Sami Shah

Sami Shah
Born Pakistan
Medium Stand-up
Nationality Pakistani-Australian
Years active 2005–present
Notable works and roles Laughing Dead (ABC Podcast)
Website www.samishah.com

Sami Shah is a Pakistani-Australian stand-up comedian,[1] writer and improvisational actor.[2] Shah performed the first solo English-language comedy show in Pakistan.[3] He has had several tours across Pakistan, performing in theatre venues and colleges. Shah has also been a member of the improvisational comedy troupe "Black Fish".[3]

Stand up comedy

Shah performed his first solo show in Karachi, Pakistan on November 13, 2005. Titled, "Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt", it was aimed at raising funds for victims of the 2005 earthquake.[3][4] He then took the hour-long performance to Islamabad and Lahore, where he performed for colleges and the general public.

In 2006, he toured Pakistan with fellow comics Saad Haroon and Danish Ali, in what came to be called the 3-4-5 Tour.[5] His most recent new hour of comedy was performed on 27 October 2007.[6] Debuting in Karachi, he plans on releasing a DVD of the performance.

Shah's style of comedy is often described as sarcastic and acerbic. He covers topics ranging from the Pakistani obsession with fair skin to cultural taboos, like child molestation. Some of his routines have concerned religion and his irritation with the way people behave because of it.

Improvisational comedy

Shah joined "Black Fish" in 2003 and remained an active member till the troupe disbanded in 2006. While with the troupe, he co-wrote We’ve Made Contact, a half-improvised half-scripted original format play created for the British Council's Connecting Futures Project which was performed in Manchester, England.

Writing

Shah has been writing articles for Pakistani magazines for several years, on a variety of subjects. His regular contributions as a music critic resulted in him being a judge for the prestigious Lux Style Awards.[7] In more recent years he has written a series of articles about the lighter side of technology.

In July 2014, he published an autobiography, I, Migrant.[8]

Work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Sami completed a five part series for Radio National called "The Islamic Republic of Australia", examining the role of Islam in contemporary Australia.

As part of the ABC First Run initiative to produce comedy podcast programs Sami was commissioned to host a new show called Laughing Dead. He invites comedians to talk about their worst performance experience. Notable guests on the show include Maz Jobrani, Andy Kindler, Claire Hooper, Alexei Sayle and Luke McGregor.

The program is produced and edited by Courtney Carthy.

In July 2016 Sami became the ABC Melbourne field and social media reporter.

Personal life

Shah lives with his wife and daughter in Australia.[3] They migrated to the country in 2012, and became Australian citizens in January 2017.[9] His wife, Ishma Alvi, is a psychologist. The couple have professed their religious views as atheistic.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Zia, Urooj (29 October 2007). "What Osama bin Laden and Batman have in common: millionaires who live in a cave and fight a battle that has nothing to do with them". Daily Times. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Sami Shah, Pakistani comedian, improv actor and writer". Radio New Zealand. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Roger, Faez (7 October 2013). "Emerging Comedic Talent of Pakistan". House of Pakistan. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Khan, Rayan (5 July 2011). "Saad Haroon: The revival of comedy". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "3-4-5 :: Reviewd". Islamabad Metblogs. 27 November 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Bring the funny: Review". Karachi Metblogs. 30 October 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Ahmed, Shoaib (30 May 2006). "Lux Style Awards nominees short-listed". Daily Times. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "I, Migrant". Allen & Unwin Book Publishers. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Sami Shah becomes a citizen on Australia Day". ABC News. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  10. ↑ Shah, Sami; Alvi, Ishma (18 June 2017). "Faith no more". The Australian. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
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