Comedy in Eugene
Experiences of Local Comedians
Heckling is an inseparable component to stand-up comedy; no one has ever gone on stage to tell jokes without ever being taunted or harassed at some point by an obnoxious audience member.
It’s a subjective industry, and sometimes being a woman can be a detriment.
When asked his view on women comedians, Nate Jones, a male comedian and UO student says, “I think this may be a personal problem, but in my experience, I haven’t seen very good women comedians who made me laugh.”
He adds, “However, the fact that there are more [female comedians] coming up is good because it gives a whole new perspective of comedy, and jokes that only girls can make.”
Although comedians are well-aware that judgment and disapproval is inevitable whenever he or she goes on stage, stand-up comediennes (a female comedian) must mentally prepare themselves for a much more intense form of judgment, since they are in a generally male-dominated profession where prejudice and sexism abounds.
Whitney Streed, a genderqueer comedian, says she was doing rather poorly in a room when she started a joke about having a vibrator. “Someone in the back remarked that ‘Nobody would ever had sex with you,’” she recalls. “I doubt that would have been said to a dude.”
Stand-up comedian Mike Birbiglia writes in his book “Sleepwalk With Me” about how comedians need to be “delusional” because a human brain cannot process the amount of judgment that a packed venue casts upon you.
“To become a comedian you have to tell yourself it’s going quite well,” he writes, “otherwise you wouldn’t want to get on stage the next night.”
Whether facing judgment from their audience or their male peers, it takes a strong and motivated woman to be a successful comedienne.
“I think delusion is a grand thing,” says local comedienne Leigh Anne Jasheway in response to Birbiglia’s remark. “It makes you think outside of the box. You do have to have thick skin and a lot of self confidence to know that sometimes the audience is not going to like you, and there’s nothing you can do about it, but you just like yourself anyway.”
Whether standing in front of the crowd of students in her grammar class or before an audience at Sam Bond’s Garage, Jasheway shows off her quirky humor just about anywhere. Having been born in Germany (statistically ranked the least funny place on Earth, she says) and having her first stand-up show in a rough Texas cowboy bar, she didn’t start on the steadiest step in the comedy world.
“I fell in love [with the idea] that you could take negative stuff in your life and make people laugh at it,” she says.
Jasheway makes it clear that she doesn’t let judgment and life hardships hold her back; she allows them to encourage her to continue augmenting women’s relevancy in comedy. The general presumption that women cannot be funny permeates the business, and women have trouble getting headliner position at a venue as a result.
Camille Lieurance, an aspiring comedian and UO student, plans to not let stand-up comedy continue to be an industry solely for men.
“My advice for any female comic would be to do your own things,” she said. “Tell what jokes you want to tell. You’ll benefit yourself in the long run and feel better about yourself.”
Lieurance is willing to put up with the judgment in order to make a name for herself in the stand-up community. Although it may be a long and treacherous road, many women are willing to provide a stronger representation within stand-up comedy.
Nine years ago, Jasheway realized that women – who make up somewhere between 13 and 17 percent of all comedians, she says – are an underrepresented population in the Pacific Northwest, and chose to change this.
She recalls traveling to far-away places and finding the net worth of the trip barely covers the gas it took to drive such distances.
“Thats not conducive to living an actual life,” she says. “That’s why a lot of women opt out – because they want a family.”
Jasheway recognized these many setbacks for women to making a living as an opportunity. She has since established the Northwest Women’s Comedy Festival, now entering its ninth year. The festival aims to pay the all-women line-up fairly and fully to compensate them if they traveled long distances to perform.
“If you follow the path that is right and you’re approaching the proper demographic,” she says, “you will be the funny one, and you will do well.”
Although women may be surrounded by negativity in the industry they’ve chosen, Jasheway wants to deliver the point home – everyone can be funny, and if you stand up for your humor, you can be successful. Women are working hard to make their way into equal standings in the stand-up community with respect and dignity in a male-dominated industry. It’s up to both the audience and the industry, to get rid of the stigma that is given to comediennes.
Jasheway proves that hard work, determination, and a little delusion can make a big difference in reaching one’s dream. There is always time to get back on stage.