Carolyn Fin is an Orlando-based astrophysicist and patent examiner by day and a performer and producer by night. She founded the all-women improv team, Runaways, and produced and performed in their sketch show "The Struggle Is Real" for Orlando Fringe, which won Patrons' Pick in 2017. You can follow her and her adventures on Instagram or Twitter @CarolynFin.
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"Trust yourself. You totally have this. And even if you make 'mistakes,' fuck it!" Because...to even find yourself as a human, you have to make a lot of those mistakes." |
Lizz Winstead is the co-creator of The Daily Show where she worked as a head writer for three years. She then had a show with Rachel Maddow on Air America. Lizz Winstead is one of the founders of Lady Parts Justice, reproductive rights messaging hub that uses comedy, culture and digital media to get its message across.
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"It's a radical act to be a woman or any gender fluid person and say what you have to say on stage." |
We all know Rachel Dratch from Saturday Night Live, where she performed for seven years, making us laugh with memorable characters, like "Debbie Downer." