CHENNAI: Some days are good and others are bad. To lift our bad days to good and good days to great days, we often lean on comedy. Be it in any form — books, movies or stage shows — the genre ensures our spirits are uplifted and the moods are switched. The week which started with the Festival of lights is all set to end with a festival of laughter — an improv comedy show by the Hysterical Comedy Collaborative, a community for women in comedy.
A stage for all
“Anything that stands for women in comedy, Hysterical is involved,” says Shalini Vijayakumar, the founder of the collective and a veteran in improv comedy, performing since 2008. The need for involving more women to be a part of the industry, as she believes “women have a lot to share,” birthed the Hysterical. The process of building a women-driven team was easier according to her as “Improv involves theatre, comedy, acting and since everyone who registered was from different backgrounds, the whole process was fairly easy.”
A year and two months old, Hysterical opens their space for the audience at their ‘Game Time with Hysterical’. The show invites people to participate in a jamming session. “The roles are reversed here, the group becomes the audience passing prompts for the audience to perform,” shares Shalini. This is a learning session, helping the audience explore the industry by holding mics and playing a part.
Comedy is a discipline
“After the pandemic and in general, the comedy industry in Chennai has a dearth compared to other cities’ comedy scenes. But with people coming forward, comedy is picking up and will eventually reach the level,” adds Shalini.
Improvisational theatre, or improv is a genre of comedy that is “controlled” by the audience. The performers go with the suggestions put forth by the viewers. “We consistently practise because it is an art form that requires spontaneity. It is just like sports, we just strengthen our moves so that when we play the match (the show) we are good at it,” she notes.
The group hosts an improv special every month. From the team of eight women, six perform on stage and two handle production and backstage. The team practises for eight hours a week and refers to the ‘Upright Citizens Brigade’ manual, YouTube videos, exercises, and decodes other improv videos to keep up at the edge of their comedy game. This all-women team is geared up to take over the stage with their hard work and passion for the art at corporate shows.
The one-hour improv comedy will be held at Backyard Chennai, on November 18 at 7.30 pm. Book your tickets at bookmyshow.com for Rs. 299 onwards. For more information, contact: 9003931590 or check Instagram @hysterical_cc.