10 stand-up comedians

Bohdan Pysmenko

City – Kharkiv (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – stand-up, improvisation

Creative path

Bohdan Pysmenko is an experienced Ukrainian comedian, a TikTok star who has been in the genre for over 8 years. Today, the artist gives solo concerts and has a considerable army of fans. At the beginning of his creative path, he understood an important point: to be a good comedian, you need to be able to reflect on the events happening around you. Otherwise, an attentive audience will feel the falsity and it will be more difficult to gather the audience next time. At the same time, according to Bohdan, you should always be critical of your performances. If you were lucky enough to make the audience laugh today, this does not give the comedian the title of god of comedy. But it becomes an impetus for development.

The artist describes his feeling as a realized comedian as follows: “my soul has calmed down a little.” At the same time, Bohdan believes that being funny is very important for success. The first six months of performances were exploratory for the stand-up comedian – he tried to find topics and develop his own style. He was filled with ideas for creativity from films, TV series, and musical works. During his formation in humor, Bohdan participated in various projects. Some of them still remain a stage for the comedian’s performances. The audience could see the stand-up comedian on the air of the following formats and groups:

• Kharkiv stand-up club Split Comedy;
• "Comedy Club";
• podcast "Sex and Contents";
• "Dispersals from the vagrant" and others.

Artist's style and development

Bohdan Pysmenko is called the new star of Ukrainian stand-up, and his unique and inimitable style is defined as “brazen intelligentsia”. Recognition and popularity, successful solo concerts and collaboration with other humor colleagues are modern realities for the master of comedy. Bohdan’s work appeals to stand-up fans thanks to simple and understandable topics. The comedian talks about:

• tattoos and inflation;
• love, relationships with women and intimate experiences;
• childhood and tasteless sauces;
• job search, various everyday situations, and more.

Social activity

Together with other representatives of Ukrainian humor, Bohdan Pysmenko takes an active part in charity performances, the funds from which are transferred to the needs of our military. It is also necessary to note the special, therapeutic effect of the humor of the talented author on Ukrainians. For many, meetings with the comedian are indispensable in replenishing morale and helping to recharge as much as possible in conditions of constant stress.

Dan Che – style and charisma in action

Dan Che is a bright representative of Ukrainian stand-up, a resident of the Kyiv club "Brodyachy Stand Up", a participant of the Stand up for three format. The comedian's bright image and his taboo-free humor do their job flawlessly, drawing the attention of more and more stand-up fans to Dan's work.

What Dan Che is joking about

If we talk about the topics that the comedian touches on in his performances, then these are children and relationships in the family, sex, current problems of society and much more. Dan, for example, can delicately lay out all the advantages of the moment when you have "family" on you, or reflect with the audience on the harmfulness of filters on Instagram. Non-trivial topics and a generally restrained style of communication with the audience are components that create a unique image of a cool comedian.

Kyrylo Zalata

City – Kyiv (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – stand-up, improvisation

Creative path

Kyrylo Zalata is a Ukrainian stand-up comedian, founder and ex-resident of the Stand-up Club Kotryi club, producer of Stand-up Salon and ahah.comedy, organizer of such humor festivals as STANDUP FAMILY FEST and STANDUP BEACH. By profession, Kyrylo is a geologist, and in fact – a punk (at least that’s what the artist writes about himself). And the star of domestic stand-up is also the owner of the Rector’s Cup of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, a football fan and a bright representative of progressive independent stand-up comedy in the city of Kyiv. Over the years, he has gained fans in the genre and helped other talented comedians conquer the stage and make their stand-up debut.

Artist's style and development

The audience calls the comedian unpredictable and brilliant. Kirill has already performed a huge number of times on the stages of small and large cities. He has toured abroad as part of a comedy troupe. Zalata also has other talents: a poet and a musician. And jokes about this sometimes appear in the comedian's performances. Fans are captivated by the original presentation of the material, Kirill's bright charisma and the impressive density of humor. Among the topics on which the comedian jokes:

• personal observations and children's entertainment;
• political events and dog training on Zoom;
• tattoos and motivational books;
• financial literacy, the path to becoming a romantic, and much more.

Social activity

In addition to his work in the stand-up genre, Kyrylo Zalata is also involved in organizing events. In particular, in collaboration with Serhiy Afonsky, he launched the “Alarming Microphone” project in Kyiv. Events within the format are held in the popular “Basement of Culture” in the capital. Such meetings bring together dozens of fans of modern Ukrainian comedy and help to “untie” the audience emotionally. Therefore, Kyiv residents and guests of the capital are happy to come to stand-up evenings, relax, and also donate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (because without this now - no way).

