Comedian Nemr Abou Nassar comes to Dubai

No Politics, No Religion, One Love.
An Interview with Nemr Abou Nassar
By Mina Liccione

Lebanese Comic Nemr Abou Nassar is in Dubai getting ready to unleash his new show “EPIC” this Friday, December 3^rd at Al Murooj Rotana Hotel. Upon speaking with him I quickly realized that he wasn’t just a funny man but also a visionary. His notion that comedy can bring together a community consisting of diverse nationalities and religions really hit home as it is our belief too. Just as Bob Marley believed that he could bring the world together through music, Nemr tries to do so through laughter. Comedy is a powerful tool if used wisely and Nemr is definitely on the right path. He has a high level of integrity supporting his work and has raised the bar for Comedy in the region.

When and where was your first Stand Up Performance ?

I have been doing Stand Up Comedy my whole life. I feel most comfortable when I am on stage and I think that's because growing up I would always be talking in stand up, addressing groups of kids in the playground, or at university or at work, it was always about drawing people's attention and building upon it. But the first time I ever got on a stage to professionally do stand up comedy was when I was a freshman at the American University of Beirut, it was to host their annual music club concert. There was a full house with some 300 people and a technical error caused me to be shoved on stage and what was supposed to be a 2 minute intro turned into a forty five minute set. I killed it, and I felt on top of the world, untouchable. I hosted the rest of the show and it was incredible.

It was a three day concert, the next day I went onstage, brimming with confidence, and used the same material I had improvised the day before, I bombed. It was a disaster. I came off stage feeling terrible. I peaked my head out and stared at the crowd without the glare of lights in my face and realized the crowd was full of parents, and I was doing material about the Matrix which most of them probably had never even heard of. I went back out after the first band finished their act and tried again, this time with a more mature subject matter (basically I made fun of us as students and glorified parents), I won them back and it went great from there!

An incredible experience as every year I would host those concerts culminating in an outdoor forty five minute set in my final year to a crowd of 7,000 - It was like boot camp for stand up comedy, you would go up do material, get off, have about 15 - 20 minutes while the other band played to figure out how on earth you were going to entertain the crowd until the next band setup, and then repeat. I was able to truly hone my improv skills during that time.

What is the process you go through when creating new material?

I focus on getting focused, I don't script my shows I feel it’s not the same to recite material than to actually live material, and to be able to do that I have to get into a zone and be able to draw on everything I have experience in my life up to that very moment. It is really tough saying I have one technique it flows depending on where I am in my life and what I'm going through, its varied as much as focusing on kata in martial arts to playing playstation and sleeping.

Tell us about your new show EPIC and what to expect?

I have put more work into this show than anything I have ever done. I feel like a traveling warrior kind of like in the old days, haha, not that I am powerful and all encompassing, quite the contrary but I went on an adventure to prepare for this show. I worked my way up in comedy clubs in the US to end up headlining in some of the most legendary comedy clubs such as the Improv in a five month stint. I have also been through a lot this past year, I am at a place in my life where I feel wise enough to finally be able to truly comprehend everything that is happening with me, and EPIC will reflect that. It is a much more mature controversial show, and may I add, this is the funniest thing I have ever done, and I can't wait to hit a stage with it anywhere I can!

What do you feel makes a Stand Up Comic unique from other types of comedic performers?

The process of stand up comedy is the most unique factor. How a comic prepares is what really sets him/her apart from the rest of the crowd, so to speak, the process of doing hundreds of shows editing, tweaking, changing material, perfecting and growing, until you reach a level where you are able to gather a solid hour or hour and a half at least into a brand new special and present it as a finished product. That would be in the preparation side, there is a remarkable difference on stage as well.

A true stand up comic is one who can draw the entire crowd into his/her world, fantasy and atmosphere completely isolating the crowd from the outside world. By the end of the show the crowd returns to reality, but that reality is never the same for them. That is, at least, what I feel is our duty and our threshold for success.

What were some of the steps you took in order to go from beginner to where you are now?

Performed, performed, performed.

What is the best way for us to stay in the “Nemr Loop”?

Well the best way would be to do any, or I would actually say all, of the following!

Follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/nemrcomedy
With over 60 videos and over 300,000 views subscribe to my YouTube channel! www.youtube.com/enjoylifeingeneral
Like my page on Face Book
For the tour check out the official page www.epicthetour.com
Check out my website www.nemrcomedy.com
Believe and my unicorn Uruk will keep you informed.

Anything else you would like to add?

I am so excited to hear about the ground breaking work Dubomedy is doing, and after the brief time I have gotten to know the people behind it, I can't wait to see what change you will cause! Keep up the great work and thank you so much for all the Support!

No Politics, No Religion, One Love.

Dubomedy International Performing Arts Festival brought four days of non-stop local art

DIPAF closes big with medley of music acts and Behold The Locus
By Sabina Giado
15th November
Dubai, UAE

Dubai: The first ever Dubai International Performing Arts Festival drew to a close last night with Behold The Locus headlining an open-air concert at Dubai Festival City’s Floating Stage.

Taking advantage of the recent dip in temperatures, families and weekend shoppers gathered to enjoy some free music and live demonstrations of Latin and ballroom dance from the Arthur Murray Dance Center. The genres represented by the local bands were as diverse as progressive rock (Pull Box), acoustic (Sach Holden) and hip hop (Ya’Koob Al Rafaie from Kuwait and local artist Beatbox Ray).

Earlier in the day, Dubomedy and SAE Institute hosted a fruitful panel discussion with Hamdan al Abri from soul band Abri and his manager Rebecca Brianceau. Attended by amateur and professional musicians, Abri with manager led a spirited discussion on the nature of marketing and distributing independent musicians in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Student shows kicked off DIPAF this year on Wednesday November 9, with the Tap Dance and Body Percussion, Comedy 101 and Advanced Improvisation students exhibiting their skills at the customary student showcase, the Mixed Tape.

November 10 was Theatre Night at the Dubai Community Theater and Arts Center (DUCTAC). The audience listened in reverent silence, occasionally laughing and reacting, as the From the Page to the Stage students presented their monologues and spoken word pieces. The writing workshop presentation commenced with a reading by renown USA poet and published writer, Nicholas Karavatos. This atmosphere of support and encouragement continued as local theatre groups took to the stage, some for the first time as in the case of Jamal Iqbal’s ensemble piece “Musecal Chairs”. Youth Theatre Works produced a peppy comedic musical act while Rajendra Aneja shed light on the less fortunate with his one-man play about the life of a construction worker “My Little Bit Life”.

Friday, November 12, was a day of learning and laughing at DIPAF. At the SAE Institute, Sol Abiad of experimental theatre group Star Too led workshop participants in an exploration of space and movement, culminating in a presentation of the theme Where is Home. Pioneering Pakistani stand-up comedian and improviser Saad Haroon led an intensive workshop on improvisation introducing participants to the “game” of improv and the “Yes and” rules, among many other rules of fruitful improvisation.

That evening, Dubomedy brought out the big comedy guns at The Big Comedy Show at Reel Cinemas. Mina Liccione, artistic director of VIVA Arts, DIPAF art director and founder and head teacher of Dubomedy Arts School, took to the stage to perform stand-up along with her co-founder, VIVA Arts CEO and local comedian Ali Al Sayed. Pakistani comedian and Dubomedy Arts School graduate Salman Qureshi opened the show while Rohit Jayakaran, a familiar voice from City 101.6 hosted. Saad Haroon had the audience in splits with his comedic songs and improvised humour.

When asked to give her impressions on the festival, Liccione said, “This festival was really a celebration for all local artists and I believe it really achieved that goal in terms of promoting their work and educating and opening doors for new artists to join the community,” Al Sayed, cofounder of Dubomedy Arts, added, “We’re really excited about the response of the community to the Performing Arts Festival. I truly believe that art of all kinds is set to explode in this region and I hope that the Dubomedy Arts will be in the vanguard providing training for a new generation of local artists.”

DIPAF- Opening Night

Dubai International Performing Arts Festival off to a great start
11th November 2010
Sabina Giado

The Dubai International Performing Arts Festival (DIPAF) kicked off to a hilarious and toe-tapping start to a packed Kilachand Theatre last night at DUCTAC.

Students from Festival art director and founder and head teacher of Dubomedy Arts School Mina Liccione’s Tap Dance and Body Percussion classes took to the stage to tap a tribute to Leah Mapanao, a DUCTAC representative, who passed away suddenly before the Festival opening. Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy” played as the group honored Leah for her extraordinary support to the initiative.

