Boston's favorite roving storytelling show, Wild Memory
Nation, is pairing with the Women in Comedy Festival (WICF) to bring you a
storytelling extravaganza.
The show will feature a stellar all-female lineup, and is happening
this Monday, September 26th at 7 PM in the Arsenal Center for the
Arts. Buy tickets at the door or here http://bit.ly/2cULN8f.
Before the show, WICF sat down with the performers and asked
them a few questions. Here is what they said:
Kevin Quigley (Producer of Wild Memory
Nation)
WICF: What compelled
you to start Wild Memory Nation?
KQ: There have always been storytelling
shows in Boston: Ken Green's terrific Story
Club is still going strong, and while
it was here, A Night of Oral Tradition was fantastic. There are just so many
excellent storytellers in this town and beyond, and I think there just can't be
enough venues to show off their stuff. As for Wild Memory Nation itself: I
thought there ought to be a show where comedy was the point. I think laughing about
the weird or dark or difficult times in your life can be cathartic. That's why
the tag line of the show is "true stories, real funny." One of the
varieties of Wild Memory Nation is "Tornadoes," and its intention is
to tell funny stories about super dark stuff. There's comedy in everything, and
I believe sharing the deeper comedy underneath all these real stories is a
great way of reckoning with the strangeness of our lives.
WICF: Why did you
choose to partner with WICF?
KQ: WICF is such an amazing force in
comedy, the fact that they asked to work with me blew my mind. To be able to
work with this organization is such a rare and thrilling treat. Why would I NOT
choose to?
WICF: Why did you
feel it was important to have an all-woman show?
KQ: Because we're still at the point at
which an all-woman show is something to celebrate. I would love to get to a
point at which an all-woman comedy show is just another awesome thing that
happens. When I was booking a standup show last year and had four women on the
show, one comedian came up to me and thanked me for feeling like I could do that.
It stunned me; I didn't know that was unusual. That's when I found out that a
lot of shows will only book a single woman on a night of comedy "because
they have to," and if there is more than one woman on a show, they never
go up back to back. All these rules seem so arbitrary and absurd, and anything
that works to change the perception of comedy as mostly a guy's game is
anything I'm willing to be part of. I mean, don't you want to have the funniest
people, regardless of gender?
WICF: What is your
favorite breakfast food?
KQ: Eggo makes gluten free waffles now
and they taste like Fruity Pebbles. That's heaven on earth!
WICF: What do you do
during the day?
TK: I do administrative work at MIT.
(Essentially, I roll my eyes at people
all day at MIT.)
WICF: What makes you
laugh?
TK: Reflecting on bizarre aspects of the
human condition, animals doing people things, white people, parody songs (good
ones, though, where the author actually makes an effort), and celeb gossip.
WICF: How did you get
involved with Wild Memory Nation?
TK: I attribute it to my own dumb luck
and the kindness of strangers. I had been barely six months into comedy when
one night, Kevin Quigley spotted me in the green room at ImprovBoston. I was a
nervous wreck before going on Battle Royale, practically dry-heaving and
breaking out into hives, but without even having seen me perform, he decided to
book me on a future show at Johnny D's (RIP). I guess he just thought I looked
funny. His spot judgement and decision to book me ended up working out quite
well for the both of us. He's now one of my dearest friends and biggest
supporters, and a HUGE part of why I am where I am today.
WICF: Any advice to
female comedians?
TK: Do NOT be afraid to call out creeps.
Do not work with creeps. Expose them for the creeps they are. People will back
you up. Don't feel limited by the fact that you're a woman. Most of what these
guys out here have is dick jokes; know that you can offer SO much more! Reach
out to other women, and support one another -- we're all in this together. Even
though things have improved from before, we have the power to make our world
our lives and the avenues for our career trajectory even better.
WICF: What’s
your favorite breakfast food?
TK: Eggs and cheese -- heavy on the cheese.
WICF: Do you have any
comedy mentors?
