Sri Lankan Australian comedian, Sashi Perera, came to the stand-up comedy world with a background in law. Her comedy writing and performance is inspired by everything from her years travelling around the world working as a refugee lawyer, to the intricacies of everyday life and random ideas just before bedtime. Looking at Sashi’s gig experience and comedy accolades, she is clearly an artist who knows how to connect with audiences.
In this Colour Box Studio interview, Sashi shares how she landed herself in the comedy scene by taking an unexpected leap into something new; what it’s like to sometimes get on stage and not ‘nail it’; and what’s in store for future shows.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your creative practice.
I’m a Sri Lankan Australian lawyer turned comedian and writer. I moved to Melbourne in 2017 to do my Masters in Law after working with refugees for a decade. I belly-flopped into the ocean that is Melbourne’s creative community through stand up comedy and still feel like an imposter. Most days I’m just pinching myself that I get to hang out and laugh with people who are so wildly talented.
How did you start your creative practice and why?
In 2018, I lived in a seven person share-house in Brunswick and was dumped over text for the umpteenth time – I felt so behind the ‘life’ game as most friends were married with houses and kids. I had nothing to lose and entered a stand up comedy competition. I got to the Victorian state final and everything just kept going from there.
Where did you grow up and has it influenced what you create?
I had the classic Sri Lankan migrant upbringing. I was born in Sri Lanka but my family moved to Oman when I was 1, to the UAE when I was 6 and to Perth when I was 12. I grew up in places where most people didn’t look like me, sound like me, talk like me. I think it helped me to constantly search for tools to connect and humour was my thing.
Tell us about your past creative projects. What has been a highlight so far?
That one competition led to performing in spaces all over Melbourne, I loved getting to know this city. It led to a scholarship to do improv comedy, MC’ing conferences and weddings, spots on podcasts and two unbelievably fun group shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. In 2021, it led to acting and to making the UK Funny Women Awards ‘Ones to Watch’ List. To pick one highlight – being on set was so eye opening for me. The love and energy that goes into making something jump from paper to a screen, it’s wild.
Who or what inspires your creative practice?
The absurdities of everyday life, the way we’ve set up this world. It’ll never stop being funny because we’ve done most of it so terribly. In my last show I figured out how to connect interesting things from the places that I’ve worked in – Tanzania, Egypt, Thailand, the Philippines, Turkey – to everyday things that everyone can relate to – cats, doors, porn, Tutankhamun – I can’t believe how many people know about Tutankhamun.
Where do you feel most creative?
In bed, two seconds before I fall asleep. I’ll write the note in my phone and it’ll make no sense in the morning. One time I woke up to a note that just said “olive”. That’s the start of the joke. I’ll spend weeks trying to nut it out then I’ll be at a gig watching someone else on stage and the punchline will fall into place. It’s an infuriatingly slow process but I’ve stopped questioning it.
Your website mentions ‘recovering lawyer’. What have been your biggest learnings in the legal world and how has this influenced your comedy?
My plan was to go back to IOM (the International Organization for Migration) or UNHCR (the UN refugee agency) after finishing my Masters in Melbourne. Unexpectedly, I found home here. I didn’t miss my old life – the work was important and life was adventurous but also, transient. To step away after a decade in the area was scary – if you don’t do what you’ve always done – isn’t all the time, energy, love, money you’ve poured into it useless? Hell no. The only moment it’s too late to start something new is when you’re dead. Any time before that is grand. I didn’t have space to think about anything funny in my old job. Now I work for the public service and do comedy around it. My biggest learning is there’s no career path you’re supposed to be on. It’s not a flare that shoots straight up in just one direction – it’s a cool firework that can squiggle in any direction your power takes you. So GO.
Can you share a time in comedy where you ‘bombed’ and a time you ‘nailed it’?
Recently, I did three gigs in one week where I did almost exactly the same set of jokes. I ‘nailed’ two and felt like a hero coming off the stage. I ‘bombed’ the third one – it was a corporate gig. The room was full but there were barely any laughs during any of the five comics sets, like almost dead quiet for the whole comedy hour. I went on stage after watching two comics in a row die up there. I know now that I’d rather be first in line to a guillotine instead of third. You shake it off, say cheers for the cash, take a long shower and chin up for the next one. Everyone bombs sometime and I was due a stinker.
What gets you through challenging creative/ industry times?
You have to set your own goals – understand your intent, what you want out of what you’re doing and work towards that. If you don’t do this, you’ll measure yourself against what everyone else is doing and that’s bananas, because they’re on their own path. It’s like stalking your ex and their new partner on socials – you’re just deliberately making yourself feel bad. In an industry that is dependent on constant self promotion, it’s very easy to feel like you’re behind everyone else, all the time. Do your own thing, in your own time, on your own path.
Whose work are you digging at the moment?
My favourites at the comedy festival were Sunanda and the Hot Brown Honeys – both WOCs with powerful, hilarious shows – I left so inspired. I watched between one and four comedy shows every night for the month of the festival so I’m taking a brain break from watching comedy. I’m recharging watching Bridgerton for the second time round (I’m not sorry) and just finished reading Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I’m a writer at heart and it’s the kind of book where you get to the end and think – goddammit, I couldn’t write that in four lifetimes, that was so good.
What future projects are you looking forward to?
I’ll do my first solo hour at the comedy festival next year and warm up shows in Perth before then – I’m already excited for them. Coming up soon – I have some really fun gigs at Comedy Republic, I’m moderating the Great Debate for Volunteering Victoria, MC’ing a wedding and writing with South Asian creatives. I’m also at Darwin Fringe Festival in July, I’m really looking forward to thawing out in the NT dry season.
Where can we find and follow you online?
You can find me on Instagram – sashbomb – and you can find my work on my website: sashi.com.au. Get in touch with any questions about anything – like really, anything – want to know more about Tutankhamun? I’m your gal. I know I should get on TikTok but I also know how much of my life I’ll spend on there so I’m putting it off for the moment.