Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer 
Ity (left), Owen 'Blacka' Ellis and Denise Hunt at the Actor Boy Awards earlier this year. Ity and Ellis, who received the award for Best Comedy for 'Tings A Gwaan', will be participating in the International Comedy Festival, set for July 2 and 3.- WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
CONVINCED THAT laughter is serious business, Ellis International is set to produce a comedy festival in Jamaica. So they have pooled together comedians from Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Canada and the United States of America to make people laugh over two days at the event, dubbed the International Comedy Festival.
Set for Saturday, July 2 and Sunday, July 3, the festival will feature Tony 'Paleface' Hendricks, Iceman and Johnny, Ity and Fancy Cat, and Lemon of Jamaica; Donna Haddad, Gypsy, Relator and Sprangalang of Trinidad; Willy and Woody of the United States, and Jay Martin and Jean Paul of Canada.
With the nature of the Jamaican entertainment landscape as it is, one would think that it is really about time that the comedians have their festival. The country, at one time or another over the past few years, has boasted festivals for yam, bussu, curry, breadfruit, chicken and roti. If somebody eats it, chances are somebody has a festival for it. Even the mind has been fed to bursting through the international literary festival, Calabash.
At the comedy festival's launch at the Hilton Kingston on Wednesday morning, much time was spent talking about the serious benefits of laughter. During a convoluted address, Dr. Kingsley Stewart spoke of the benefits of laughter for the sex life. Though he initially seemed to think that his job had been to kow tow to the sponsors, he eventually made his point and said that science had started using laughter to enhance sexual performance.
Not surprisingly, the audience was amused.
THE MOOD
Joan Andrea Hutchinson, author of Mek Mi Tell Yuh, hosted the launch. She too promoted the positives of laughter. "This is a time in Jamaica when things not so right," she said. She promised that the aim of the event was to lighten the mood. It seems, however, that with the murder rate's attempt to chart new heights, life has become somebody's idea of a joke.
Hutchinson, who has spent much time using great comedic wit to write social commentary pieces about life in Jamaica, noted that comedy can help to ease the tension. Whether or not all we need is more laughter or more love, or maybe just some more sense and sense of tolerance, the organisers do not see a comedy festival as a gamble, even if the main sponsor is Cash Pot.
What the festival points to is the increase viability of comic events. Though theatre practitioners have been utilising the theory that Jamaicans love laughing (and prefer it to being serious), the stand-up comedy circuit had not experienced much growth. That has been changing steadily over the past few years, seemingly heralded in the last 13 months by Backyaad Crack-Up.
Indeed, Christopher Daley and Donald Anderson who perform as the stand-up duo Ice Man (Anderson) and Johnny (Daley) argue that success of Backyaad Crack-Up is pivotal to the perceivable growth of comedy. Iceman argues that Crack-Up highlighted that comedy was a bankable event as it showed that people will turn out to chuckle.
"If that (Crack-Up) didn't happen, I don't think we'd be here right now," he said.
As stand-up becomes more accepted, it is being seen as not only a viable economic activity, but it is also being taken as doing more than playing the fool at making a living. "I'm very impressed with the acceptance from the public," said Daley. "Finally people can stand up in a room and say 'I'm a comedian' and don't feel strange." His comment points to the old comedian's complaint of people mistaking their ability to give a joke with their being cheated in the common sense department.
Another good indicator of the growth of comedy is that there appears to be new talent blooming. All art forms need to have young blood or, at least, new blood or it will stagnate. As such, regardless of how hilarious one might find Bello and Blacka, the industry needs other players, even if for nothing else but variety. So it is interesting that the International Comedy Festival features two relatively new names in the line-up. One is Elva, who has been hosting the Backyaad Crack-up and also appears on Full-house Fridays on FAME FM. The other is Lemon.
When asked if he made a living at anything other than comedy, Lemon looked incredulous. His reaction was certainly a sign that the tide had shifted. Lemon, who is also doing stand-up at half-time in the roots play Bad Mind, noted that the festival is his first "big show" for the year and there was another scheduled for later in the year.
FAR CRY
Though comedy seems to be experiencing a meteoric rise, with comedy shows cropping up in various venues, including Priscilla's on Constant Spring Road, and other comedy shows being staged around the island, the industry is a far cry from where it could be. As such, these comedians, who some would argue are leading the pack - or at least boldly running in the front - have their vision of what they hope comedy in Jamaica will grow to become.
Winston Bell, the 'Bello' half of Bello and Blacka, revealed that what he hoped for is a well-equipped theatre where comedy could come to full life. His vision of a performing arts centre featuring good sound, with revolving stage and the like, has probably already been inked into the hopes of every theatre practitioner in the country.
Ian 'Ity' Ellis, has hopes a
regular spot for comedy. While Backyaad offers comedy once per month, Ellis hopes for a comedic offering every week. Daley wishes to see comedy grow more visible in "3-D". He explained that he wanted to see comedy become more visible not just on the stage, but also on radio and television.
All the comedians seem confident that Jamaican comedy can make the right step, because the requisite talent is here. As comedy grows internationally, comedians worth their salt have been stepping out with one-man shows, sometimes in the form of plays and at others in a regular stand-up.
Though this has not yet hit home ground, one of our own has already proven that it can be done. Since migrating to England in 2001 Paleface has added a one-man play, Brixton Road Portraits, to his portfolio. Additionally, Owen 'Blacka' Ellis has already displayed the ability to write for theatre through the production Tings A Gwaan and Tick Tock.
So, gearing up to provide laughter that will threaten to disrupt the insides, the comedians are indicating that they are ready for serious times and serious things. As Anderson said,
comedy is no joke. "It's laughter about ourselves, laughter about our lives, laughter about things we wouldn't normally laugh about," he said.
The proof it seems is in the laughter.
