Social media influencer and comedian Sed Pillay is keeping the jokes family-friendly at the Sarva Dharma Ashram Seva Trust’s “Durban Variety Show”.
The evening promises great comedy, music and food. His sister, the dynamic Tee Pillay, who is also an influencer, is the host.
Family band, Versatyl Entertainment will offer great tunes throughout the evening.
In a chat with Sed, he unpacked what the audience can expect.
He said: “A lot of dry humour, a lot of satire. I’ll be picking fun at my fiancé, with her permission of course.
“It’s family-friendly laughs, I touch on our trip to London and the crazy things she made me do there. And they will get a bit of an insight into my life as a full time content creator.”
Sed’s involvement in the event came at the right time as he wanted to get involved in some charitable work, when this event fell on his lap.
"We thought this would be a really nice initiative. It’s a really good cause, all the monies go towards a trust for feeding and education schemes for the underprivileged. It’s in line with me because I am all about education and uplifting the youth,” said Sed.
Social media users may recognise Sed from his comedy skits and social media adverts but before entering this space, Sed worked as a managing consultant for five years.
“I studied at UCT and got a finance degree and did my masters in demography... I saw the effect my content was having on the public, getting stopped when I left the house, having grown my combined following to over 300K, I kind of thought, ‘Hey, I can actually make a living out of this’.
“I did various adverts and saw that this was definitely sustainable, especially with my MCing. I’m trying to really expose myself to this new way of life by building my name, it’s doable,” said Sed.
He explained that it was never his dream as a child, but a “happy accident”.
“I acted in the NAF at school level and at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, so I was always a bit of a dramatic person and I loved music.
“Being able to marry all of that talent into a new way of life, wasn’t something I ever thought possible until Covid hit and I downloaded TikTok and my following just grew.
“So it was all a happy accident, and I am so blessed and fortunate that it landed me at this stage where I am now.”
He added: “People need a laugh. You open TikTok and you see half-naked people shaking their backsides, getting a following that way, and I think because my sister and I have a different set of values (a strong emphasis on family and respect for one and the community), we wanted to be people that the community could be proud of.
“Some people actually misunderstand a lot of my comedy... But I am showing how alike we as South Africans are.
“We all have a strong emphasis on family, we all like to laugh, we all up in each others business, we all irritated by the government, so I am trying to unify not only Indians but the country based on humour.”
Catch Sed on stage on Saturday, October 21, at Sastri College Auditorium at 5pm. Tickets are R200 via Quicket or call 082 355 3123.
KZN Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2023 “World Symphony Series Spring Season”
The Orchestra celebrates it’s 40th anniversary this year and are marking the occasion with their 2023 “World Symphony Series Spring Season”.
German conductor Justus Franz returns to the podium on October 19 to open the season.
The next show, on October 26, will see Spanish conductor Irene Delgado-Jiménez - a protegee of Marin Alsop - makes her debut appearance on the KZN Philharmonic’s podium.
She has aptly chosen Robert Schumann’s idyllic Spring Symphony as her opening item. It was the first completed symphonic work he composed in the 1840s.
After intermission, violinist Nikita Boriso-Glebsky will share the benefits of his close association with Beethoven’s much loved Violin Concerto in D Major, a work which lies at the heart of all violin literature.
Local favourite Daniel Boico returns to the podium on November 2 with a crowd-pleasing line-up.
And the season climaxes on November 9 with American maestro Robert Moody’s beautifully curated programme, comprising Dvořák’s symphonic poem “Mein Heim” (My Home) and Sir Edward Elgar’s nostalgic “Cello Concerto”.
Where: Durban Playhouse Opera.
When: Thursday, October 26, November 2 and November 9.
Cost: R50 via Quicket. For more information call 031 369 9438, email [email protected] or visit www.kznphil.org.za.