Why turn to a professor for insights on literature, politics and sociology, when comedian Sashi Perera has her own theories to share?
In one reel she says, “I have a theory for why Shakespeare is the greatest writer.” Her tone indicates that she knows that she’s entering hallowed territory. “Say that I was a good writer and just after I passed away late in the 17th century, my country invaded half the planet, and then made them learn English… and then made them read all my plays to graduate high school. That would make me a great writer.” The audience roars with laughter.
It’s Perera’s ability to deliver strikingly accurate observations about everyday interactions and the world at large which has led to her content going viral. Most notably, her ability to interact with her audience has led to some hilarious (and at times unanticipated) insights. A casual question to the male partner in a relationship on who they had listed as an emergency contact, led to a collective, damning realisation about this niche topic: that in each couple, there is always one member who trusts their mother more than their significant other.
View this post on Instagram
But it took a while for Sashi Perera to choose to pursue comedy. In fact, it wasn’t even on her radar until 2018, whilst she was pursuing her Masters after years of practicing as a refugee lawyer.
“I just thought I’d work in public service after I got my Masters. I was thinking ‘I’m pretty happy with life, I guess this is it now,” she says.
It was an impromptu decision to enter the Raw Comedy open mic competition and a stubborn conviction to continue making appearances at comedy clubs which allowed Perera to have a career that she could never have imagined for herself.
“I was just like, I don’t care that I’m not making money. I know it makes no sense to take a tram an hour and a half one way to do a five minute spot that won’t help me make any money, and then take it an hour and a half the other way,” she says in her characteristic deadpan voice.
After years as a lawyer by day and comedian by night, she’s crafted two stand-up shows titled Endings (2023) and Boundaries (2024) as well as a collaborative show called Night School, a space for other comedians to riff on their obsessions and niche interests.
View this post on Instagram
She’s seen much success in the last year and has performed at the coveted Edinburgh Fringe Festival, touring her show Boundaries and appearing on live TV alongside Aussie comedy legends like Kitty Flanagan.
Her relatability likely stems from the fact that Perera relies on her personal life as a wellspring of inspiration.
“The second show [Boundaries] came around as a result of being in a relationship with my husband Charlie and the process of working through our relationship despite the different ways in which we were raised. I want the next show to be about this experience of really wanting to have kids and not being able to do so. And I don’t know how to make that funny yet, because I’m still processing it, and they say ‘don’t get on stage unless you process it because it’s not therapy.’ So, I’m trying to figure out how to make all of that funny. And I think the only way to do that is to sit with your sadness,” she says.
Despite her unflinching commitment to talk about deeply personal experiences, there is a small sector of the audience who relentlessly compare her jokes to those made by other South Asians.
“POC (People of Colour) comedians have reached out to me saying, given that there aren’t many of us, our work will always be compared to each other. We’re all talking about things like the migrant experience and about being too brown or too white,” she says.
Despite this pushback, Perera firmly believes that the barriers to entry have reduced, especially due to events at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival like The Breast of the Fest, which features women and non-binary performers only.
“It means that you can find your confidence in a very, very supportive crowd. That experience made me feel like I could perform in front of mainstream audiences,” she says.
Sashi Perera believes that when comedians are comfortable in their identity, audiences also choose to be more open about themselves.
View this post on Instagram
“I love the diversity of comedy, especially in Melbourne. People are so weird and they’re so open about how weird they are and that just makes everyone so much more comfortable in being weird.”
It’s this shared experience of viewing a show as an audience which Perera loves most about performing live. This is no surprise since her shows feature a fair share of sing-a-longs and crowd-work.
“The world is already so depressing. With all that’s going on out there, life can get really hard, and we need more spaces to laugh. And that doesn’t mean sitting at home and watching a show on TV, or TikTok or Instagram. It has to be with other people.”
READ MORE: Brown Women Comedy: It’s our time
