Arriving to California in November 2019, Sabine Ghanem recently reconnected with her passion for the stage. (Credit: Sabrine Ghanem)
On Oct. 17, 2019, Lebanese people from all walks of life poured onto the streets in mass protest to condemn the corrupt political establishment. The protests swept across the country in waves and marked the onset of an economic crisis that endured to this day.
Sabine Ghanem, who was named after a famous Lebanese-Egyptian jeweler, was 27 at the time.
Originally from Zahle, in the Bekaa Valley, Ghanem lived in Zouk, in Kesrouan. In 2019, she quit her job as project manager at the Paul Nasr wedding planning agency.
In November 2019, a month after the protests started, Ghanem needed to get away from the chaos. She travelled to Los Angeles to spend time with her cousins.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghanem got married and had a child.
The new mother then changed career paths. She entered the unconventional pursuit of stand-up comedy.
“I’ve always loved the stage,” Ghanem said. “I first launched myself in Lebanon in 2011 as part of a local platform alongside comedians like Anthony Hamaoui (from the comedy web show ‘Quickies’).”
“I sadly lost my mother after my second performance, which put me off.”
Ghanem poses in front of the poster for the show at Park la Brea in Los Angeles. (Credit: Sabrine Ghanem)
Open mic
It was in LA, five minutes away from Hollywood, that Ghanem decided to return to the stage.
“An American friend and former actress, Lena Dansdill, talked me into going back to it. She encouraged me to take part in an Open Mic a few months ago,” Ghanem shared.
“It all happened in 48 hours. I found myself on a small stage telling my little stories, trying to make people laugh.”
In Hollywood, open mics are a good way for aspiring actors to get a foot in the door of the highly competitive TV and film industry..
“I took part in the Hollywood Improv Open Mic,” held at a venue along the bustling Melrose shopping avenue, at the southern end of the Hollywood district, she explained.
During a live comedy open mic show, anyone can perform and participants usually get the stage for three to five minutes.
“I stood before a crowd of 80 to 100 people, and I did pretty well, with a ‘clean’ text and no violent or vulgar language,” Ghanem said. Such performances are considered quite difficult for several seasoned comedians with whom I’ve had the opportunity to talk.”
Despite being more difficult, the choice to keep it clean allowed her to perform for younger audiences.
“The themes I explore are very personal, drawing inspiration from my background and my Lebanese origins,” Ghanem said. “It’s not very original, but the audience likes it.”
“They come to discover a world they don't know at all,” Ghanem added. “I stand out as a Middle Easterner and make fun of them, which makes them laugh. It’s as simple as that.”
Despite being a beginner Ghanem has stamina.
“I don’t know how significant this is yet, but I’ve been told that I can sustain a performance for up to 10 minutes and make people laugh, which is a lot at this level,” she explained.
Ghanem has already performed four times this summer.
“[I’ve done] three open mics and a show in front of 300 people that I organized in the apartment community of Park la Brea, one of the largest apartment complexes in the US, with 16,000 inhabitants in the western part of Los Angeles,” she said.
Ghanem’s most recent show was an open mic on Oct. 2 in Las Vegas and more will surely follow.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient Le-Jour. Translation by Sahar Ghoussoub.