Be critical of your work, but confident in yourself. Know that you're funny. Fear of rejection is just rejecting yourself. I have a million of these fortune cookie responses, but I believe them.This week, WICF sits down in New York City with one of the busiest women in comedy we know — the talented writer, director, and performer, Caitlin Tegart. She talks to us about her start at The Upright Citizen’s Brigade and a whole lot more ...
— Caitlin Tegart
WICF: Hi Caitlin!
Caitlin: Hello!
WICF: Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started in comedy.
Caitlin: I am originally from Indiana and I like country music. I read Rue McClanahan's biography in a day. I got into comedy through a friend who was taking improv classes at UCB [Upright Citizen’s Brigade]. He dragged me to a Mother show (a long running UCB house improv team) one weekend and I fell in love with the theater. The show was amazing, but I was really mesmerized by the whole place. I took an improv 101 class (shout out to Betsy Stover!) and immediately I knew I wanted to do comedy forever after the first class.
WICF: What is "Vag Magazine"?
WICF: Who is the primary target audience for this show?
Caitlin: Anyone who loves character driven comedy! Of course, most of our fans tend to be college-educated, urban women, but we've drawn all kinds of fans.
WICF: How has the reception been so far? What are your goals for the show in the future?
Caitlin: Amazing! We've been featured in dozens of articles and the fan support on Twitter and Facebook has been tremendous. People really seem to "get it," which is awesome!
WICF: When I first got an invite from you to see "Vag Magazine," I have to say — I was curious about what it was … and I was nervous to open the link at work! It is a strong name for a show. Did you think about that at all when choosing the name? Do you think the name has an effect on your audience? What about in regards to gender — interest in the show from men vs. women?
Caitlin: Since the magazine is a parody of Bust and Bitch, we kinda had to go the extra mile to up the ante on the name. Vag just seemed so right on, we never thought twice about it. I think a lot of people male or female that are familiar with feminist magazines got it right away. Yes, we have had people think it's pornographic! One of the tag lines we tossed around was "Safe for Work!"
WICF: You also recently started your own podcast — "Caitorade." Tell us a bit about that and why you decided to start it up.
Caitlin: I love discussing what inspires people and how that pushes them to work and I am so fascinated by how people put together their shows and videos — how people find their voice! I find myself inspired by a wide and weird range of things ("MST3K," Thai martial arts movies, Fred Willard) so I wondered what was behind many of the artists I admire in the NYC comedy community.
WICF: I watched every episode of "The Pretty Good Sports Show" and loved it! Could you tell us a bit about it and how you got involved?
Caitlin: Craig Rowin (the head writer/director) and I had worked together on another show so he asked me to be a part of the original team that traveled to Bristol, CT (ESPN worldwide headquarters) to make a pilot overnight. I was added very last minute and I was the only woman (besides our great producer Melissa Panzer) and then I got the stomach flu right when we got there. I was like half-alive, drinking Dr. Pepper, meekly pitching sketches like whispering "what about Muggsy Bogues? He's funny, right?"
We made two more pilots and I was picked up as a writer when the show went into production weekly. It was awesome! I was in charge of the joke writing segment up top. I got so much better at joke writing as the show progressed. And I know a lot more about A-Rod now. For better or worse.
WICF: You are a teacher at UCB, you seem to have a different show going up at UCB Theater every night, and every day I see a new sketch online that you have written! What do you think makes a person "successful" in comedy? Any tips?
Caitlin: You can't wait for opportunities to come to you! You have to make them. Be critical of your work, but confident in yourself. Know that you're funny. Fear of rejection is just rejecting yourself. I have a million of these fortune cookie responses, but I believe them.
WICF: Do feel that your gender has impacted your success in comedy in any way — positive or negative?
Caitlin: It's so hard to say! I know there are specific opportunities I have had because I am a woman, while other times I've thought I was more qualified for jobs than the guy who got them. On a practical level, you just have to keep going and help other women who rule.
WICF: Anything else you're currently working on?
Caitlin: I just started doing stand up and I am loving it! I am performing all over NYC and hopefully expanding soon. My play "Waiting for Obama: A Night at the Hall of Presidents" will be staged at the Strawberry One-Act festival on February 4.
WICF: Sweet! Where can we find out more about what you’re doing? Give us some links!
Caitlin: CaitlinTegart.com (this has all my show dates)! VagMagazine.tv (the complete series is online)! Download "caitorade" on iTunes and follow my joke twitter @caitnightjokes.
At Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Caitlin wrote the sketch show "How Rude: Tim & D'Arcy Find the 90s" and the one-act play "Waiting for Obama: A Night at the Hall of Presidents," in which animatronic presidents come alive to discuss civil rights and The Lion King (you know, like they do in real life). The latter show made an epic West Coast journey to UCB Los Angeles and the San Francisco SketchFest and was featured on Sirius XM's "Raw Dog Comedy."
Caitlin has served as writer and director of the UCB house sketch team Stone Cold Fox. She currently writes for UCB's weekend sketch show "Beneath Gristedes" and the video sketch team Diamonds, Wow! She directed the sketch shows "Citizen Rothstein," "Sing Out, Louise!" and "This Is About Smith." Her web series "Vag Magazine" can be seen at VagMagazine.tv.
Caitlin can be seen regularly performing stand-up comedy in New York and nationally.
Interviewed for WICF by Rachel Rosenthal.
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