Arts
Shock and laughter: All set for a Gehan, Dino, Dominic and Pasan special
Unfiltered and unapologetic — the upcoming stand-up comedy special by Identities Inc. promises plenty of laughs with no holds barred. Politically ඉන්correct will go on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre from September 20 to 23.
Dino Corera. Pix by Cloud attic
Gehan Blok
The show is directed by Gehan Blok and produced by Dino Corera who will also be performing. Joining them onstage are Dominic Kellar and Pasan Ranaweera, and together the four of them will be presenting what is essentially their observations of the country’s current state from four very different perspectives.
Dino and Gehan had always wanted to do a “more introspective stand-up show about who we are and our lives, while talking about the socio political landscape of Sri Lanka.” But in doing so, they also wanted to feature local stand-up comedians with different outlooks on life.
Since leaving school, the pair wanted to get involved in multiple genres of theatre. Initially they started out with plays that were farcical or had a comedic influence, but stand-up comedy was always on their list of things to try out. This opportunity came with the first edition of ‘Freddy’ written and directed by Feroze Kamardeen in 2016.
“It was a sketch show at the time, but Feroze asked us to do a small 5-6 minute standup segment which became a standout in that particular show and began Freddy’s evolution into a full blown stand-up show in its latter editions,” they share.
Both Dino and Gehan are grateful to Feroze and his team for both “the opportunity and leap of faith in experimenting with an edgy medium at what’s considered a more theatrical venue.”
In this sense they feel that Politically ඉන්correct is a natural progression towards building on the stand-up experience in Sri Lanka “and coming into our own as stand-up performers.”
When speaking to the other performers to share his vision for the show, Gehan reveals he had asked them to write personalised material from which they were requested to compile the best over the span of a few months. “We then reviewed it together, submitted it to the Censor Board for clearance and now we have a full blown show,” he says.
However, it was not all smooth sailing as they had hoped for. All the actors faced challenges in terms of having to re-write most of their content after the Easter Sunday attacks. Each of them had to reflect on how their material affected them personally and collectively as Sri Lankans, while commenting on the aftermath and status quo.
Pasan Ranaweera
Dominic Kellar
“Therefore we took longer to rewrite the content which pushed us to even postpone the show to September as we had previously planned to stage it in July,” they say.
However, their audience can still expect the “whole nine yards.” As Dino and Gehan put it, each of their routines is very personal whilst tackling a lot of current events and politics.
It will also mark Pasan Ranaweera’s debut in stand-up comedy, a daunting experience that he is both nervous and excited about.
“Although I knew I wanted to, it was never the right timing. But now I feel that it’s the right time and with the right people,” he shares, adding that though his sense of humour is much darker than what people may expect, he hopes they will enjoy it.
As Gehan and Dino put it, they will be saying a lot of things that people would usually think about but necessarily wouldn’t say and explore, especially with the uncomfortable truths that currently prevail in Sri Lanka. This is why it’s called a stand-up comedy show that ‘plays on your sensibilities and preys on your sensitivities.’
However, their focus is not on the socio-political themes alone. Their performances will include a lot of “personal experiences sans sugar coating”.
Since they started Identities Inc, Dino and Gehan have always tried to pick projects that are current, relevant “and both uncomfortable and entertaining.” They want their audiences to have a great time but also be challenged, to explore different perspectives and to think. “We aren’t moralistic in what we perform but we do think that as artists, we have a responsibility to people,” they share.
Although it might seem a bit harsh sometimes, they feel people want a small piece of honesty, “where everyone regardless of their mindset can sit together, and enjoy a mutual laugh and still leave the Wendt with something that is mutually important to talk about.”
The performers hope they’ll leave their audience in shock and in high spirits. “It’s not going to be pretty and there’s no cushioning for anyone.”
(Quite literally, because it is the Wendt after all)
Politically ඉන්correct is an adults only show and has been approved by the Censor/Public Performances Board of Sri Lanka. Tickets priced at Rs.4500, Rs. 3500, Rs. 2500, Rs. 1500 and Balcony Rs. 1000, are available at the Wendt or online at www.lionelwendt.org. Call 0112 695 794 for more information.