Successful experiences were presented by, and still are, the Emirati Abdullah Al-Ansari, who entered the “stand-up comedian” by sheer coincidence, to dedicate his presence in the field of “stand-up comedy”, investing his talent in this art that he mastered its details, to combine it with his experiences in presenting joint art shows with her puppets, Revealing his intention to challenge the reality of this art, which is struggling to present itself in the Emirates, and to contribute to its advancement to meaningful horizons in which it is closer to the interests and concerns of the public.
At the beginning of his interview with «Emirates Today», Al-Ansari said, who believes that talent alone is not sufficient to professionalize this beautiful art: «I started in (stand-up comedy) nearly 11 years ago, and made several performances, from school to university, achieving remarkable acceptance from The audience, because of my unique comic experience, whether in presenting various topics, or in the different visual vision that I presented and led at the time, my funny comic dialogues with my characters (Jassim) and (Abu Jalil).
Despite the success of the launch with the puppet Jassim, which Al-Ansari dedicated in his beginnings, investing his talent in the technique of ventriloquism or what is called “mystical speech” without moving the lips on the puppet’s tongue and his funny dialogues with it, he indicated that his experience at that time lacked the rich comic text, which is the basis of the show. And the most important point of attraction for the audience, despite his personal attempts at the time to formulate texts that he did not consider “considered”, which prompted him in 2017 to think about going through the experience of learning the arts of comedy and entering the “Dubomedi” school in Dubai, the first school of its kind in the Middle East and Africa, which Through it, he seriously melted into the “stand-up comedian” community, to learn the principles of theatrical comedy and script, write content and various arts, and thus prepare himself for future challenges.
The Emirati youth added, “The experience of entering (Dubomedy) was a quantum leap for me, because it taught me the basics of this art, the methods of observing, preparing and paving the topics raised, and then writing them, and even the limits of the space available for the comedian to improvise on stage.”
Attracting the audience
Regarding the value of talent and “innate wit” in establishing a successful comedian who is able to attract audience interest and continue in the field, Al-Ansari said: “I really do not agree with this matter. It may, sometimes, give him some preference over others. However, the step of professionalism requires a high sense of comedy, continuous learning and training to master the origins of comedy and the making of the situation, especially learning the methods of (contrasting laughter) and devoting a unique imprint every time on the stage.
Al-Ansari was enthusiastic in describing his first successful public performances in “stand-up comedy”, explaining, “I was very happy in 2017, after breaking into the Dubomedi experience, with the success of my first group performances, and I was pleased with the audience’s reactions that exceeded expectations at the time on my graduation presentation in Dubai, during The conclusion of the technical workshop, with a group of nine comedians, including the group (in Arabic Studio) to which I belong today, leading to the experience of the Dubai Comedy Festival performances this year.
enthusiasm
And about his experience in “stand-up comedy”, which he shared the details of its successes, as well as its pitfalls with the “Bel Arabi Studio” group, Al-Ansari confirmed: “After the graduation experience, we did not have the opportunity to present comedy shows due to the lack of space, so we headed towards cafes and restaurants, rushing from one side. With the enthusiasm we gained from the success of our first group show, with our love for our artistic experience and our defense of the idea of continuing (the journey of laughter), despite the challenges. In this regard, I praise our colleague Muhammad Badr’s great efforts in supporting our presence on the scene, and his constant search for available places and opportunities to present our experience to a wider audience, which prompted us as a team to support this effort, and motivated me personally to organize three shows in 2018 in Abu Dhabi, and all of them were free. Advertising costs.
Despite the bumps in the road, Al-Ansari stressed his adherence to his passion, persistence, and his colleagues in the march to continue the journey of art and laughter. He said, “After experiencing the difficult pandemic, whose repercussions affected many fields, including art, the scene began to revive, and we witnessed, in parallel with it, an increasing public demand for (stand-up comedy) shows.” At a time when each of us had the opportunity to develop his experiences, and my opposite (Jassim Kentucky) was no longer alone, today we have new companions, most notably the old man (Abu Jalil), who is frank and has a critical view of society.
Abdullah Al-Ansari:
• “The arena has begun to flourish, and we have seen an increasing public demand for (stand-up comedy) shows.”
• «My experience is characterized by uniqueness, whether in bringing up topics, or in a different visual vision».
Trail buddy
The artist, Abdullah Al-Ansari, confirmed the maturity of his artistic experience over time, its different approaches, and his current focus on jokes inspired by current topics that reflect people’s interests and concerns. And its success, because it provides him with more space to express various topics, expressing his hope that in the future there will be more opportunities for him to present individual comic shows full of meaningful messages, with more than one puppet.
