San Francisco Comedy College will host a night of it’s funniest talents to raise funds for Room to Read and promote literacy in Asia and Africa.
On Sept 12th, 2012, San Francisco Comedy College will host a night of Bay Area’s funniest talents at the historic Purple Onion to raise funds for Room to Read and promote literacy in Asia and Africa. Reggie Steele, from Nickelodeon, will headline an array of local standup comics that includes: Red Scott, Matt Casey, Ravi Kalyanaraman, Aurora Simcovich, Richard Sarvate and Tamer Kattan.
Ravi, who will be part of the lineup on Wednesday night, was inspired by John Wood’s story of leaving Microsoft to start Room to Read, then approached the non-profit organization to host an event promoting International Literacy Day and raise funds and awareness for Room to Read. According to Aurora, who will also perform next week, “the heart strings open your money strings. When you’re touched by something, not just in a sentimental way, even with humor, that’ll make you open to do anything, especially to give.” SFCC is the only standup school in San Francisco, and also the largest in the United States. Aurora continues, “hopefully with the event, a relationship will last beyond the show. Maybe there will be annual donors by the end of the night or people will be more aware of the cause. From a comedic standpoint, I hope that people will understand the talent pool in San Francisco, which is of high quality. It’s a good scene.”
Aurora further explains, putting on a comedy show for a charitable cause will not be conventional. “Normally, people attend the shows to forget about everything. When we do a show like this, it’s finding that balance. We want to drive the point home, but we don’t want to be so focused on it that people can’t enjoy the show.” Finding the balance between entertainment so that audiences will not feel like attending a fundraising event is a chore, will be key.
Both comedians are not only funny but are avid travelers. Originally from India, Ravi has recently traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia and is currently planning trips to Czechoslovakia along with other destinations. “Traveling has influenced my life just as much as comedy has,” he notes, “because you’re not enclosed in one place, you’re going out and exploring. You learn the most about yourself and how you’re adapting in a completely foreign environment, the real part of you comes out.” As all travelers know, there’s an element of discomfort that comes along with relying on our basic instincts on the road: without anyone around, trying to figure things out. “It’s the same instinct in comedy,” he continues, “often, you’re on stage and it’s just as unfamiliar. It’s hostile, just like how you travel, you can’t lose your passport or money. That environment of how you survive and how you look at things.”
As for Aurora, a first generation American with parents from Argentina and grandparents in both Poland and France; she has a desire to travel with her comedy show. “I speak French and Spanish, I really want to translate my comedy, bring my skills from here to another place and see how they adapt.” What if, however, some jokes simply do not translate due to cultural or religious references? Or that, although certain jokes are universal, but not one joke is going to be funny with every single person? “More than anything else, if something is a personal experience and it comes from your own life, even if it’s something that someone can’t relate to, they’ll still find it interesting because it has never happened to them.” From her point of view, jokes and humor need to be delivered in an accessible way, but not alienating.
Point of view is, in comedy, fundamental. As Ravi indicates, “it’s about how you look at things and how it applies to any situation. There’s a light or a heavy aspect of looking at life. In every aspect of what you do, there’s always a second part of the brain that is running parallel, which is looking at things differently.” According to him, comedy isn’t just about looking at your life lightly, in a humorously way, but it’s also how you can influence others with your point of view. It seems like, a formidable and healthy way of looking at everything.
For comedians, when they are on stage, the stage belongs to them. It may be the only place where they can say whatever it is on their minds. It may just be, when they say exactly what they’re feeling that the most funny things prevail. By the end of Wednesday night, as Ravi puts it best, “people think going to fundraising events as a chore, so I hope by making people laugh can make a lasting impression in people’s minds along with a real cause.”
Purchase your tickets to the event here.
Read our interview with Room to Read here.
