Fun Factory’s Richard Tuwangye will be holding his first one-man stand-up comedy show dubbed ‘Laugh Conquers All’ at the National Theatre in Kampala this Friday July 12, 2019. In an exclusive with Matooke Republic, Tuwangye revealed that he knows the limits of his natural good sense of humor when it comes to selecting topics for his skits.
When did you realize that comedy is your thing?
There is no exact moment where you say comedy is my thing and I am going to pursue it. It is always a case of one thing leading to another. I started as an actor but before making a decision I was already studying at the School of Performing Arts, Makerere University since it was clear that I am a funny man. Career wise I started comedy in 2004 under the guidance of my lecturer Phillip Luswata.
What inspires your skits?
I can only say that it is within my hidden nature to find a funny side in everything. I like things twisted beyond the ordinary just to evoke laughter.
Are there any topics you may not address in your skits?
Of course they are there. I am a comedian and at the same time I am part of the society that still has high moral values. Dirty jokes that talk about sex are funny but they do not appeal to the audience I engage with. Life is too wide for someone to stick to skits that offend a particular sect in the society. There are so many funny things that connect all of us like I can joke about football, love and politics among others.
How do you feel when you crack a joke and the audience doesn’t laugh?
(Laughs)…I feel the same way a farmer plants his seeds and it doesn’t rain or when they don’t grow up the ground. Comedy is both an art and a science where you have to predict about something that can make 98% of people in your audience laugh. Personally I have mastered the dynamics of the audience and I always package my jokes accordingly.
Recently you are most popular as Amosii, who came up with the character?
I don’t want to believe that it’s the only one that has made me widely noticed but true it has made many people to get to know my acting business deeper. I created that character and I came to learn never to underestimate the power of randomness because we did not sit down to create it. I had been acting the character of the ‘I have made it Munyankore’ and in one night I decide to call one of my friends and I randomly chose to call him Amosii. This is because I felt the name Amosii is short, easy on the tongue and catchy in the ear. Besides no tribe around the world has more ‘Amossis’ than the Banyankore. Since then the Amossi character caught fire as now many people in our audience scream the name whenever I pullout my phone.
Why a one man show now?
I am not in isolation as a talent; Fun Factory is my second family. It allows members to do individual projects. We have so many talent individuals that the weekly show doesn’t give enough platform and space for everyone to exhaust their talents. My show has been long coming and everyone knows I wanted this. I have the audience that can help pull it out in the best way ever.
What should your fans expect?
That’s one of the question I don’t like because if I tell them some will be like I now know part of the story. But on the overview, you’re going to see a Richard Tuwangye who you’re not familiar with. I am going to offer acting that’s higher than the ticket you will be paying for. The show is Shs50,000 but I am going to give you entertainment that’s double the price. My job is going to be offering the funny side of everything you have seen in life.
Will you be holding the one man show every year?
That’s the plan but it will also depend on how good this one is going to be though without a doubt I know it’s going to work for me and the audience. And my episode next year is going to be in a bigger arena.