Nikita Mekhanikov

City – Kharkiv (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – stand-up, improvisation

Creative path

Mykyta Mekhanikov is a Ukrainian stand-up comedian, blogger, and resident of the comedy project “Plus-Minus Stand-Up.” Mykyta created and runs his own YouTube channel. There, the artist posts his performances at concerts with Ukrainian stand-up stars, as well as other original works that captivate comedy fans and win new fans. Mykyta also runs a comedy blog, where he shares interesting information and his own knowledge with the audience.

Mykyta Mekhanikov made his debut in the humor industry on the Kharkiv stage. When announcing the comedian's concerts, the organizers called the artist a favorite performer of Kharkiv residents. After all, his humor has a positive effect on the emotional health of fans and, in terms of its therapeutic properties, can be equated to the most effective antidepressants. Sometimes they even joke about Mykyta's creative style, saying that we still need to look for a person who would not laugh at the author's jokes. And, probably, it will be simply impossible to find such a listener.

Artist's style and development

Over 5 years of work in the comedy genre and blogging, Nikita has become a thought leader and role model for many fans. The comedian records humorous videos in which he reveals social issues and various interesting moments from his own experience and the lives of friends and acquaintances. Among the topics with which Mekhanikov enters the Internet space and takes to the stage during comedy live shows:

• the most common stereotypes;
• characteristics of one's own character;
• learning from others' mistakes;
• using Tinder;
• dating and relationships with a girl;
• obscene language and much more.

The audience is captivated by Mykyta's reels, which are called brilliant. And his subtle, everyday and very funny humor leaves no one indifferent. So there are still many tours, solo concerts and new bright projects ahead, with which the comedian will receive even wider recognition and popularity.

Mykyta Skreminsky

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – stand-up, improvisation

Creative path

Mykyta Skreminsky is a Ukrainian stand-up comedian and screenwriter. Mykyta has not been in stand-up for a long time, but he is confident on stage and charges the audience 100 percent. Energetic and talented, relaxed and frank, the owner of simply incredible charisma, the comedian is steadily expanding his army of fans, including both young and middle-aged people. In April 2023, Mykyta created his YouTube channel, where he publishes videos of his own stand-up concerts and other interesting comedy material. The future star of the humor industry unloads his author's content in batches at solo performances and comedy evenings organized by popular clubs:

• "Stand Up Wanderer" ("12 Stand Up Comedians", "The Funny Seven");
• Ukrainian Stand-Up Agency;
• "Comedy Gallery" and others.

Artist's style and development

In Nikita's performances, what captivates us most is his simplicity and sincerity. The comedian doesn't need to invent anything, because he talks about himself, about his own everyday life and interesting life situations. Exaggerations happen, the comedian admits. However, you definitely won't hear lies at his performances! Nikita's fans are happy to rush to his stand-ups to enjoy jokes on a wide variety of topics. Among them:

• getting to know the hostel and cheap pies;
• emotional experiences and loneliness;
• a believing grandmother and a blab-babbler;
• the difference between the American and Ukrainian understanding of poverty and much more.

At solo concerts or during performances in collaboration with other comedians, Mykyta Skreminsky invariably remains himself and charges his fans with positivity, telling about the most interesting observations and significant events in his life - personal and national. So, during the presentation of the program "TRAGICOMEDIA" the comedian gave the audience a whole hour of cool jokes and friendly communication. Everyone who came got pure pleasure from meeting the artist. And with each new appearance on stage, Mykyta demonstrates development in the genre and creative growth.

Social activity

Like many other representatives of humor, music, and culture in Ukraine, Mykyta Skreminsky, together with his stand-up colleagues, is accumulating maximum efforts to help our Armed Forces. Comedians hold charity auctions, announce important collections on social media pages. The proceeds go to repair cars, antennas for drones, and other things needed on the front. Thus, Mykyta not only charges the audience with positivity, so necessary in our troubled times, but also directs his talent in a useful direction.

A fan of an interesting life, who turns all his observations into jokes

Pavlo Pinchuk is a comedian originally from Dnipro, who today has already reached the level of soloists in the capital. Among the projects in which Pavlo took part are "Razgony" from "Vagabond Standup", Closed Mic, where experienced comedians present new and better material. Together with other comedians, Pavlo takes to the stage of comedy shows of an improvisational format, where bright artists joke without preparation on topics that are received from the audience simply during the concert.

Pavel's subtle humor is interesting because it fully reflects the comedian's attitude to non-trivial situations from seemingly everyday life. The comedian jokes about the absurdity of the modern world, about relationships, addictions and psychotherapists, about the impression he makes on girls and much more.

