Great news for fans of stand-up comedy, the first comedy club in Jakarta officially opened its doors on Monday.

Located in South Jakarta, Ketawa Comedy Club is the first venue that focuses on stand-up comedy.

The club’s cofounder Mohamad Ali Sidik Zamzami, popularly known as Mo Sidik, told The Jakarta Post in 2017 that he had been wanting to open a comedy club for quite some time.

The comedian shared that he flew to Kuala Lumpur and joined various open-mic sessions to hone his English stand-up skills in 2014 as there was no such platform in Indonesia at the time.

Stand-up comedy has long been known in the city. Mad About Comedy, an organization that runs stand-up comedy shows, was first established in 2001. It has also appeared in regular television shows since 2011. Mad About Comedy founder Eamonn Sadler, however, said that the local comedy scene began to develop four to five years ago.

The opening of Ketawa Comedy Club marks a milestone for the local stand-up comedy scene as it will regularly host shows from Tuesday to Saturday.

During the opening, Mo said the club was established out of his love for stand-up comedy. With his partners, including Sadler, they have made an effort to keep profits down to a minimum in the venue.

They will also provide platforms for aspiring stand-up comedians by hosting open-mic sessions at Astori Coffee located downstairs.

“Every day, there will be three new [stand-up comedians] opening for the headline comedian,” he added.

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Mo felt certain that they would be able to host regular shows. He added, though, that audience numbers would be uncertain.

“We need to be patient. The same [challenge] happens in every comedy club in Southeast Asia. It’s quiet at first. But after a while, Crackhouse Comedy Club in Kuala Lumpur for example can welcome up to 80 people every night,” he said.

For the opening night on Monday, Ketawa Comedy Club brought in Malaysian comedian Kavin Jay.

Jay said that the opening of the club was a good catalyst to cultivate the comedy scene in Jakarta and Indonesia.

“Other places will look at Ketawa Comedy Club and they will [think] that this could be a good thing. [More comedy clubs] will open [in places] like Bali or Bandung,” said Jay, adding that there were always tourists looking for a different type of entertainment.

“Having a home, like a comedy club, is very important for comics to grow. Not only for the comics, but also the audiences,” added Jay, who said that similar to what happened in Malaysia, the audience grows more knowledgeable along with the comics. (wng)