Wait, What’s Sri Lanka? A Stand-Up Comedy Special by Shenuque Tissera

Wait, What’s Sri Lanka? is a one-hour stand-up special, written by Shenuque and directed by Sunny Laprade, for anyone who has ever felt invisible. The show explores the joy of embracing all parts of your identity while navigating the pain of not feeling seen.

Shenuque uses a narrative stand-up style to talk about their life through the lens of being Sri Lankan and how that intersects with their other identities. The show reveals how interconnected we all are. Regardless of whether or not you're Sri Lankan, this show is for you. Topics include race, gender, sexuality, and of course, aunties. If you enjoy stand-up comedy that weaves together humor with a compelling narrative, you will enjoy this show.

Shenuque Tissera (he/they) is a Sri Lankan American comedian born and raised on Staten Island. Their stand-up is infused with a passion for storytelling and an enrapturing stage presence. They are currently touring their debut stand-up special, Wait, What’s Sri Lanka?, a show for anyone who has ever felt invisible.

They’ve graced the stage in Off-Broadway productions and contributed their writing talents to HBO Max. They’ve worked as a director for the Murmuration Theater Company and co-founded the award-winning podcast studio Many Sided Media, where you can regularly hear their voice acting on the show My First Dungeon. Audiences have said that Shenuque is like if Hasan Minhaj, Tiffany Haddish, and John Mulaney were in a polycule and didn’t let Shenuque in, so he modeled his comedy after all of them.