This week I hard launched Sashi Perera’s Night School, an idea that was years in the making.
After sitting on this idea for so long, it was odd to have it come to fruition in May, after spending all of April running around to every performance space in Melbourne to watch and perform shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. But when the opportunity to came up to run the show and it seemed silly to say no.
The concept of the show is simple. I’m a giant nerd and always have been. I was the kid in school with spectacles as thick as the base of a glass bottle. I often think of how blurry the world around me would be if Salvino D’Armate didn’t kick off the spectacles industry in 1284. How did people with eyes like mine get about before then?
I’ve worn spectacles since I was seven and my eyesight is usually the worst in any room. Twenty twenty vision is 0-0. My left eye is -10.25 and my right eye is -7.25 with astigmatism thrown in for extra fun. Can anyone reading beat that? I’d love to be your friend.
I consulted an eye surgeon once to see if I could get LASIK, the operation that uses a laser to correct your vision by changing the thickness of your cornea. I went with my dad from whom I inherited my spectacularly large but largely useless eyes. The surgeon said that I could not get the surgery because my cornea was not thick enough for the operation but also because of my “abnormal” eyes which were overgrown far past my pupils.
I pointed out that technology is constantly changing and perhaps sometime in the future, my abnormal eyes could be corrected? I’ll never forget the surgeon’s face as he said, “Miss Perera, with your abnormality, the only way your vision could be corrected is if they grew new eyes and put them into your head.” Peals of laughter from dad in the background, with both of us taking our abnormal eyes home with us in the car.
I embraced being a giant nerd because with glasses as thick as that - you have no choice. I kept the identity through to adult life. I can’t confidently have s*x in the shower because I can’t see in there. I can’t concentrate on pleasure because I’m terrified of slipping on something and dying.
I digress. I now hold three degrees and am done with studying. But I’d like to keep learning and I feel like my only current avenue for gaining new knowledge is scrolling through the apps when I can’t sleep in the wee hours of the morning.
So I thought - what if I started a Night School? Where comedians could come in to “teach” a subject that they were passionate about and we could have one actual expert speaking about a topic? We could have a different timetable for a new class every week, what about that?
Class One was this Wednesday and I’ll admit that I was so nervous in the car ride there that I wanted to vomit. I’ve never run a gig before, I’ve always been on a lineup organised by someone else or done my own solo show. It’s scary, akin to the feeling of throwing a party without knowing if anyone is coming or will enjoy said party.
When I arrived at Comedy Republic and saw Pedro Cooray in a pope outfit, I knew we would have a good time.
Pedro is one of my favourite improv comedians and a fellow Sri Lankan Australian. For History, he taught us about scandalous wild child Pope Benedict IX - the youngest pope in history who ruled the Vatican three separate times in his life.
He was followed by Mel McGlensey who had one of my favourite shows at the festival this year, where she played a part woman part boat. For Geography, she taught us about the great state of Arkansas and Sarah Huckabee Sanders. I’ll lose many a sleepless night knowing that they named a child Huck Huckabee Sanders. Can we talk about how she bought a $19,000 podium then hired a Jay Z impersonator to rap about why she needed this podium? Who needs to write comedy when we live in such a world?
Our expert for the night was Alanta Colley, a scientist who runs the very fun Sci Fi Debate. She took us through the fact or fiction that is the science of acupuncture. The only drawback was that she was unable to solve the mystery of why a Chinese medicine doctor once recoiled in silence and horror when she looked at my tongue. Class One complete.
It was such a thrill to watch the show - I kept thinking, it’s happening! It’s happening! We’re doing it, we’re doing Night School!
I love comedy lineup shows but there’s always such a pressure to nail set ups and punchlines - the night is rapid fire, fast moving. Night School is slow, we got to spend time with the acts and ask them questions. I loved hearing them speak so passionately about a random subject.
It was funny because they are funny people but we also learned a lot. It felt like school minus the hormones, exams and detentions. That last one is joke, I was a nerd I never did anything that could have got me detention. Charlie on the other hand, once wrote his teacher a certificate for being a tool. We had very different school experiences.
So - while it probably would have helped to spend much more time on the couch after festival wrapped up and before my tour starts, I have zero regrets. Night School runs every Wednesday in May so if you’re in Melbourne, come down! I can’t wait for Class Two next week.
If you’re not in Melbourne, I assign you the following homework: go watch a live comedy show somewhere in your city. Take a punt on something new and laugh with people IRL, it’s medicine.
Big hugs
Sashi
Amazing, long live us nerds!
Sounds great. Love the concept.