The once ‘shy and quiet’ comedian heading for Footlights: Diya Shah

We caught up with Diya, to hear about what attracted her to Sidney, her time here, and her love of language and laughs. 

Diya Shah (2021)

So, what drew you to Linguistics? 

“For a long time, I didn't know what I was going to do and then I stumbled upon the description for Linguistics on the University of Cambridge website. 

“For A levels, I did English Lit, Maths, French and German. So, Linguistics is right in the middle of all of that. I thought, this is perfect because it's kind of everything I'm interested in, in one subject. 

“It's a really all-encompassing degree. It's got a bit of everything. I've really enjoyed it so far.” 

So, for someone reading this, who is trying to decide what to study, what does Linguistics involve? 

“It's kind of the science of language. So, it's a bit about language itself and how it's constructed with sounds, words, structures. And then there's the philosophy side, looking at meanings. And then the stuff that I'm most interested in is the psychology behind it all - how we process language, how we acquire language, and how first and second language acquisition kind of differs throughout life.  

“I did computational linguistics as well this year, looking at natural language processing and how our understanding of that's developed.” 

And you chose Sidney. 

“Yes, at the time, I wasn't really sure whether I was even going to apply to Cambridge. My parents said, ‘You might as well give it a try. Just have a look and see how it goes.’ So I visited Cambridge and I thought, yeah, I can see myself here. 

“I made a very long list of all the colleges, writing down pros and cons. It was between Sidney and a couple of other colleges, but I was drawn to Sidney.” 

So, cast your mind back, what were the pros of Sidney that you wrote on that list? 

“Well, it's quite a small college and I felt that was what I was looking for: a more tight-knit group of people.  

“There’s Sid Bar as well, I'd heard good things about that! 

“And then just things like 24-hour access to the library, being able to live on site for all three years.  

“I could see it was a good college and very pretty as well. So I thought, ‘This is ideal.’” 

And has it proved a good choice? 

“Yeah, I don't think I could see myself at any other college now. I'm very happy I applied here.  

“I know almost everyone in my year, which is nice. And all the people that I've met here, all my friends: it's just been fantastic.  

“Also, my Director of Studies is amazing. Anything I have, I just go straight to him.  

“I feel like everything just came together very magically when I got here. I love it.  

“So, my research definitely paid off!” 

Turning to comedy… growing up, was it something you always wanted to do, or did your desire to perform emerge more recently? 

“I think a bit of both. Comedy and theatre, I never thought I'd be able to do at school. Not having the confidence before stopped me. But I also didn't really have the opportunity to try it in the way that I do here. So, once I got here, I realised I had the opportunity to do it. I thought I'd give it a try and it’s gone better than I expected!” 

So, how did you get started in comedy? 

“I went to a lot of the Freshers events at the ADC, just to get a feel for it, and to see if it was something that I could do, but I didn't actually do anything until later. I auditioned for a sketch show in Lent, which I got, and during the rehearsal process for that, I wrote a standup set, which I performed at a Footlights smoker. I thought, ‘This is quite fun, I could do more of this’. 

“Smokers are open to anyone who wants to try out new material and a lot of Footlights do them throughout their membership to try out new material as well.” 

You mentioned that your lack of confidence had held you back previously. How did it feel getting up on stage that first time? 

“It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. A friend was doing it the same day, so that helped - we were in the same boat. 

“And a lot of my friends were in the audience, so I told them, ‘You have to laugh! Please just laugh as loudly as you can!’ So, I suppose I knew I wasn't going to crash and burn (laughs).” 

And now you’re in Footlights? 

“Yes, so I realised I enjoyed performing comedy, and I just kept going. I pitched a couple of sketch shows in my second year, and just kept writing and doing standup sets in between.  

“And then I applied to Footlights at the end of last term. I had to make a list of all the comedy that I'd done and how having Footlights membership would have a positive impact on me. I auditioned as well. It was exciting to be offered membership because a lot of people that I'd worked with on different shows, and people I’d seen at different smokers, also got membership in the same round of applications.  

How many Footlights members are there at any one time? 

“I think the maximum is 14. It's normally between, I think, 12 and 14 - it depends on the year and how many people are going for membership. 

And if you're a member, do you automatically feature in the big Footlights show? 

“Yes, we all get the opportunity to take part in Spring Revue next year, which I'm very excited about.  

“We write the show together, so once all the members are announced, we will probably sit in a room, bouncing ideas of each other.  

“When we went to see the show this year, my friend said, ‘Oh, you might be doing this next year!’ That was quite cool to think about. And now I know I will be doing it, it's very exciting!” 

So, you've gone from not having the confidence to perform at school, to coming to the end of your second year here and looking ahead to Footlights - it's quite a transformation. 

“It’s quite a jump, yes! I'm not entirely sure how it's happened, but I'm very grateful that it has. 

“Doing Spring Revue is going to be really fun, knowing that three years before I wouldn't have had the nerve to do any of this. And now sketches I’ve written are going to be part of a Footlights show. So, it's very exciting, yes.”