Underground Stand-up

Oleksandr Zhypetsky

Date of Birth – March 13, 1993

City – Kyiv (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – Stand-up, improvisation

Comedian's Formation

Oleksandr Zhypetsky is a well-known Ukrainian stand-up comedian, improviser, and actor. He gained initial popularity due to his humor and participation in various shows, although in his childhood, he dreamt of becoming a doctor. Today, Oleksandr is a resident of the popular Kyiv club "Underground Stand-up" and performs in plays at the "Black Square" Theatre. Short videos on TikTok helped the comedian reach a broader audience. His witty humor and accessible delivery style easily won the hearts of thousands of fans.

Creative Path

His stand-up debut took place more than 8 years ago. Since then, the comedy star has created several solo programs, cementing his position as one of the best representatives of the genre in the country. The comedian's powerful performances now gather fans of quality stand-up at both large and small venues in the capital and other cities. The artist’s shows are not only solo but also take place alongside other representatives of modern Ukrainian comedy – residents of "Underground Stand-up."

Oleksandr Zhypetsky not only gathers millions of views on YouTube, helping develop the domestic stand-up industry, but also actively collaborates with the team of the well-known Kyiv theatre "Black Square." The actor is involved in plays such as "Preliminary Caresses" and "Kvadrat-Show." Oleksandr’s live irony and outstanding charisma help create vibrant and unique characters on stage. His performances are successful and always receive ovations. And in the future, one of his plays might be awarded a prize at a prestigious theatrical festival.

Artist’s Style and Development

Over the years of his career, Oleksandr has accumulated a wealth of material and jokes, among which there are true humor hits. The comedian's solo performances attract more and more people who come to hear the "best hits" of the talented author. Oleksandr Zhypetsky's stand-up concerts combine classic stories, reflections, and live improvisation. During his almost two-hour performances, the comedian touches on topics of childhood and growing up, reflects on why it's so hard to peel a pineapple, talks about friends, relationships, anime, the existential difficulties of cashiers' work, and much more.

Oleksandr, who has turned 30, admits that he doesn't feel like an adult. He dreams of always being in love and never spends a day without irony. When asked why he doesn't feel like he has enough for happiness, he answers philosophically: "Everything is enough, you just have to realize it." And also – he jokes – he would like to learn how not to worry about money. The talented artist continues his career as an actor because he is confident that he has something to say from the stage.

Interesting Facts About the Artist

• For his 30th birthday, he wanted an electric scooter, but his friends gave him a comprehensive medical check-up;
• In his videos and performances, Oleksandr often mentions his pet cat, Marsik. In particular, together with Marsik, Oleksandr announces important meetings for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and appears before the public;
• Favorite movie – "A Simple Story" by David Lynch;
• Favorite actors – Christian Bale, Ralph Fiennes, Timothée Chalamet;
• Hobbies – reading, philosophy, psychology, sports;
• Favorite saying – "You can always burn out, but try not to burn out";
• To be alone with himself, he walks around the city.

Serhiy Stepanysko

City – Kyiv (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – stand-up, improvisation

Becoming a comedian

Serhiy Stepanysko is a popular Ukrainian stand-up comedian, a resident of the Underground Stand Up club, a participant in successful humorous projects, a master of Ukrainian philology by education. The guy’s first acquaintance with comedy happened like this: his mother, a teacher, took Serhiy to a humor evening held at a Zolochiv college. The event resembled a KVN in content: several teams fought for victory in various competitions on stage. Cheerful music, songs, jokes, a warm audience – even then Serhiy liked the general mood of the evening.

Having decided to try his hand at the entertainment genre, Serhiy Stepanysko began to actively participate in creative groups at the school where he studied. In the 11th grade, he played in the KVN and, upon entering the university, did not abandon creativity and even became the captain of the student team. During that period, he met comedian Anton Tymoshenko and other representatives of Ukrainian humor, who by that time already had their own style and recognition in wide circles. The friends created their own team, which in 2017 was selected for the TV festival "League of Laughter".

Independent creative path

Realizing that the potential of team performances had exhausted itself, Serhiy decided to develop as a solo artist. The artist has been doing stand-up independently since 2018. At that time, the start of a career in humor was more promising, because the number of competitors was small. However, no one canceled the importance of charisma and talent in achieving popularity. Therefore, Serhiy began to actively develop his own style and expand the army of fans of his work.

The experience of his colleagues in the creative department suggested to the comedian that performances within certain formats and as part of humorous groups are more promising in conquering a wider audience. This prompted Serhiy to join the Ukrainian Stand Up Agency project. The community members focused on promoting Ukrainian-language stand-up, which greatly impressed Serhiy Stepanyska, who sought to reduce the amount of Russian-language content on the Internet and on TV, while reviving the audience's interest in Ukrainian culture and humor.

Collaboration with other comedian groups was not the only tool for developing a humorous career. Sergey tried himself in popular TV shows, one of which was "Make a Comedian Laugh". The modern stand-up star lost in the first minute. There were several more attempts, but they were aimed more at satisfying Sergey's vanity than at increasing the artist's popularity. And the money earned in the project during the full-scale invasion went to the needs of the military.

Among the important means on the path to success, Serhiy Stepanysko singles out activity in the Internet space. Creating and promoting content on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok works for a wider audience. After all, expecting recognition throughout the country after a concert for several dozen spectators, even with cool and relevant material, is naive. And the prospect of large-scale tours opens up to the artist thanks to persistent and methodical work.

The role of philological education in the career of a stand-up comedian

Serhiy Stepanysko has a master's degree in Ukrainian philology. The knowledge and experience gained, according to the comedian, have taught the artist to think and analyze large amounts of information. It is not surprising that philological topics occupy an important place in the comedian's material. Among other things, Serhiy Stepanysko jokes about:

• relations in the field of Ukrainian stand-up comedy;
• own formation in the comedy genre;
• anxiety and trips to a psychotherapist;
• social media rants and much more.

Topics that are taboo in humor for Sergey:

• about mobilization in a negative way;
• about the experience of the military – without their personal permission;
• about Russians – if it diminishes the feeling of threat from the enemy (in Serhiy's opinion, such jokes diminish the merits of our defenders);
• racism, sexism, cruelty.

Today, despite the large number of negative events that fill our lives, Serhiy Stepanysko continues to find inspiration for creating new jokes and programs. After all, humor remains one of the most effective antidepressants for people. And the comedian calls the biggest thrill for him the laughter of the military, who come to concerts and give confidence that all your actions are not in vain.