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The Laughter Factory is the best international stand-up comedy promoter in the Gulf. Every month we bring three of the world's leading stand-up comics to the region for a string of sell-out shows. We've been putting up the 'House Full' signs since 1997; we know how to put on a good show.
How do we know our comics are world-beaters? Because each one is hand-picked by The Comedy Store - the London comedy club that virtually invented alternative stand-up in the 1980s. It remains at the cutting-edge of comedy today. Every comic who takes the stage at The Laughter Factory has earned his or her spurs in the bear pit in London. These guys are good.
We know The Laughter Factory acts are the best in the Gulf. But don't take our word for it - everyone from Time Out to The Economist agrees.
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The Laughter Factory pioneered stand-up comedy in the Gulf. Back in the late 1990s, the Dubai's expat entertainment scene added up to little more than re-runs of Cagney & Lacy on Channel 33 state TV, or hotel lounge singers butchering The Eagles. Gail Cherelle Clough and Duncan Jones thought the country's growing expat population deserved more than sequins, tight perms and Bontempi organs. The Laughter Factory was born.
The Laughter Factory launched in Dubai, with sell-out shows at The Hyatt Regency and Dubai Country Club. Word soon spread, and The Laughter Factory made its way up the Sheikh Zayed Road to Abu Dhabi. More sell-out shows sparked demand across the Gulf, and soon Bahrain, Qatar and Oman were regular venues on the Laughter Factory circuit.
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Let's be honest: in the early days, we put on some dogs. Plenty of top-notch comics graced those first Laughter Factory shows at the Hyatt Regency and Dubai Country Club, but they shared a stage with some ropey, second rate comedians barely worthy of the name. We're sorry! But no, you're not having your money back.
Thankfully, practice makes perfect. We at The Laughter Factory learned our lessons, and in 2000 took a decision that changed comedy in the Gulf for ever. We teamed up with The Comedy Store, since when we can honestly say the quality of acts has been consistently sky high.
We're realistic - different gags flick different people's switches. Regular punters have almost come to blows, rowing over who was the funniest act on any given night. But our comics are - without exception - professional artists with international track records as long as your arm.
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Comics love coming to the Gulf. Some embrace the warm, appreciative nature
of the heckling they get from Gulf audiences. Others absorb themselves
in the rich, cultural diversity that a tour of the Gulf offers. Most just
come to enjoy a few beverages and have a laugh on and off stage.
That said, it's not all plain sailing. For a start, many of the comics'
routine gags don't make it through the arrivals hall at Dubai International
Airport. Jokes about Coronation Street may go down a storm in Manchester,
but they'll die a death in Manama. Then there's the fame factor. In their
own back yards, these comics are household names. Many of their gags trade
on that celebrity. Here in the Gulf, they're just Joe Punter fresh of
the street.
In their own words…
A clown is like an aspirin, only he works twice as fast.
- Groucho Marx
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Some of the world's leading media titles recognize The Laughter Factory as the driving force in Gulf comedy"
Time Out Dubai
"The (Laughter) Factory remains the benchmark for Dubai comedy."
The Economist
"The Laughter Factory is the best established - and probably the
best full stop - of Dubai's stand-up comedy clubs."
What's On
"The Laughter Factory keeps on churning them out with a line-up that
will get upward lip-movement out of even the most stiff-lipped of punters."
Khaleej Times
"The show proved to be an unforgettable night for Dubai's comedy
lovers."
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Comedy is increasingly recognized as a powerful marketing vehicle. Most of the world's leading consumer companies - banks, drinks, clothing, entertainment, airlines - use live comedy as an effective platform for promoting their brands.
The Gulf is no different. Typically, The Laughter Factory events attract 400 people per show. The profile is mainly 24-50 year old expatriates with high disposable income. A growing list of blue chip clients recognize the marketing power of The Laughter Factory.
They include:
- MMI (Heineken)
- First Net
- Dunhill Cigarettes
- Kodak
- CompuNet
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Factory Productions is one of Dubai's best established events companies. Formed in 1997 by Gail Cherelle Clough and Duncan Jones, it has promoted hundreds of live acts throughout the Gulf. The Laughter Factory was the launchpad of Factory Productions' success, and remains its flagship event.
Factory Productions also produces events for a string of blue chip corporate clients. They include Heinekein, Chivas Regal, Budweiser, British American Tobacco, First Net, The USO, Lindt Chocolates, Hyatt Regency, Madinat Jumeirah and Crowne Plaza.
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The Comedy Store
During the late eighties The Comedy Store became the first full-time Comedy
venue in the UK. It retains that title to this day. It pioneered a new
breed of comedy, offering the best and freshest talent in Stand-Up comedy
and improvisation. In 1990 The Cutting Edge team was formed, adding biting
satire to the mix.
The list of comics to have taken the mike at The Comedy Store reads like a Who's Who of the genre. During its early days The Comedy Store attracted visiting American comedians such as Ruby Wax, Robin Williams, Mike Myers, Will Durst, Greg Proops Emo Phillips and Dennis Leary. At the same time, it acted as a breeding ground for the next generation of young comedians including Steve Coogan, Jo Brand, Arthur Smith, Julian Clary, Harry Enfield, Rob Newman, David Baddiel, Jack Dee, Mark Lamarr, Eddie Izzard, Tony Slatter, Sean Hughes, Frank Skinner, Lee Evans and Lee Hurst.
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Get Your Laughing Tackle Around
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If you find yourself at the Laughter Factory in hysterics for an hour and a half, you may be doing more than just being entertained; you may be doing your health a huge favor. While it is common knowledge that laughter can serve to raise spirits and relieve stress, there is scientific evidence that laughter may also be able to aid in the curing of diseases. The notion that laughing has healing powers is not a new concept. Dating to at least ancient Greece, hospitals were built next to amphitheatres to help "cure" the patients.
"The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that's laughter. The moment it arises, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place." -Mark Twain
Laughter involves the entire physiology of the body. In general, laughter raises your resistance against infections by increasing the concentration of circulating antibodies in the blood stream and increasing the concentration of circulating white blood cells in the immune reaction to fight foreign proteins. In addition to all of this, laughter is simply a good cardio workout, increasing heart activity, and thus stimulating circulation. After the laughter subsides, the cardiovascular system goes into a state of relaxation.
John Steinbeck once said "A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ."
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