sex, and happiness, through social experiments conducted with people of different backgrounds.
2. The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas by The Stand Comedy Club
Date & Time: Saturday, November 28, 2020
12:45 AM – 1:45 AM JST
Platform: Youtube
Livestreamed from The Stand Edinburgh, a historic stand-up comedy club with two other branches in Glasgow and Newcastle, that has been in operation since 1996. Part of The Stand’s ongoing “Explorathon 2020,” this particular event offers an original, eccentric premise in which three academics and one comedian discuss three separate intellectual ideas, all with a generous sprinkling of comedy: the economics behind the internationalization of local football clubs and its subsequent relationship with local fans, the advantages of being bilingual both to the individual and to wider society, and the methods of and reasons behind the hacking of your gadgets and Smart home appliances, and what you can do to stop these cyber attacks from happening.
3. Saturday Night Live at The Stand
Date & Time: Sunday, November 29, 2020
5:00 AM – end JST
Platform: Youtube
If you’re more into traditional stand-up comedy, then this The Stand event is for you. Hosted by regular Mark Nelson with sets from prolific writer-comedians Billy Kirkwood (also Scottish football coach and former footballer), Jay Lafferty (radio show panelist and regular on BBC Scotland’s new television channel), Stephen Buchanan (2nd place winner of Scottish Comedian of the Year 2017), and headliner Gary Little (regular at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival and cast member of BBC Radio Scotland’s Jail Mates, a 2017 four-part comedy series) as well as some up-and-coming comedic stars waiting to be announced in this already hilarious roster.
4. Community Comedy Night with Anish Shah
Date & Time: Monday, November 30, 2020
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM JST
Platform: Register at eventbrite.com
Anish Shah is a former management consultant turned stand-up comedian who has set off on two tours worldwide: No Laughing Matter, which sought to raise funds for the non-profit organization, Save a Mother, and B-School Made Me Funny, which details his experiences in Yale School of Management and the corporate world. He has also performed at numerous universities and corporations, and is the host of International Incident on Broadway, which has been selected for the New York Comedy Festival multiple times during its long run. Other notable achievements include being selected as one of six people for NBC’s Late Night Writers Workshop as well as being a chosen writer on the CBS Diversity Showcase.
5. Comedic Counseling: Actually Communicate
Date & Time: Friday, December 11, 2020
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM JST
Platform: Register at eventbrite.com
It’s all in the title. Rather than showcasing a traditional comedy set where the host shares her jokes for the day and the audience remains as – well, the audience, this event puts learning and human interaction into the mix, teaching you how to communicate honestly and effectively through direct practice. Perfect for those training to become more social and less awkward human beings, this event is hosted by Ali Cherry, comedian, therapist-in-training, and founder of DC Writer’s Salon, who aims to combine mental health training with comedy, resulting in the fun banter that you should expect to find during this virtual event/workshop.