CW: I've been a regular at the Comedy
Studio since I was about a year into comedy and the owner, Rick Jenkins has
always given me great advice. In general, there are a lot of comics in Boston
who've been cool enough to answer my dumb questions, which I've always
appreciated. I also hung out with Maria Bamford for about an hour before I
opened for her last year. It was a short time but she was amazing and went so
far as to explain how contacts and things like that work, which was totally
awesome.
WICF: Who are some of
your favorite comedians?
CW: Maria Bamford, Patton Oswalt, Mike
Birbiglia, John Stewart, John Mulaney, Chelsea Peretti
WICF: Do you have any advice for new comedians?
CW: First and foremost comedy is hard.
You are going to suck for a long time and it's going to be terrible for a while.
If you put time into it and work on your act, it's totally worth it. You'll be
able to do some really cool things. That being said, comedy really isn't for
everybody and that's okay too.
WICF: What’s your favorite breakfast food?
CW: Oh man, that's a tough one. All of
them? I guess if I had to pick maybe, eggs benedict or biscuits and gravy or
pancakes from Deluxe Town Diner but ONLY if there's maple syrup. Not that fake
stuff. I have very strong feelings about maple syrup.
Also for some reason diner toast is
amazing. So...umm...all of those things? Man I'm hungry. I just had a salad and
it sucked. We should get brunch!
Laura Merli
WICF: How, if at all,
has the comedy scene changed for women in the time since
you became a comedian?
LM: In the short time I've been doing
comedy I've seen more and more women get involved at the local level, plus
better and better female-focused content on TV and comedy websites. I
absolutely adore Reductress for comedy articles and have been lucky enough to
write for them on a few occasions. When I was growing up, it was just
unthinkable that we'd have so many TV comedies with female performers in
quality, rounded roles (30 Rock, Parks & Rec, The Mindy Project, Broad City,
etc) instead of just playing the hot love interest or nagging mom stereotypes.
There's still a lot of improvement to go till we're at equality, especially in
terms of racial diversity, but the needle seems to slowly be moving in the right
direction, which is inspiring for women in comedy at all levels.
WICF: Any advice to
female comedians?
LM: If you'd like to try comedy, do it.
Some people will tell you that other female comedians are catty, but in my
experience, the vast majority are really approachable, quality people. Other
people will tell you not to talk certain subjects because "every female
comic talks about X, Y, and Z." Take this with a big grain of salt. There
are a ton of topics that people of all genders talk about constantly, and
sometimes they are funny/sometimes not depending on how well they're written.
You only know if something is good or not by testing it at a bunch of open
mics.
WICF: Favorite
breakfast food?
LM: Fruit, having 30 minutes to digest,
then cereal or something else heartier.
Danielle Andruskiwec
WICF: How did you get
into comedy?
DA: I used to hate my day job and I had
pretty intense social anxiety and trouble with public speaking, so 4 years ago
I decided to take a comedy class to fill my evenings.
WICF: What makes you
laugh?
DA: When people try to talk in an accent
but are terrible at it. This makes me laugh a lot and I have no idea why it's
so amusing to me!
WICF: Any advice to
female comedians?
DA: Don't compare yourself to other
comedians, compare where you are today to where you were a month ago. We're all
here to bring people joy, so, just support each other.
WICF: Favorite
breakfast food?
DA: Steak
Danielle Cromartie
WICF:
What do you do during the day?
DC: I
am currently working for a local nonprofit to match 9th graders with
mentors for 4 years as they navigate high school and the college process. It’s
a tiring, yet rewarding position that is part teacher and match advocate
WICF: How did you get into comedy?
DC: I got into comedy by accident. I never
thought I was a funny person. In fact, I mostly thought people laughed at me
when I was the awkward kid in high school. However, that all changed when I
started to take classes at ImprovBoston. I took classes there as a means of
fulfilling my love of theater and the stage. Now, I love improve far more than
traditional theater and comedic storytelling is something I’ve started to get
book for as well. It’s amazing how things work out.
WICF: Do you have any comedy mentors? If so, who?
DC: Right now, my comedy mentor is definitely
Kevin Quigley. He’s given me so many opportunities. He’s amazingly generous and
kind. I definitely feel he’s helped move me along and will continue to move me
along. I am very grateful to him.
WICF: Any advice to female comedians?
DC: Female comedians are no different from
male comedians. We have the power to be whomever we want and to say whatever we
want. I would say to be courageous and to put yourselves out there, be okay
with making mistakes, have fun, and just do it. The more you do it, the more
opportunities will open up, especially when you are not expecting them.
WICF: Favorite breakfast food?
DC: Waffles
and bacon…enough said.
Laura Clark
WICF: What do you do
during the day?
LC: I'm a dog walker and sitter for Monumentails
in Charlestown. I also teach sketch at IB.
WICF: Who are some of your favorite comedians?
LC: Besides Kids in the Hall and The
Simpsons, I'm really inspired by The Catherine Tate Show. My favorite comedian
is Chelsea Peretti- her special "One of the Greats" blends stand up
and sketch in a way I had never seen before and it's stomachachingly funny. I
love Josh Gondelman's album Physical Whisper. Matt Braunger, Hannibal Buress, Broad
City.....I could go on
WICF: How did you get
involved with Wild Memory Nation?
LC: Kevin Quigley worked very hard for a
long time to develop consistently high quality shows. Then he pulled me out of
a pile of Cheetos wrappers and said "do you want to tell a story?"
And I grunted yes.
WICF: Do you have any
advice to new comedians?
LC: IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FUN. IT'S
SUPPOSED TO BE FUN. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE
FUN. I wish I had remembered that in my
early 20s. I felt like "I'll get the commercial success, somehow, and THEN
I'll have the freedom to do fun projects that make me happy." Turns out I
always had that freedom. Why devote yourself to laughter if you're not laughing
yourself?
WICF: Any advice to
female comedians?
LC: Find other women and support each
other's comedy. Buddy up for open
mics, write a show together. I love
working with the brilliant and enlightened men on my teams, but increasingly I
see the importance of surrounding yourself with women who support and inspire
you.
WICF: Favorite
breakfast food?
LC: I make a sick caprese breakfast
sandwich.
Emily Ruskowski
WICF: What do you do
during the day?
ER: I'm an emergency mental health crisis
clinician.
WICF: How did you get
into comedy?
ER: My friends told me I was funny and
made me make it my New Year's Resolution for 2009 to try stand up.
WICF: Do you have any
comedy mentors? If so, who?
ER: If I am ever half as funny and clever
as RuPaul, I will be thrilled.
WICF: How, if at all,
has the comedy scene changed for women in the time since you became a comedian?
ER: I started just about seven years ago
in DC. I see way more female comics now, which I love. Having more women on the
scene is great. I remember when I first started headlining bar shows in DC the
bookers would say "Great. We'll make it a woman theme show and have you
headline." as if I couldn't possibly follow guys. Also, you would
hear a lot of "We already have a woman on the show" and that's pretty
rare to hear now, though it definitely still happens. I think women are
building more opportunities for ourselves and each other and fewer and fewer
bookers are seeing female comics as some sort of fleeting gimmick.
WICF: Any advice to
female comedians?
ER: Be funny, constantly work to better
your comedy because you're still going to be held to a different standard. A
bad set for a guy is a bad set. A bad set for a woman is a bad comic. Is it
fair? Nope. It's a good thing we're strong, smart, and talented enough to bring
it and break down these barriers and preconceived notions about us. Remember,
women aren't funny! Carol Burnett was a space robot, 9 to 5 didn't come out 36
years ago and Joan Rivers was a figment of your imagination. In all
seriousness, the best advice I can give is to be funny and don't ever let
anyone tell you that you don't belong in comedy. Women have a place in comedy.
We always have and we always will.
WICF: Favorite
breakfast food?
ER: No joke, I had a conversation with a
dietician today about how the amount of cheese I eat for breakfast is a
problem.
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