Stand up comedy is the new cool in Coimbatore and here's how you can be a part of it

If there were a bright side to the unabated stream of stand-up comedy shows and open mics taking place in Chennai and Bengaluru, it would be that Coimbatore is an untapped market with potential. Well, at least that’s what Chennai-based stand up comedian Siva Subramanian would have you believe. Having launched his collective, Comedy Processing Unit in the city in April, the 30-year-old is working towards creating a host of new performers from and for the city. “Chennai and Bengaluru are saturated with the number of shows, open mic sessions and stand-up collectives. Coimbatore, on the other hand, has been known to appreciate theatre and stand-up, yet there has been a dearth of performers—amateur and otherwise.” 

Open season
Attempting to bring together acts and talents that he spotted across the city, Comedy Processing Unit (CPU) has so far organised three open mics since its inception with plans on to host a session every other week. “The number of performers has grown exponentially. We opened our first open mic session with five pre-registered performers. Now we have almost 13 comics on our roster.” Besides the market potential that the city holds, Siva tells us that performers from the city have created their own niche, though some do rely on stereotypes and self-deprecating humour. “It is true that the jokes are predictable sometimes, but the kind of humour that is the premise for many of the jokes are based on reflection, hyperbole and absurdism.”

Just enjoy the show 
With the growing audience for CPU’s open mic sessions, even on a weekday, a public show with established comics from Chennai and Bengaluru has been slated for August. “We are also working on hosting material testing sessions with comedians from other cities,” he says. Coupled with this, Siva is looking at tie-ups with other collectives to create a series of workshops that will launch in July.