Breaking the Stage: Women in Stand-Up Comedy

Girl Talk

By: Francie Cohen

Emily Fury Daly

In the field of stand-up comedy, women confront distinct hurdles, particularly in New York City. Despite the advances made by women in the industry, stand-up comedy remains a male-dominated field. To establish themselves as comedians in New York City, women must traverse a complicated world of gender prejudice, misogyny, and discrimination. Emily Fury Daly is a female comedian located in Harlem. Coming from Milwaukee, Wisconsin as an actress and performer, Emily moved to New York City five years ago and has been doing stand-up comedy for two and a half years. Performing in comedy clubs such as Greenwich Village Comedy Club, West Side Comedy Club, Stand Up New York, and some other Brooklyn alternative bars and clubs, she partook in a range of experiences just in her two-and-a-half career of stand-up comedy. When she first thought of joining the stand-up comedian world, she felt that because it was 2020 in New York City that the industry was more progressive. She quickly learned that that was not the case. Men still run the comedy industry. Older men, who, in Emily’s terms, are the “gatekeepers.” A woman could be the only one on a lineup full of male comics, and it is intimidating. “I think there is pressure from women; if women are going to be funny, then they gotta be funny in a certain way,” said Emily. There have been times when Emily has performed that there is a rule that they can’t have two women back to back in the lineup because people will stop listening. Breaking into the scene is one of the most challenging hindrances for women in stand-up comedy. Women are frequently underrepresented in comedy clubs, and getting stage time can be difficult. Men still dominate many comedy clubs, and bookers may be hesitant to give female comedians a chance, believing that they are less funny than their male counterparts. Emily is starting her one-woman show, which is being brought to The Fringe in Scottland. After waiting a while for opportunities to come her way, she realized she needed to create her options and experience. “I reached a point where I don’t want to wait for those male gatekeepers to tell me if I am good enough,” said Emily.

Katherine Duffy

Being a new female stand-up comic in New York City can be thrilling and terrifying. On the one hand, there are several open mics, showcases, and comedy clubs where you may perform, and the city is home to some of the world’s most influential comedians. Conversely, the competition is tough, and the pressure to stand out may be overwhelming.

As a new female stand-up comedian in New York City, you have several possibilities to polish your craft and establish yourself. Building a following and selecting oneself might take time, but anything is achievable with hard work and devotion.

Being a new female stand-up comic in New York City ultimately comes down to discovering your voice and having the confidence to express it with others. It takes a particular sort of guts to step up on stage and make people laugh, but there is no better feeling than connecting with an audience and sharing laughs.

Katherine Duffy is a newcomer to the field of stand-up comedy. She worked as an actress and performer in the Midwest. She spent some time in Chicago before COVID-19, where she experimented in open mics a few times a week. When Covid struck, she saved enough money to relocate to New York. She claims there are many male open mic nights in Chicago, and that mindset permeates the city and every mic. But in New York City, you can find pockets of people and locations to perform, and it feels great when you discover your niche of people.

Meg Chizek hosts a female comedy night at E’s Bar in upper Manhattan every Wednesday, the event is called Comics Uncorked. Katherine attends primarily on Wednesdays and frequents other open mic shows on Tuesdays and Thursdays nights. Meg is a theater child who discovered a love for stand-up comedy. Her mentor, Christi Chiello, founded The LaughtHER Collective, a female comedy school that assisted Meg in her stand-up career. She was then approached to be a host at the Westside Comedy Club, and she enjoyed it for a time, although there are some intriguing personalities there, she added. There were a lot of old men there. “There are a lot of girls here, can’t wait to masturbate when I get home,” they’d add. She also witnessed males become agitated when the crowd did not laugh at their jokes. Meg retired from that job and started organizing female comedy nights at E’s Bar, which she adores.

She got frustrated that there weren’t many female comedy open mic nights in Manhattan — only in deeper Brooklyn, where people are more inclusive and diverse — so she started her club in upper Manhattan in February. People joining the E’s Bar open mic wish to test fresh content. The majority of those who speak are relatively new.

Comedians

Many female stand-up comedians’ favorite comedians are other women. This isn’t to say they dislike male comedians, but there’s something unique about watching a woman on stage who is freely funny and relatable. Seeing other women excel in the profession can encourage and uplift female comedians.

Female comedians are frequently drawn to the work of pioneers like Joan Rivers, Phyllis Diller, and Lucille Ball, who opened the way for succeeding generations of female comedians.

