Ayanna Dookie: Bio, Comedy Style, and Where to Watch

Who is Ayanna Dookie?

Ayanna Dookie is a stand-up comedian, writer, and Lupus advocate born to Trinidadian immigrant parents and based in Brooklyn, New York. She studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park — where she started performing stand-up after repeatedly hosting informal lunchtime sessions in the Black Engineers Lounge. Her fellow engineers eventually told her to take the material to an open mic. In 2013 she made what she describes as “the logical engineering decision” to leave engineering behind and move to New York City to pursue comedy full time.

She has been featured on HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay, Comedy Central, truTV’s Laff Tracks, BET, 2 Dope Queens on WNYC, NPR’s Snap Judgment, and Fox’s Laughs. Her writing credits include BET’s 50 Central and Wild ‘N Out. She was the 2014 winner of The She Devil Comedy Festival, a semi-finalist in NBC’s Stand-Up for Diversity, and a finalist in the New York Underground Comedy Festival Emerging Comics Competition. She performs regularly at the Comedy Cellar, New York Comedy Club, Gotham Comedy Club, and clubs across the country. She is also a Lupus advocate and has spoken publicly about living with the disease.

Ayanna Dookie’s Comedy Style

Dookie describes her comedy as “smart, personal comedy that feels equal parts thoughtful observation and beautifully organised rant.” The engineering background is real and present in her work — she approaches material with the precision of someone who ran calculations before deciding this was the more efficient career path. Her perspective as a first-generation American daughter of Trinidadian immigrants, as a woman in male-heavy rooms, and as someone managing a chronic illness gives her material a specificity that cuts through.

Where to Find Ayanna Dookie

Find tour dates and follow at ayannadookie.com.

Ayanna Dookie has performed at the Comedy Cellar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Check the current lineup and upcoming shows at comedycellar.com.

Catch Comedy Cellar shows live from New York on Mint Comedy at watch.mintcomedy.com.