Highlights
- The live entertainment industry is reportedly among the hardest hit during the pandemic
- Stand-up comedian Yianni Agisilaou is among those who found a lifeline via Zoom, introducing his newest comedy act on what makes someone Aussie, to ‘virtual’ attendees
- Agisilaou’s testimony on the experience with the online platform reveals unexpected benefits for both audience and performer
The stand-up comedy sector is among the first hit by the COVID-19 pandemic as a wave of cancellations left fans disappointed and performers in limbo.
Stand-up comedian Yianni Agisilaou remembers taking in the news with a fair dose of “uncertainty and concern”.
“I was actually at the Adelaide Fringe when it happened.
“Everyone was worried about potential incomes being taken and [there was] also just frustration,” he says explaining his new show had just gotten to the point he felt was fully developed after a few months in the making and some initial performances in Perth.
Back then, he admits, he didn’t know what Zoom was. Now, the Melbourne comedian is looking forward to hosting his sixth performance on the online platform.
A revealed that as early as April, the arts and entertainment industry had lost over 50 per cent of the jobs because of the coronavirus restrictions and physical distancing measures.
Signage on the entry doors to the Perth Concert Hall advising of a cancelled stand-up comedy show in early March over fears of coronavirus spread Source: Paul Kane/Getty Images
With restrictions easing, some parts of the sector are beginning to operate again, with Sydneysiders treated to the country’s first drive-in concert last week.
Mr Agisilaou is among a group of trailblazers in his community who reimagined live comedy amidst pandemic restrictions at their peak.
“When we started, you couldn’t even have five people at home,” he tells SBS Greek, naming the three-person crew behind his Zoom shows - himself, producer Carrie Hardie and director Richard Edwards.
The thought of venturing online was there, but when COVID-19 struck, for Mr Agisilaou, it had a silver lining to it.
“I had a booking to do a gig for a company who wanted comedians to come into their office but obviously we couldn’t do that anymore. So, they told me ‘do you mind doing it via Zoom?’ And I know it seems ridiculous because everyone knows it now, but that was the first time I had even heard of Zoom!”
Yianni Agisilaou on his lounge 'stage' Source: Supplied
The result was “fun” he says, with the pandemic timing providing an ideal opportunity for the experiment.
Meanwhile, the initiative has been embraced by other members of the ‘Serious comedy’ team led by his producer, including Andrew McClelland, Louisa Fitzhardinge and Alan Lovett with poetry readings.
“In about 6 weeks, we did eight shows.”
From the comedian’s lounge to yours - How does it work?
In acknowledgment of the financial hit for many, the team’s digital streaming work runs on a ‘Pay What You Can’ model, with a free ticket option for those who can’t afford the cost. Viewers still have to make a booking to receive the Zoom link.
Once tuned in, audiences can enjoy the performance from the comfort of their home.
The same goes for the performer. Luckily, Mr Agisilaou says, he’s got a big open plan living area to set up the stage.
Producer Carrie Hardie and director Richard Edwards working at Agisilaou's home set. Source: Supplied
“It looks kind of like it’s in a theatre, but it’s only because we’ve got red-painted curtains and the lighting right.”
One of the biggest challenges was around the technical yet substantial aspect of laughter by the audiences.
The mute function is set as default for viewers. Anyone who’s joined a Zoom group conference call can understand why, especially when the number of participants exceeds the 100.
So, how do people know if other audience members are enjoying the performance? More importantly, how does the comedian know his jokes are making people laugh?
“We say to people, if you are laughing at something, wave your hands around, so there’s a visual representation of people enjoying the show. I found what happens after a while is that to me this becomes laughter. You can still see if someone enjoys something even if you can’t hear it.
“In that way, I feel like it’s not that different from performing to a live audience, it’s just different in the way you get the reaction.”
A show on what makes someone Aussie
Following performances of a popular, previously tested production, Mr Agisilaou had the Zoom premiere of his latest show with a second gig materialising a couple of weeks ago.
The show’s title ‘Australia says Welcome (Conditions apply)’ gives away its focus on migration, identity and belonging - themes one would expect to be very personal for a second-generation Greek-Cypriot Australian.
And the blurb is telling of Agisilaou’s take on it.
Source: Supplied
“1965: Yianni’s Mum is called a dirty w*g by her teachers.
1994: Yianni is called the same by his classmates.
2019: Yianni is FINALLY called a straight white guy. Achievement, unlocked.”
But it also draws on his direct personal experience, moving back to Australia in 2016, after living in the UK for 15 years.
“Having lived somewhere else for so long, it took me a little while to settle back in Australia, even though this is where I’m from; I sort of saw it with outside eyes, that was really what kind of prompted it [the show].”
And while the story-telling act aims to entertain, it doesn’t shy away from the seriousness of issues, with experiences of belonging and xenophobia running a full circle, from his family’s struggle to fit in, to Brexit and contemporary Australia.
“With Brexit for example, when the vote happened you started seeing news reports about people who were visibly ‘different’ being harassed in public transport. And although I wouldn’t be one of those people[…] it did make the place feel less welcoming.”
Reflecting back on European migration to Australia in the ‘50s, Mr Agisilaou says “Greeks and Italians are now part of the furniture, but it took a long time to get there.”
“And that’s part of what I’m talking about on the show. Cultures can forget what people have gone through and then it happens to the same group.
“Sometimes I’ve heard members of my family criticising new arrivals in this country and I’m like ‘you do know this is what people said about you guys 50 years ago, right?’. There is something universal about it, very Australian but also quite human.”
Mr Agisilaou says he would still love to do gigs in front of people laughing loudly, but notes there is actually a bonus gain with Zoom shows that he inevitably misses out on when performing on stage.
“The good thing about Zoom is that you can see everyone.
“You guys can’t see this when watching, but we always have a screen facing the performer with Zoom on gallery view, so they [comedians] can see tens of people on the screen at the same time.
Source: Supplied
“It’s funny because you can actually see peoples’ faces,” and so can the audience he points out.
“Whereas in a comedy club depending on how it’s set up, when light is in your face you can actually see only the first or the first two rows. On Zoom I have 40-50 people very well framed and can see them all.”
The response has been overwhelming he says, with the number of people signing on for online laughter being “more than expected”.
“I can’t think of any really negative feedback [we received], the feedback is always something along the lines ‘this is great, I didn’t think I’d like this but I’m glad I’m able to see something live in my living room.
“I think people really like the fact that it’s live because that’s what they really miss […] being amongst people and I think there is this same sense when you sit and watch a show like that.”
