Alcomedy Club: For humor with a Saudi twist

The Alcomedy Club started early 2012 when a group of comedy “fanatics” decided to take their passion to the next level and start a Saudi comedy club in their hometown Jeddah.

Khaled Omar, creative architect of the club, said that he joined the club back in 2014. “It was a dream that came true,” he said.

None of the members knew each other before the club.

“We were complete strangers to each other before and the club brought us together,” Omar said.

The club used to be named “Jeddah Comedy Club,” but was later changed for brand reasons to “Alcomedy Club.”

Despite the fact that a considerable segment of Jeddah-based residents are English-speaking, the comedy shows, sketches and plays are all performed in Arabic. “We had shy attempts, if I can say, of English-speaking comedians who



used to perform English gigs in the past.”

Omar said the club is more focused on local content and local audience.

“Not that we are not interested in an English audience, but they already have this type of entertainment in their compounds, embassies and consulates. As you may know, stand-up comedies started in English. If we go back in 2007 or 2006 in the Italian Club and the American Embassy and other several places, they had English stand-ups. So, we might go English in the future.”

The Saudi sense of humor is quite well known regionally thanks to comedy TV series that are usually featured in the holy month of Ramadan, such as “Tash Ma Tash” and “WiFi.”

Alcomedy Club members are trying to introduce their own comedy live to Saudis, who usually watch such performances on the small screen.