Yura Kolomiyets

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – Stand-up, improvisation

Comedian's Formation

Yura Kolomiyets is a popular Ukrainian stand-up comedian, creative producer, and showrunner of "Underground Stand-up." He is responsible for the strategy of the club's YouTube channel, development, editing, and directing various formats. He jokes that sometimes while working on editing, he starts to hate comedians because he has to do a lot of painstaking work to present a quality final product – the artist's performance – on the channel. What "annoys" him the most are unnecessary sounds and exclamations. At the same time, he perfectly understands that his own performances look exactly the same from the outside. It's like a live performance by a singer during a tour or at a festival – it is impossible to avoid unsuccessful moments completely. In the end, it is these moments that fill the event with the authenticity that the audience of fans appreciates most in live interactions.

In addition to his work in stand-up, the artist works on his own projects on the internet. The idea of creating his own YouTube channel had been brewing for a long time. Yura wanted to create something of his own and give people the opportunity to see the "more real" side of him. He also wanted to prove to other colleagues in the humor industry that he is capable of producing quality videos. Of course, Yura doesn't yet call himself a YouTube star, but he is confidently moving in that direction. Kolomiyets has even been approached several times for consultations as a YouTube manager.

Creative Path

Yura Kolomiyets' unique style, charisma, and easy communication style have won the hearts of thousands of comedy fans in Ukraine. Stand-up comedy experienced significant growth after the full-scale invasion, when the demand for Ukrainian humor skyrocketed. Yura Kolomiyets solidified his sense of calling during this period. He began performing more frequently at clubs across the country with his own jokes. He realized that popularity and recognition had come when he received feedback from fans after a long silence on his personal channel. Initially, Yura was even offended by the audience for not inquiring about the reasons behind the lack of new videos. However, he later received several positive reviews from people who said they were simply afraid to interrupt the comedian's creative process.

Yura Kolomiyets' creativity touches on various topics:

• Politics and life situations;
• Pets and their owners' culture;
• Travel and foreigners;
• Culinary arts, the restaurant business, hedonism, and many other topics.

Today, the comedian has more than 6 years of experience. He has held successful solo concerts, and his fanbase has grown. His material is accumulating and requires more careful development. When writing, questions often arise: "Am I repeating myself on certain topics? Has this been done by other comedians?" However, Yura has nothing to fear on this front. Even if the same problem is addressed, different authors present it in their own way. True fans of his style will definitely appreciate his unique approach to discussing various issues.

Style and Development of the Artist

Brightly ironic, self-critical, and professional material from Yura Kolomiyets in stand-up has conquered not only the real stage but also the virtual one. The author is actively working on creating his own podcasts and interesting formats. Some of them include:

• “Tasting Savoring.” This podcast format features Yura and his guests (stars of Ukrainian stand-up, famous chefs from popular restaurants) tasting different dishes or drinks. When launching the podcast, Yura mentioned that his goal was not only to chat but to do what he wants – in this case, taste something interesting. Among the guests of the episodes were Vasyl Baidak, Yegor Shatilo, Jaykhun Safarov, Anton Senin, Yevhen Menzelivskyi, and others;
• “The Real Film Club.” Yura presents this format as an addition to the well-known "Underground Film Club." In this project, participants have the opportunity to discuss their favorite films in more depth. Guests of the comedian's film club included Kostya Trembovetsky, Svyat Zahaykevych, Hanna Kochehura, Oleksandr Kachura, and others;
• In 2024, Yura Kolomiyets also joined the team of the stand-up show "Homin Out."

Stand-up and Acting

Yura Kolomiyets believes that the work of an actor and a stand-up comedian are directly related. For example, the comedian creates a large solo program and goes on a tour around the country. He presents the same jokes to the audience. And no matter how much of a hit they are, the presentation is always different. The reason for this could be the performer’s mood, the audience's behavior, or external factors. In such cases, to preserve the essence and power of the joke, one has to truly "act." For some, this is an easier task; for others, it is more difficult. But such moments inevitably arise, and they cannot be avoided.

The comedian notes that in the West, the film industry has long involved comedians in movie shoots. This works because comedians are typically ready-made actors who just need to be directed, and they can handle most of the work themselves. Yura himself has even participated in a casting for a role in a Ukrainian TV series. They needed comedians because actors have to learn how to be funny. And representatives of the humor genre are naturally funny and have nothing to fake.

Yura Kolomiyets: A comfortable comedian with great experience, an ambassador of hedonism, and the producer of your favorite YouTube shows.