Comedy in Nigeria is becoming an ecosystem which has been built with high talents in recent times, but commendable to see future comedians who are thriving to be at the top.
Despite how competitive the industry is becoming, these up and coming comedians in Nigeria never relent but keep going for several auditions in a bid to showcase their talents.
There are many auditions, but the one that has been caught the attention of many future comedians is the Grab the Mic comedy audition hosted and chaired by Nigerian comedy veterans, Sheyi Law and Alibaba.
Honestly, this comedy show has been making a buzz on social media not just because big brands like Maltina, Comedy Central are involved, but for the fact that Nigerians go agog when it comes to entertainment.
The “Grab the Mic” comedy audition kicked off its nationwide campaign in Lagos on the 15th of October, 2017, at Sheraton
Hotel and apparently, lived up to its billing.
Subsequent auditions are also expected to start in Port Harcourt and Jos, 21st October, 28th October 2017respectively.
It wasn’t a surprise to see the campaign kick off in Lagos because the city remains the entertainment capital of Nigeria, recording the highest and most glamorous events in Nigeria.
A critical observation at the audition in Lagos shows everybody wants to belong to the comedy industry. The audition which started at 9.00am lasted for over 12 hours due to the number of Nigerians who showed up at the event.
Indeed, the hall was congested, outside the hall, there was a long queue of Nigerians who wanted to perform.
One of the most critical factors is that comedy veterans in Nigeria are paving the way for the younger generations to take over the industry by providing avenues for them to prove that they can live up to expectation.
Nigeria is the most prominent player in this sector. We have seen most Nigerian veteran comedians perform at the global level and that momentum needs to keep.
Without lots of buzzes, “‘Grab The Mic’ presents a unique opportunity for both creative and young local talent to showcase, unleash their potential and grow their fan base,” said Dillon Khan, Vice President Comedy Central Africa and Creative Services for Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN).
He continued: “The focus of this inaugural event in Nigeria is to provide a platform which enables our new comedic stars with access to A-list Nigerian comedians to hone their craft through first-hand coaching.”
The importance of coaching in comedy is pivotal especially when maintaining the originality of contents, although most of the comedians who performed in Lagos were sending signals that they don’t need to be coached.
One of the young dudes who thrilled the audience, of course, my favorite gave a clear-cut distinction between a Nigerian and European advertorial using a Detol soap as an example.
The 6.4 feet ball dude created a pictorial scenario in the minds of the audience in such a way that the European advertorial could make anybody eat the Dettol soap. While the case of Nigeria was entirely different, making it look sarcastic. Even till now, I am still laughing.