They admire the bravery and honesty of comedians like Ali Wong and Tiffany Haddish, who utilize their platforms to discuss taboo topics and defy cultural standards. They also honor the diversity and intersectionality of comedians like Margaret Cho, Wanda Sykes, and Hannah Gadsby, who bring their distinct viewpoints to the stage and utilize humor as a weapon for social criticism.

Female comedians have a sense of camaraderie because they understand the hardships and experiences of being a woman in a male-dominated business. They can build a more inclusive community of comedians by supporting and encouraging one another.

In the end, a female stand-up comedian’s favorite comedians are those who make her laugh, but seeing a woman on stage doing what she loves and doing it well is even more meaningful.

Go see a show!

“Not funny to who?”

By: Lalaine Pamintuan

The idea that gender has anything to do with a sense of humor is only one of the obstacles that make being a woman in comedy much more difficult. But, is the stigma that “women aren’t funny” still prevalent? Has the comedy scene welcomed more women comics with open arms? Story-telling comic Sammie James has been in the comedy scene for about a decade, starting from her pre-transition at twenty-one years old. The New Jersey comic talks about being a transgender, queer, woman with a disability in comedy. “In that first year and a half, I had pre-transitioned. No one ever needs to know what that name was, but there was no success that came from that time because I honestly couldn’t be funny. I think the joke writing was there, I have whole notebooks where the jokes were good but I could never use them because of the history those jokes had for me. Even during that year and a half, I was still doing stand-up at secret queer open mics, I just wasn’t pursuing it. I was working on the craft the whole time. I went through a period of doing my stand-up and not talking about it, and people could assume that I didn’t care.” But for the past seven years, Sammie has been openly trans on stage, even starting Trans Talk, a show (currently on hiatus) which created a safe place for transgender people to have a conversation with other transgender individuals. She talks about how comedy is not only sexist, but “just as ableist as it is racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic. There are just as many microaggressions. Simply having to explain why I need a stool on stage. It’s the fact that so many comedy clubs are not wheelchair accessible and that limits who feels safe in these spaces, but also who can literally access these stages.” Clearly, comedy clubs have very visible limitations that need to be addressed- whether it be its lack of wheelchair accessibility or lack of
female comedians in their line-ups.

Ten years into being a comedian, you would think audiences would see big changes in who they showcase at their comedy clubs. However, for Sammie, she begs to differ. “I don’t think that comedy has changed, or if we’re just more aware of the people who were always there. I will say doing stand-up in 2013 as a trans woman versus now, makes me so happy. I won’t lie and say I don’t go “Where the fuck were all these trans women comedians when I needed them?” I am so happy for all the trans women comedians who finally get something out of it. I will say, there is a lot more room for trans women, and people in marginalized communities in comedy. The comedy industry itself has not changed. Just more of us have forced our way through that door.” Sammie called my attention to the comedians who showcase in New York City comedy clubs and count how many straight white men are on the list. “There are amazing female comics who don’t get the space that male comics of their tier are getting. That’s still a thing. There are more women-run shows, but as far as big money- those are still the same.” The problem is that audiences are not as welcoming to female comics- discouragement and increased criticism makes that pool smaller. As girls, we are constantly told that we aren’t funny. “Not funny to who?” says Sammie. “I think women aren’t funny to people in power who book a lot of shit. I don’t know. It is never from a place of feminism or “stick it to the man,” but when I book shows, primarily I book women, not on purpose, I just think about who’s funny to me. Could some of that be because it’s who I am? Absolutely.” In short, comedy is no longer a man’s world. Are women not funny, or are men just using humor as a survival tool? In the wise words of Mia Do, “Just because you are a joke, does not
make you funny.”

How Do Men View Women in Comedy?

By: Aslyn Pfeifer

Cooper Traluch is a 19 year old comedian from Dardenne Prairie, Missouri; He started doing stand up comedy in September 2023. I had the opportunity to interview Cooper and talk about discrimination in stand-up comedy. He mentions how even his age played a big factor in how he was treated as a comedian, and brought up how “Any sort of marginalization of any identity in comedy” is a barrier. When talking specifically about women in stand up comedy, Cooper said that the most common reactions from men in comedy is to sexualise, dismiss, or tokenize them. He mentioned that non-marginalized comedians have gotten comfortable with using the “Hey, I’m friends with them(a woman, lgbtq+ member, POC, ect.). I can make this joke,” excuse when telling “edgy” jokes. Cooper believes that perspective and diversity are important aspects of comedy, but that comedy clubs are not doing enough to show more representation; He said that “All you need is a mic and an audience, but they’ve(comedy club’s) made it so getting that mic and getting that audience is way too hard and intimidating for more and more marginalized people to want to try.”