www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ott-0427-women-comedy-20120426,0,5576291.story
9:57 AM CDT, April 26, 2012
On a recent Saturday night, people strolling past The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square paused and peered through the window, wondering what all the merriment was about. What they saw were stand-up comedians slinging jokes, and an audience doubled over in laughter.
And while a bookstore is not your usual comedy venue, The Book Cellar is home to The Kates, a twice-monthly comedy showcase for female comedians that is so popular slots are filled months in advance, says comedian Kelsie Huff, who curates the 4-year-old event. The Kates debuted at Kate the Great's Book Emporium in Edgewater. When that store closed, the show bounced around to other venues until landing at The Book Cellar in 2010. The goal was to create a show that wasn't simply an open mic in a bar.
"It can be hard to fit into that scene when you're just starting out," Huff, 31, explained. "We chose a bookstore because clubs didn't let us try different, out-of-the-ordinary stuff. We wanted a place to really rock it, to try out new material and get experience all in a friendly atmosphere."
Natalie Jose, whose hilarious, seven-minute routine included turning 30 and a day job as a legal secretary, first tried improv but found that not to her liking. "I thought improv was too hard and too frustrating," Jose, said. "People think stand-up is hard because you're solo and alone. But I like being in charge of my own ship."
When Christopher Hitchens explored "the superior funniness of men" and the "inferior funniness of women" in a 2007 Vanity Fair article, he ruffled feathers. Today, his theory seems a moot point especially in Chicago, where the female stand-up scene is burgeoning. It's filled with a wide array of comics who have their eye on the prize, as well as others who are out there simply for the fun of it.
When Cameron Esposito began performing stand-up six years ago, she noticed the numbers of women were low, especially at open mics around town. To encourage more women to test the waters, she started the Lincoln Lodge's Feminine Comique class, a beginners course aimed at providing the fundamentals to write and perform stand-up.
"It was an experiment that ended up being a very sweet success," said Esposito, who co-hosts an open mic at Cole's in Logan Square. Today, many on the stand-up scene credit the class with getting them started by providing a safe, nurturing environment. New classes begin in May (femininecomique.com), with The Kates' founder Huff teaching.
"I don't think the class can necessarily teach you how to be funny but rather how to channel your own humor," said Caitlin Bergh, 26, a Kate performer and a FemCom grad. "For me the class meant getting up on stage each week and learning to be at ease. Before that I was so awkward and just itching to get off the stage."
Stand-up comedy has been a rough road for women. Just ask anyone who's been the only woman on a bill of male comedians or had to hold her own in an unfriendly room. But not only are women participating in a broad list of stand-up shows around the city, more also are producing comedy shows with an eye to nurturing women comics.
Beth Stelling and the Puterbaugh sisters, Danielle and Tiffany, present the Sunday night variety show "Entertaining Julia," at the Town Hall Pub. The effort features a cross-section of male and female performers, from performance artists to musicians. But the Puterbaughs do stand-up and have a soft spot for their fellow comedians.
"As women it's really important to give other women the chance to succeed," Tiffany Puterbaugh, 31, explained. "Shows run by women are a little bit different. It's a more open and loving atmosphere. I just want to hug everyone."
Elizabeth McQuern is a co-producer of Chicago Underground Comedy, running weekly at the Beat Kitchen and featuring a set roster of comedians joined by several guests. It's another spot for comics to test material that is "edgy and more experimental," says McQuern, who has seen the number of women comics increase in the past four years.
"It's just sort of snowballed," McQuern said. "When women look into the scene and see other women performing, they are encouraged to develop stronger voices. They become addicted to comedy."
Marissa Flaxbert, who hosts the Chicago Ladies in Comedy showcase Jills at Jack's agrees: "The hardest thing for women is just getting up on the stage. But once they're up there, they can say anything. A sort of what-do-I-have-to-lose freedom develops."
Mary Lindsay, owner of the South Side comedy club Jokes & Notes, a mainstay on the urban comedy circuit, goes out of her way to book female comics. "There have always been women on the national circuit," she noted. "In recent years, I've seen a lot more funny women in Chicago stepping out. But I feel it's still an underserved market."
Between gigs around the country, Patti Vasquez, one of the more established local comics, hosts the monthly Female Funnies show at Zanies. She knows what it feels like to be addicted to stand-up.
"I actually itch when I don't have a show booked," Vasquez said, laughing. "I have to have that energy, that connection with the audience even when it goes bad."
Huff agrees. And she underscores the notion that while having a safe performance environment is all fine and good, it's only a steppingstone. "You have to love the nights that go wrong as much as the nights that go well," Huff said. "I sometimes would even like a heckler rather than the silence. But it's all part of the learning process."
onthetown@tribune.com
Twitter @chitribent
from the chicagotribune.com
Chicago is home to a supportive scene for women comedians
By Mary Houlihan, Special to the Tribune9:57 AM CDT, April 26, 2012
On a recent Saturday night, people strolling past The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square paused and peered through the window, wondering what all the merriment was about. What they saw were stand-up comedians slinging jokes, and an audience doubled over in laughter.
