Zayd Lahham ’19 made his dream a reality when he performed his first ever standup comedy set among some of the world’s funniest comedians at the Dubai Comedy Festival last week.

Opening for UAE comedy pioneer Ali Al Sayed, Lahham cracked up some 500 guests in the Madinat Jumeirah theater on October 19, with material centered on the daily struggles of a high school kid and other Arab-related jokes.

“After that first big laugh I knew I would be okay!” said Lahham, who prepared well before getting on stage but claims improvisation is often necessary for successful delivery. “I got really positive feedback from different comedians in the end, so it was great.”

Lahham found his passion for comedy at a young age after attending an eight-week entertainment camp organized by Dubomedy, the Middle East’s “premiere comedy and urban arts school” co-founded by Al Sayed.

“He’s my mentor,” said Lahham of Al Sayed. “We ended up forming a friendship over time and he helped me work on my technique.”

Comedy was always a big part of Lahham’s life offstage too. The 14 year-old credits his naturally witty parents for making him and his siblings always find the humor in daily life situations while growing up in Dubai. And although he’s only in his first year at King’s, Lahham, who “feels at home on stage,” already has his sights set on honing his craft and making Jordanian audiences laugh in the near future.

“An important part of comedy is communicating, and people are more willing to trust you if you can make them laugh first,” he said. “Laughter is universal. If we’re able to connect with others and send our own messages, maybe we can make a change. That’s pretty powerful.”