Category: Life

3 September 2024 lemonade

IF YOU’RE READY, LET’S GO!

Senan Deniz Hava – On a rainy evening in London, exhausted and leaving work late, I received a call from Yunus, someone I hadn’t seen in a long time. The first thing he said was, “Are you ready, my friend? WE’RE STARTING.”

Yunus had been strategizing in his head to establish Lemonade Comedy Club, the first Turkish comedy club in London. While forming his team, he employed a clever strategy: he brought together two professional female comedians, Tuba and Öykü; a professional actor, Orhan; perhaps the most recognized name in London’s Turkish YouTube scene, Erşah; and, for a wild card, he added me—the “naturally funny” friend he knew from social circles—hoping, “Maybe it’ll work.”

When the day of the first performance arrived, I found myself on stage with just two or three pages of material, the most inexperienced person there, and the first one up. I started reading from my notes, trying to deliver what I thought were very funny jokes, but nobody was laughing. The audience was frozen. What I was saying didn’t resonate with them, and I learned my first lesson: for an amateur comedian, the biggest mistake is trying to deceive the audience. I tore up my notes and said, “I don’t think this is working; I’m just going to tell it straight.” A couple sitting in the front gave me advice, “Tell a funny story that happened to you.” So, I started recounting an absurd experience I had in Italy. People began to laugh, and then they laughed at everything else I said. I had made peace with the audience, and that day I learned my first lesson: no matter how funny your jokes or how amusing you are, you need to establish a genuine connection with the audience first.

Later, another comedian named Ruşen Tuzcu joined the team. Ruşen is an important figure in the underground stand-up scene and was one of the first to bring this culture from London to Turkey back in 2013-14. In one of our shows in March, he and I went on stage back-to-back, and we truly owned the night. It was an incredible evening—after I introduced myself, the audience burst into laughter at every line I delivered. It was such an amazing night that I sent Ruşen a message when I got home: “Dude, I think I’m getting aroused right now.” Honestly, the feeling you get after a great performance is like this: think of the best sex you’ve ever had and multiply it by ten. I don’t even want to describe what it’s like after a terrible performance.

In this short journey (just eight months), I’ve performed on stage 16-17 times, opened for a professional comedian, and participated in open mics in three different countries (England, Germany, and Turkey). But somehow, it feels like everything is just starting now. IF YOU’RE READY, LET’S GO!

15 December 2019 lemonade

Stagefear

Gamze Kahraman –

One day, Ersah came to me and said, “You know Yunus? He’s starting a comedy club, and I’m going to perform there, just so you know.”
“Wow, that’s great!” I replied. “Awesome! You can do it, my love,” and then I didn’t think much of it. Everything felt pretty ordinary to me. Sure, I was happy and excited for my partner; after all, it was something he really wanted. He was the one who should be excited. His big night came, but what was the big deal? He had it memorized. He had been planning this for years. He was prepared. How nervous could it possibly be to get on stage? But a few days before, I sensed something was off.

“Are you nervous?” I asked.
“Well, I guess,” he replied.
But I didn’t get it. On his big night, he made a casual remark that felt out of place. I didn’t understand. He went on stage and spoke faster than usual. I didn’t get it. He finished and came down. I still didn’t get it. Until… the moment came when it was clear I’d be going up too.

“There’s an open mic, will you go up?” he asked.
What did I know? No way, can it be? I was caught off guard, but somehow I said yes. Okay, but what was I going to talk about? I managed to come up with something, and the night arrived. On the way there, I kept thinking about what I would say. Two hours before, I felt a lump in my stomach. I had already forgotten the clumsy script I prepared. Thank goodness I had written it down, but the problem was I couldn’t remember what I had read. As the comedian before me was performing, a hundred negative thoughts raced through my mind: “What if I can’t do it? What if I embarrass myself? What if no one laughs?” Ultimately, I stepped on stage. My voice felt trapped inside, my stomach was in knots, I couldn’t remember anything, my ears were ringing, and my eyes were blinded by the stage lights. What are those lights?! I started to speak, but my lips felt glued together. How can a person’s mouth be so dry? I hadn’t been dehydrated for days! One part of me was worried about running out of saliva while another was trying to remember the next line. At one point, I thought about running off the stage in tears. Thank goodness I didn’t. But I think I peed a little. I mean, emotionally. I hadn’t experienced feelings like this in 43 years. Not even during sex (for that, I owe a big thanks to Lemonade Turkish Comedy Club).

Speaking of 43, what does it feel like to have never stepped on stage even once in all those years and then desperately want to be up there? Is there even a word for that?

When stepping onto the stage, the word “nervous” sometimes feels inadequate. Excitement, anxiety, eagerness, curiosity… I wish there were a new, original word that could encapsulate all of these feelings at once. That way, when we hear that word, we’d understand that the person stepping onto the stage feels like a sailboat caught in a storm in the middle of an ocean.

For instance, let’s call it “Stagefear.”

15 December 2019 lemonade

Create the Ideal Moment

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