They say laughter is the best medicine — well, in Dubai, there’s plenty of that to go around! Dubomedy’s local comedy pioneers talk to BarakaBits about how they are trailblazing the local comedy community in the UAE and what they hope to achieve in the region as a whole. Dubomedy was co-founded in 2008 by award-winning comedian and Broadway veteran Mina Liccione and popular media personality Ali Al Sayed. “I first came to Dubai in 2007. I was booked to perform as part of an Arts Festival. Everyone I met said they wished there was more comedy as well as opportunities and training for local artists. I believe that the corner stone to anything sustainable is education, so I decided to take a leap of faith a pioneer the first Comedy and Urban Arts School in the region,” Mina tells BarakaBits. Not only does Dubomedy make people laugh, the Dubomedy Arts School trains kids and adults from around the world in a variety of creative arts such as writing, performance, comedy and improvisation.
“Ali and I wanted to build a local comedy scene from the ground up through training and creating performance platforms. Our mission was clear: to use comedy as a tool to bring people of diverse cultural, religious and financial backgrounds together for a laugh all while empowering women’s comedic voices and breaking stereotypes.” As if making people smile and professionally training others in the field wasn’t enough, Dubomedy also makes sure to always incorporate charity in the work they do. “Giving back is a huge part of who Ali and I are and what we believe in. It was very natural for us to create Clowns Who Care project, Catch A Smile initiative as well as numerous charity events and Arts Camps for underprivileged children over the years. There was never a need to separate our business and our passion for humanitarian work. Comedy and giving back is our way of life in everything we do. I don’t think there’s anything greater than being able to use your art to help others. I believe that we all have a higher purpose and ours is to bring joy to others.”
Now that’s #barakability! Want to be a part of the local comedy scene? Check out the training courses at Dubomedy and stay updated on Dubomedy’s upcoming events:
Saturday, October 25 – “As One: The Autism Project” film premieres at Abu Dhabi International Film Festival. Ali and Mina acted as the comedy coaches and co-theater directors for this project where we trained a group of amazing local children with autism in the performing arts and ends with them performing a full show.
Tuesday, October 28 – “Catch A Smile” Day – random acts of kindness around the globe
Saturday, November 15 – Dubomedy Art School’s MIX TAPE student graduation show featuring stand-up and improv
Saturday, November 29 – Improv and Stories Night