And while a bookstore is not your usual comedy venue, The Book Cellar is home to The Kates, a twice-monthly comedy showcase for female comedians that is so popular slots are filled months in advance, says comedian Kelsie Huff, who curates the 4-year-old event. The Kates debuted at Kate the Great's Book Emporium in Edgewater. When that store closed, the show bounced around to other venues until landing at The Book Cellar in 2010. The goal was to create a show that wasn't simply an open mic in a bar.
"It can be hard to fit into that scene when you're just starting out," Huff, 31, explained. "We chose a bookstore because clubs didn't let us try different, out-of-the-ordinary stuff. We wanted a place to really rock it, to try out new material and get experience all in a friendly atmosphere."
Natalie Jose, whose hilarious, seven-minute routine included turning 30 and a day job as a legal secretary, first tried improv but found that not to her liking. "I thought improv was too hard and too frustrating," Jose, said. "People think stand-up is hard because you're solo and alone. But I like being in charge of my own ship."
When Christopher Hitchens explored "the superior funniness of men" and the "inferior funniness of women" in a 2007 Vanity Fair article, he ruffled feathers. Today, his theory seems a moot point especially in Chicago, where the female stand-up scene is burgeoning. It's filled with a wide array of comics who have their eye on the prize, as well as others who are out there simply for the fun of it.
When Cameron Esposito began performing stand-up six years ago, she noticed the numbers of women were low, especially at open mics around town. To encourage more women to test the waters, she started the Lincoln Lodge's Feminine Comique class, a beginners course aimed at providing the fundamentals to write and perform stand-up.
"It was an experiment that ended up being a very sweet success," said Esposito, who co-hosts an open mic at Cole's in Logan Square. Today, many on the stand-up scene credit the class with getting them started by providing a safe, nurturing environment. New classes begin in May (femininecomique.com), with The Kates' founder Huff teaching.
"I don't think the class can necessarily teach you how to be funny but rather how to channel your own humor," said Caitlin Bergh, 26, a Kate performer and a FemCom grad. "For me the class meant getting up on stage each week and learning to be at ease. Before that I was so awkward and just itching to get off the stage."
Stand-up comedy has been a rough road for women. Just ask anyone who's been the only woman on a bill of male comedians or had to hold her own in an unfriendly room. But not only are women participating in a broad list of stand-up shows around the city, more also are producing comedy shows with an eye to nurturing women comics.
Beth Stelling and the Puterbaugh sisters, Danielle and Tiffany, present the Sunday night variety show "Entertaining Julia," at the Town Hall Pub. The effort features a cross-section of male and female performers, from performance artists to musicians. But the Puterbaughs do stand-up and have a soft spot for their fellow comedians.
"As women it's really important to give other women the chance to succeed," Tiffany Puterbaugh, 31, explained. "Shows run by women are a little bit different. It's a more open and loving atmosphere. I just want to hug everyone."
Elizabeth McQuern is a co-producer of Chicago Underground Comedy, running weekly at the Beat Kitchen and featuring a set roster of comedians joined by several guests. It's another spot for comics to test material that is "edgy and more experimental," says McQuern, who has seen the number of women comics increase in the past four years.
"It's just sort of snowballed," McQuern said. "When women look into the scene and see other women performing, they are encouraged to develop stronger voices. They become addicted to comedy."
Marissa Flaxbert, who hosts the Chicago Ladies in Comedy showcase Jills at Jack's agrees: "The hardest thing for women is just getting up on the stage. But once they're up there, they can say anything. A sort of what-do-I-have-to-lose freedom develops."
Mary Lindsay, owner of the South Side comedy club Jokes & Notes, a mainstay on the urban comedy circuit, goes out of her way to book female comics. "There have always been women on the national circuit," she noted. "In recent years, I've seen a lot more funny women in Chicago stepping out. But I feel it's still an underserved market."
Between gigs around the country, Patti Vasquez, one of the more established local comics, hosts the monthly Female Funnies show at Zanies. She knows what it feels like to be addicted to stand-up.
"I actually itch when I don't have a show booked," Vasquez said, laughing. "I have to have that energy, that connection with the audience even when it goes bad."
Huff agrees. And she underscores the notion that while having a safe performance environment is all fine and good, it's only a steppingstone. "You have to love the nights that go wrong as much as the nights that go well," Huff said. "I sometimes would even like a heckler rather than the silence. But it's all part of the learning process."
onthetown@tribune.com
Twitter @chitribent
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