Alok
Treats societal hatred as a fundamentally absurd punchline.
1 special · 2024
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Alok operates in a space where standup bleeds into spoken word. They will stand on stage in something extravagant and shift from a quiet reflection on mortality straight into a bit about booking an appointment at the European Wax Center. The rhythm ignores the standard club cadence. It moves like a wave. They will let a room sit in absolute silence while delivering a poem, then break the tension by undercutting their own seriousness with a joke about being mistaken for a Brazilian DJ.
Specials
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Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda with Hannah Gadsby, Jes Tom & 5 more
Hannah Gadsby hosts a showcase of seven standout genderqueer comedians.
Netflix · 75 min
On stage
They play international theaters and headlining slots at major comedy festivals, pushing crowds to broaden their definition of what a standup hour can be. Alok anchors a space in the comedy world that refuses to use marginalized people as the punchline. The demand for that is massive.
The material builds on the friction of moving through the world as a gender non-conforming person. Instead of reacting to bigotry with pure rage, Alok treats it with bewildered amusement. They frame the aggression they face as fundamentally absurd. A routine will ask the crowd to look at how much energy people waste policing strangers, treating that hatred as a bizarre use of human life. If a spoken word segment goes on so long that the room gets too heavy, they know exactly how to snap the audience back to reality with a joke about botching a TikTok makeup tutorial.
Turning points
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Release of Debut Comedy Special Biology!
ALOK released their first full-length comedy special 'Biology!', executive produced by Christopher Guest, interweaving traditional stand-up jokes with spoken-word poetry.
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Headlining Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda
ALOK closed out Netflix's historic genderqueer comedy showcase hosted by Hannah Gadsby, filmed at London's Alexandra Palace Theatre.
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Sundance Debut of Docu-Short ALOK
The documentary short focusing on their life and work, directed by Alex Hedison and executive produced by Jodie Foster, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Hannah GadsbyBoth artists blend profound personal vulnerability and structural critiques of trauma and gender with stand-up comedy, with Gadsby handpicking ALOK for their Netflix showcase.
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Jes Tom
Both are trans performers who deconstruct gender dynamics and queer experiences through incisive, barrier-breaking stand-up material.
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DeAnne SmithBoth share an audience interested in queer identity and embrace vulnerability and self-awareness as comedic engines on stage.
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Chloe Petts
Both explore the absurdities of gender presentation and heteronormative expectations in high-profile international festival and showcase settings.
Also on screen
- We Baby Bears
- 2024–2025
- The Sex Lives of College Girls
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- Sort Of
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- Random Acts of Flyness
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- Complicated Order
A clip to start with
ALOK: Biology! | Full Comedy Special