Sepideh Kaav is an Iranian stand-up comedian based in Berlin. Her comedy is dark, political and personal. She has performed more than 1,000 gigs, was a finalist in the Berlin New Standup Award 2023, and has appeared on ARTE. This August, she is bringing her debut solo hour, 1979: Persianality Disorder, to the Edinburgh Fringe.
How did you get into comedy?
I’ve always enjoyed making fun of things that people take too seriously. At school, we had essays that were usually designed to teach us the right lesson. I was more interested in proving the wrong lesson, using arguments that became more ridiculous as I went. My classmates laughed, and that was enough encouragement. I started stand-up after moving from Iran to Europe in 2021. I had a lot I wanted to say, and comedy gave me a way to say it. I realised that if I made people laugh, they might actually listen.
How would you describe your comedy style?
Dark, personal, political and slightly inappropriate in the places where people expect you to be tasteful.
I’m interested in the overlap between pain, absurdity and honesty. I don’t want to make difficult subjects neat, inspirational or easy to consume. I want to make them funny.
Onstage, I try to say exactly what I think, even when it’s uncomfortable or contradictory. I like taking an idea further than people expect and finding the joke just beyond the point where it becomes inappropriate.
What is 1979: Persianality Disorder about?
It is a show about being an Iranian woman and making it everyone else’s problem. The show draws on growing up in post-revolution Iran and moving to Europe, where I discovered that leaving a theocratic dictatorship does not mean people stop putting you into boxes. They simply use more progressive vocabulary while doing it.
It’s about refusing to perform the version of an Iranian woman that other people find easiest to understand: the grateful immigrant, the tragic survivor or the perfectly oppressed Muslim woman. Rather than trying to prove that I’m none of those things, I take people’s assumptions, agree with them and push them until they become ridiculous.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Mostly from things that make me angry, confused or uncomfortable. I grew up in a society where politics was never separate from ordinary life, so I find it almost impossible to write about personal experiences without politics entering the room. Moving away also made me see both Iran and Europe from a different angle.
A lot of my material comes from noticing the gap between how people describe themselves and how they actually behave. I’m drawn to moments where everyone thinks they’re being perfectly reasonable, but the situation itself is completely absurd.
How does it feel to be returning to the Edinburgh Fringe?
I’m excited to finally bring my own solo hour. I’ve previously performed guest spots, compilation shows and a dark comedy triple bill at the Fringe, but this feels more personal because it is entirely my work and my point of view. Fringe audiences watch a lot of comedy, so you feel that you are performing for people who genuinely care about the form. Their taste may be completely different from yours, but they know what they are watching. I’m excited to see how the show connects with them.
Which funny women would you recommend seeing at the Fringe this year?
I would recommend Sofia May’s 9/11 Birds and the Bees and The Buddha Wears Prada. She is a good friend of mine, but more importantly, she has a genuinely strange, interesting and distinctive sense of humour. Her comedy feels like it could only have come from her brain, which is one of the best things you can say about a comedian.
I’d also recommend Anna Beros, Steph DePrez, and Shannon Brooke. They’re all wonderful comics with strong voices, which I love in a woman and in a comedian.
You can follow Sepideh on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Tickets and more information for 1979: Persianality Disorder can be found here!