Students from Mina’s Comedy 101 class performed monologues for the first time. While most were experiencing nail-biting tension in the dressing rooms before the show, they all braved the bright lights to great applause and laughter.

The tappers brought back an old favorite Shim Sham Shimmy, while Siobhan’s very young Irish dancers wowed the audience with the dexterity of their footwork. The dancers continued to amaze as Sara and her dance partner displayed the versatility of the Dubomedy community with the crowd-pleasing Latin-American dance number, Mambo Merengue.

The Advanced Improvisation class brought energy and perfect comedic timing to a series of popular long-form improvisations including the hilarious He Said, She Said (about a husband and wife recalling the same incident), Build a Picture, Movie Magic and Schizophrenic Debaters. The improv games closed with the hilarious Tag Out Scenes as the Improvisers went all out to make the audience laugh.

“The show rocked, the comedians were awesome and the tap dancers out of this world. My favourite part of the show had to be the kids doing the tap dancing and Irish dancing- totally blew me away. I didn't expect that level of talent from them...but they were totally amazing,” says Neil Parker, an audience member.

“I’m so proud of our students. They really brought their A-game to the opening of our first Festival. It’s off to a great start and I know it’s only going to get better and better from here,” said Ali Al Sayed, co-founder of Dubomedy Arts School and Festival director.

Tonight, students from Mina and Ali’s writing class, From the Page to the Stage, will be presenting the results of their intensive 8-week course, followed by a night of local theatre, featuring the works of the Dubai Drama Group and the Youth Theatre Works among many other artists.

An Interview with Saad Haroon- Pakistan's Top English Speaking Comedian!

Getting to know Pakistan’s Top English Speaking Comedian.

An interview with Saad Haroon.

How did you first get into Comedy?

Saad: I first got into comedy in 2001, it was just after the 9/11 attacks in New York and the atmosphere in Pakistan (we were just about to enter the war on terror) was very gloomy. I wanted to do something uplifting and fun and so I started and improvisational comedy troupe and one thing led to another thing and soon I was covered with things and I could not get a job anywhere else.

As a Pakistani Comedian are you subject to stereotypes? How do you tackle them?

Saad: I am subject to stereotypes, and sometimes I write material to tackle it and to break the notion of what it means to be Pakistani in this day and age, and sometimes I use the stereotypes to my advantage as I now have a monopoly on all taxi jokes.

Was it difficult performing Comedy in English in Pakistan? How was the initial response?

Saad: Many people in Pakistan speak English, it is a legacy left to us by the British who left the sub-continent in 1947 taking the Kohinoor diamond from us but leaving their dictionary. The initial response was great, the people really supported us and gave me the confidence to keep going and creating new comedic work.

Tell us more about your TV Show “The Real News”.

Saad: The Real News was Pakistan's first English language comedy show on television, it was also the first comedy show every in the country to tape in front of a live studio audience. The Real News uses a mixture of sketch and topical comedy to talk about the issues in Pakistan and is a comedy show which has a news satire format.

You are currently in New York City performing a series of Comedy Shows to benefit Pakistani Flood Relief Victims. How has the response been so far?

Saad: The response has been great but I have actually done very little, other American comedians like Dean Obiedallah and Aasif Mandvi have done much bigger shows in which the proceeds have all gone to flood relief and it is heart-warming to see these established comedians, who are not Pakistani, take time out to help Pakistan.

You recently got married last year. Has married life added to your comedic material? If yes, does your wife mind?

Saad: I got married eight months ago and I am busy writing all kinds of jokes, and my wife is really supportive, so maybe none of the jokes are funny...

Any advice for budding comedians?

Saad: Go for it. Take a class, have some fun. Life is short and so are you. A bird in hand is worth two rats. Look before you go blind. If at first you don't succeed, try to bribe the waiter.

Make sure to catch Saad Haroon perform live in Dubai on Friday, November 12 at Reel Cinemas in Dubai Mall as part of the DIPAF’s “The BIG Comedy Show”. 2 Shows: 7:30 and 10:00pm. You can purchase tickets at: www.timeouttickets.com or call 050 44 00 99 4.