COMEDY QUEENS

Irene Ang and Siti Khalijah may have started off their careers in opposite directions and in different decades, but they share a similar vision: to foster a more collaborative future for the next generation of Singapore comics.

- Lena Kamarudin

One is a veteran in television, the other in theatre, but both women are widely regarded as some of Singapore's most prolific comedians. Irene Ang, 55, rose to fame as Rosie Phua in the '90s television sitcom Phua Chu Kang and later founded her own artiste management company Fly Entertainment, while 40-year-old Siti Khalijah Zainal has won many accolades in her career as a theatre artist, such as National Youth Council's prestigious Young Artist Award in 2014.

THE ART OF BEING FUNNY

Siti Khalijah and Irene Ang: (in unison) So you think you can be funny? [laughs]

Siti: Okay, we must be serious now. We are here to talk about the entertainment scene right?

Irene: Yes, particularly the life of a comedian. So, I want to ask you, what skill sets does one need to be a successful comedian?

Siti: Well, I think you must be a very good baker. Use your Skillsfuture credit. Not baker like baking a cake [laughs], but you must bake your material. Write, write, write. Bake, put aside.

Irene: Wow... so deep.

Siti: Then ferment, ferment, rise, then you perform. That's why we always test out our material. Some people always see the polished end products, but they don't know what it takes to get there.

Irene: Yah, they think like “Eh, you very natural ah” but actually, what looks natural is practised to death.

Siti: Correct. We also test jokes with some friends. If they don't laugh, means it's not good. Back to the drawing board.

TV VS ONLINE COMEDY

Irene: Sadly, the golden era of television sitcoms may be over. Remember Under One Roof and The Noose? Unfortunately, we don't make sitcoms like that anymore. I don't know why.