Zealy and charismatic, stand-up comedian Emman Idama is due to perform his solo show ‘No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish' in the Roisin Dubh on Saturday December 17. The storyteller has appeared on RTÉ shows like No Worries If Not! Laughter In The Eye, Electric Picnic, Des Bishop’s This Is Ireland, The Year That’s In It and more. We sat down for a little chat with the 2019 Chortle Student Comedy Award Finalist to find out more about the show and what he has planned for his bright future.
Tell us more about your solo show?
Sure! The show is about my experience coming over to Ireland (from Nigeria ) with my family in the 1990s, when I was six. It was a big culture shock. I go through my experiences at school, college, getting my first job, getting fired from jobs, and just the general cultural differences between Nigeria and Ireland. Later on, I left Ireland (for London ) for the first time since I had arrived, at 22. That was a culture shock as well! So the show is based around those kinds of personal stories.
How long have you been doing stand up?
I have been doing stand up for 10 years - including the pandemic years. I got into it initially when I was in school. My best friend Sean and I loved watching stand up comedy. I was a great storyteller, but I hated public speaking! Sean didn't mind the public speaking. So eventually, our friends dared us to try stand up. Everyone had their bets on Sean doing better because of all that natural confidence! We went to the Laughter Lounge one night. Sean was first, he got up on stage in a baby-style onesie and with a soother, which gave him a few laughs right off the bat. But then the second he got in front of the mic, he froze. He couldn't say a word! So when it was my turn, I said to myself, all you have to do is get up there and say hello, and you'll have done better than Sean already. I did a few bits, got a few laughs, did pretty well. Sean never did stand up again by the way!
What have you been upto gig-wise recently, and what's coming up over the next while?
I played the Galway Comedy Festival, and also hosted a gig at it - great fun. I also did gig in the UK recently which went really well, there was a great crowd.
I have big plans for next year and beyond. I'm doing a bunch of gigs in the UK for starters. I'd love to get to a point where I'm on Live at the Apollo and maybe a few other UK TV shows. I'm planning on working hard and I'm confident I can do it. Further on in the future I want to play more festivals like Just For Laughs (in Montreal ), have my own comedy special, tour the world, write book and also write a play.
We have no doubt he'll achieve it all!
Get your tickets at www.roisindubh.net
