Comedy was not something Don Andre wanted to pursue but there were signs as he grew up, that he was destined to become a comedian. PHOTO/FILE
Andrew Odongo, alias Don Andre, is a stand-up comedian, story creator, writer, script supervisor, actor, and voice-over artist among other talents.
Despite his many talents, the comedian holds standup in high regard because it is what he started in 2016.
“I started doing all the above because of standup comedy so it’s my first love. But because people notice my work, I get hired for the different roles of writing, acting, voicing, and even commercials, the most recent being a Dstv advert,” Don Andre says.
But that is not the main reason he does standup comedy.
“I’m not very energetic and animated on stage. So my strength is in the jokes. You’ll mostly see me stand in one spot on stage and deliver my jokes,” he says.
Breaking Out
Comedy was not something Don Andre wanted to pursue but there were hints, while growing up, that he was destined to be a comedian. He would always make ‘silly’ statements that would make his family and friends laugh. In return, they would always ask him why he did not try out comedy.
The comedy dream resurrected in 2016 but it was in 2019 when he recorded a half-hour special with three friends. Each was mandated to do comedy for 30 minutes. This was a step forward in his career.
“I would not consider it my breakthrough project but it taught me a lot. It boosted my confidence that I can do 30 minutes on stage with the few years that I had been in the game. So I can call it a mindset breakthrough, like doing a listening party in a smaller venue before you go to Cricket Oval,” he says.
From there, he has gone ahead to work with major comedy platforms such as Pablo Live, Another Comedy Club, Stand-up Collective (Kenya), Comedy Files, Seka Live (Rwanda), and Comedy Store Ug among others.
He also pointed out the Showmax Show recorded in Nairobi under Standup Collective, with artiste Nameless in attendance.
He has gone on to perform for all kinds of audiences - from as few as 10 people to thousands. What matters, according to him, is the impact he has had on the audience rather than the numbers in the audience.
But it is the ‘Chalk On Jokes’, a project he started in 2022 as the most impactful project he has been part of.
“Chalk on Jokes is a mental health and mentorship project I started in 2022. We tour different schools talking about mental illness, its causes and possible solutions among the young school-going children,” Don Andre says, adding that a lot is going on in school such as bullying, body shaming, and stress which are always ignored by schools, parents and students unknowingly.
“But they affect the students even in adulthood. I have spoken to many adults who hold bad experiences from way back in school. So I feel if mitigated at an early stage we can have a better and sane generation.”
With this expansion, he feels comedians need to have the resilience and dedication of a soldier because passion alone is not enough because comedy is a very rough form of art.
“Feedback is instant and measured in laughs. So a comedian needs to know what they are going for and be ready to put in the work, writing, doing open mic (practice stages), and watching their jokes grow together with them.”
Comedian Don Andre performs at a comedy show. Instead of crying over his perceived misfortunes, Andre invites his audience to laugh at his pain. PHOTO/COURTESY PHILIP MATOGO
Besides that, he also feels comedy alone is not sustainable and that comedians should instead use the stage like a marketing shelf.
“When you do well on the shelf, your demand rises in other fields. Comedians such as Kevin Hart are doing well in film, production, and Tv. But it all started on stage,” he says.
Dynamics of Comedy
Every comedian has that one moment when things are not adding up on the stage but what matters is how you play around it. For Don Andre, comedy is like being in the army.
“In comedy, you must be a soldier. If the bullet refuses to fire, use the gun as a stick. A tested and proven joke is not termed ‘not funny’ but sometimes it just does not ‘land’. Now with the experience I have gained over the years, when the first joke doesn’t appease a certain audience I always have backup to switch from immediately without letting the audience feel it. This comes with a lot of writing.”
These and more are some of the challenges he may face this evening during his first ever individual show dubbed ‘Unemployed but Funny’, happening at National Theatre.
“This is going to be my first solo comedy special. Of course, as an unemployed youth in Uganda who is making a living off my talent, it’s a big deal for me. It’s me morphing into another stage in my comedy career and telling you my stories. After many years of hard work and performing on different stages in Uganda and around Africa. This is a grown-up Don Andre that many have not yet seen,” he shares.
On Kenzo’s appointment
Eddy Kenzo’s appointment is a testament of how far art can take someone.
“People have always made fun of his English but look at him now. I’m happy and praying he speaks for arts as a whole,” he says, adding that he is hopeful about Kenzo’s appointment because he knows what it means to be talented without support from above.
“In comedy one of our biggest challenges is we don’t have enough performing spaces that are looked at as a home of comedy. If we get to have more of these I believe it’ll be a step forward.”
