Spotlime: Comedians Without Borders

Laetitia Falessi (M09) founded Spotlime, a company which promotes and produces French-language comedy shows in Asia.  

‘I lived for 4 years in Shanghai and 3 in Hong Kong. I learnt Mandarin there and began taking part in theatrical projects on a volunteer basis. Over time and thanks to the people I met, I eventually created my own company to promote and produce shows.’  

Spotlime arranges for French-speaking comedians such as Paul Taylor, Bun Hay Mean (aka Le Chinois Marrant or ‘The Funny Chinese Guy’), Caroline Vigneaux, Karim Duval, Timothée Poissonnet and even Gad Elmaleh (in partnership with Live Nation Asia) to perform for French ex-pat audiences in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Bangkok. ‘The Chinese entertainment scene is relatively inaccessible because of the language barrier. While many expatriates have some notions of the local language, following a performance is another challenge! Not to mention the cultural references which are difficult to grasp. Le Petit Journal published a survey revealing that 44% of French nationals living overseas say they lack access to cultural activities.’ 

This makes it a highly promising market with vast potential. ‘My aim is to reach a pace of 4 shows per year and per city. I’m also hoping to extend the activity to new destinations, even Europe perhaps. I’m looking for sponsors and thinking about how to offset the environmental impact of tours, in particular with regard to the many flights taken by the artistic teams. Lastly, I’m aiming in the medium-term to achieve a 50-50 balance of male and female comedians.’   

Spotlime is currently organising Félix Dhjan’s second Asian tour. ‘He will be performing solo on 4 February in Singapore (book tickets) and on 8 February in Bangkok (book tickets). Book your tickets now - and follow us on Facebook, Instagram or via our newsletter to get news as of mid-February of our upcoming shows in May!  

Find out more: 
spotlimeprod.com

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