The real challenge is to communicate what you want to say, without actually speaking a single word.
The real challenge is to communicate what you want to say, without actually speaking a single word.
Onstage banter and wisecracks are right up the alley for any comedian. But, how do you crack a joke if you aren’t allowed to speak Freelance writer and comedian, Adhiraj Singh is hosting a Mute Comedy night in association with Culture Shoq at Hive. The evening will find comedy acts come up on stage and regale the audience without using any coherent language whatsoever. “The real challenge is being able to communicate what you want to say, without actually speaking a single word,” says Adhiraj.
Looking back at previous sessions of mute comedy, Adhiraj says, “I have been a part of this quite a few times since it started a few months back, and it’s quite a lot of fun to watch the different acts, which the comedians come up with.” Mime has been a prominent tool. Adhiraj recalls miming to a song himself and also remembers a two-person pantomime act that had the audience in stitches. “I remember there was one guy who babbled nonsense words on stage and another made use of charades,” he adds.
Event organiser Sharin Bhatti believes that events of this sort will push performers to better themselves and maybe even help bring comedians out of creator’s blocks. “We have quite a few different kinds of experimental comedy nights lined up,” she explains. “Aside from mute comedy, there is also Pitch Black where comic performances take place in the dark, Stand and Deliver, an absolute impromptu where you are given the topic on stage and you have to perform right then and there, Stress Mic, where the audience is encouraged to heckle the performer, and Dark Matter, which features or black comedy.”
Today, 8.30 pm onwards, At The Hive, 50-A, Huma Mansion, , Chuim Village Rd, Khar (West).
