Street Roots • Oct. 16-22, 2015
News
&W, and I think anybody laughing is
improving their lives.
g
We also do programs. Hie AB Jane
Comedy Festival is one of our outreach
programs to help women in comedy have
more opportunity to be seen and
encouraged and inspired. We also use
improv with senior citizens, with kids to
to Febn
Se“iOrs
dementia, and
m February, we will be starting a program
with the police. We are building a training to
recreating certain events. We’re starting
with mental illness, and we’re going to g
«create events where officers have had a
challenging time in the past and things
m*i t go as well as they could have. The
officers will go through that same exact
scenario and then have to respond in the
moment We will have clinicians who are
gomg to coach us ahead of time. It’s pretty
amazing.
preuy
S.Z.: It’s fantastic. And again, here is this
common thread: improvisational thinking
S.H.: When you think about what a police
officer is domg, they have to be able to
thmkon their feet and have a clarity of mind
and know what their options are in a
situation that can be very threatening and
scary to them. It’s a hard thing to know how
to do well unless you have practiced in a
heightened situation. So that’s what we’re
helping to do.
S.Z.: Oct. 1, the community in Roseburg
suffered tragedy after a public mass murder of
nine people at Umpqua Community College.
What the hell is happening in our society?
S.H.: Ugh. Wow. That is a huge question.
I think people are scared - and uneducated.
We are taught to be afraid of one another
instead of friendly toward one another.
I was in Canada, and they are so different
than us and they are just to the north. I was
in a park on the phone and a man walked by
with his son, who was probably like 3 or 4
years old. He was holding this little kid’s
hand. The man said, “Hello!’’ and I was like,
“Oh, hello. How are you?’’ And we had this
really nice exchange. And the son said, “Do
you know that person?” and the father said,
“No. But you never know who could be your
next friend, or your best friend even.”
I was like, “That’s not. how we
(Americans) think.” We aren’t raised to
think that any person we might run into
could potentially be our next best friend. We
are taught to be very afraid and very
guarded with one another.
Aside from all the issues with
acceptability of guns and lack of mental «
illness care in this country, there is also a
pervading sense of animosity between
people unless we get to know each other
and start from a place of good will towards
other people.
S.Z.: You curate the freshly renamed All
Jane Comedy Festival. I liked the .old title -All
Jane No Dick. I thought it was funny, but I get
it.
S.H.: Right That’s the thing. I had to
weigh the cost If I erred on the side of
Page 9
S.H.: The biggest surprise will be how
diverse the festival actually is. Even though
it is all women, we curate for the most
unique styles and points of view and
perspective that we can find. It ends up
being one of the most diverse festivals
anyone has been a part of despite the fact
that everybody is a woman.
You can expect all different kinds of
comedians who are all hilarious. This year is
pretty cool. We’ve got Paige Horowitz, who
is the producer of “Last Comic Standing,”
coming. And she’s bringing a bunch of the
finalists from the show with her.
We do a show called “Minority Retort” -
you guys actually did a story on it One of
our headlining shows is all comics of color.
We ended up having a lot of women of color
this year, so we are doing a Minority Retort
(during the All Jane Comedy Festival).
There are so many great women who will
be performing during the festival. You may
not have heard of these women yet, but this
time next year, you’ll know. That’s
something else I love about the festival -
you’re going ft see ah kinds of talent that is
about to break out into the world.
S.Z.: We say that laughter is the best
medicine. Can you attest to the healing power
of comedy?
S.H.: Definitely. The biggest example I
. have ever witnessed was when we were
doing improv with Alzheimer's patients. We
went in for just an hour a day, once a week
for 10 weeks. We worked with a group of
about 10 Alzheimer’s patients. They couldn’t
stand. They were sitting the whole time. We
j • .
- , „
. . „
PHOTO COURTESY OF STACEY HALLAL
would play (comedy) games with them. They
Comedy is powerful, said Hallal. “When you are sad or stressed out, how do you relieve
were so much fun, and they had a great
tension? You can scream. You can cry. Or you can laugh.”
time.
By the end of that 10 weeks, the activity
director - who was very skeptical of us at
being too safe with the name, well, it’s less
first - couldn’t say enough about how much
parts of yourself that used to be the things
funny than it used to be. But if I err on the
she saw the patients change. They were
that people would pick on you for. The
side of the safety of the funniness of the
happier. They were easier to work with.
things that make you unique and different
name, then there could be somebody who
and stand out are the things that make your
They would recall and talk about the
wants to apply to the festival and doesn’t
voice unique and distinct and awesome.
(sessions) we had with them earlier in the
feel welcome because she is a trans woman.
Typically, people only put one woman on
day, and it would cheer them up later in the
I just couldn’t let that happen.
a show. They’re still resistant .to have two on day.
one show. We (female comedians) are
Living in a state of trying to remember is
S.Z.: Curating a show composed of people
hungry to meet each other and talk to each
very annoying. If you think about a time
who all identify as female must be fun. I don’t
other and get to be on shows together.
when you were like, “What’s that name of
know about you - and this may be my cynical
Last year, we had Subhah Agarwal and
that thing? Oh! It’s going to drive me crazy.”
America upbringing - but when lam in a
Aparna Nancherla, and they’re both Indian
Having Alzheimer’s, you are constantly
room of all women, I have two thoughts
women comics. We put them one right after
living in that state. Physically, the patients
running through my head: “I am part of the
the other because Aparna is dry and
wonderment of womanhood” and “Where are
intellectual, and Subhah is high energy. We
became more mobile. Because they would
weren’t even thinking about them both
the emergency exits in case things get weird?”
move more because they were having a
being Indian women. Subhah came out and
good time and laughing. So the physical
S.H.: It has been amazing. We have not
was like, “Two Indian woman comics in a
therapists said that they were moving with
had an issue with All Jane. At all.
row? This has never happened in my entire
much
more fluidity and range of motion at
We’re all standups and improvisors, so
life.”
the
end
of the 10 weeks from just playing
we’re all women who have been in male-
simple
improv
games.
dominated environments. We’re comfortable
S.Z.: You welcome all genders as viewers
So if that’s what is happening for a
adapting to different situations... and we’re
though, yes?
patient with Alzheimer’s, what effect is it
all weirdos. You don’t get into comedy as a
S.H.: Totally. And any gender will enjoy it
having on all of us?
woman unless you’re a weirdo in some way
as well. It is not catered to a female
or another.
Comedy is powerful. When you are sad or
audience. Our audiences have been split
Everybody seems to love and appreciate
stressed out, how do you relieve tension?
fairly evenly between men and women, and
each other for our differences. We’re all
You can scream. You can cry. Or you can
it has been equally enjoyed every year.
different That’s what I love about Curious
laugh.
(Comedy Theater) in general, is comedy is
S.Z.: For people who haven’t been to the
If I have to choose between those three
the place where you get to celebrate those
festival, what can they expect?
things, I’ll pick laughter every time.