Photo taken by Michel Grolet
Throughout the course of lockdown, it was the media and entertainment industry that kept us all sane during our time at home, but for stand-up comedy it was also one of the most affected by financial cuts and job losses.
In order to stay afloat, many comedians resorted to Zoom and Youtube to maintain their careers, and for the luckier ones, a form of income.
As the world now emerges out of lockdown, comedy clubs are beginning to dust off their door handles and open the curtains to some humour-hungry audience members.
Luke Craig is a stand-up comedian who has recently returned to the stages and he says:
”I enjoy the interaction with people and I like being a stand-up comedian, we've all tried Zoom and Youtube during lockdown, but it's not the same as the human interaction you get in real life. What I also like about comedy is talking to people and finding out where they’re from and when people say something about themselves it’s my job to turn it into something funny.”
In a world filled with inequality, poverty and social division comedy has a way of bringing people together at a time when they need it most and those who have found their comedic calling during lockdown have begun to take to the stages.
We have all had a turbulent past year, with us adapting to these, dare I say it unprecedented times, (anyone else now hate that phrase?), but all jokes aside, it has been a difficult year for many which is why now more than ever do we need laughter back in our lives.
Luke also said: “A lot of people think that when they’re going through painful things, it’s just them going through it, but actually other people go through it too. When you get someone to laugh about that and see everyone laughing around you, it’s nice.”
Comedy not only does the obvious, make us laugh, but it can also be a cathartic experience and a tool to unify people from different races, classes and social backgrounds. It carries an immense power to help people journey through problems they have faced and highlight the issues that are present in society.
A sense of unifying healing can be brought through comedy and laugher.
As the saying goes, laughter really is the best medicine.
Written by Shannon O'Neill
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