Wil Sylvince Blazes a Trail for Haitian Comedians

December 8, 2013 7:25 PM

Haitian-American comic, Wil Sylvince, began his comedy career using material from incidents of personal embarrassment during his teens. His style is kinetic, punctuating laugh lines with mugging and wild gestures. He works the audience with eye popping, pregnant silences to prolong laugh lines, and fixed stares to underscore selected jokes.

Just For Laughs Festival: Wil Sylvince - Jamaican Speak

Under the duress of his parents' urging, he majored in mechanical engineering at college. Comedy called to him, though, chiefly through Richard Pryor's ballsy comedy act that exposed black ghetto stereotypes as lies. His gigs at the Comedy Cellar led to touring the U.S. with Damon Wayans and other comedians.

Haitian Comedian Wil Sylvince @ Compas on Broadway

Wil Sylvince endured a rough period in his life after his mother, Solange, died of a stroke. Depressed, he overate, and experienced a series of one-night stands. His creativity dried up and he worked less as a comedian. The way out of his dilemma was to trade guaranteed laughs for material that explored the funny side of life in his family. He made light of his father's accent and his mother's boisterous conversations with anyone. He connected with TV audiences, who identified with the universality of family life.

Wil Sylvince has created a vehicle to assist minorities get their foot in the door in the entertainment industry. He launched a short-film festival, and his new endeavor created a moniker for him, "That Haitian Dude". Lately he has been penning a script about a Haitian man, whose dreams of becoming a boxer lead him to America.

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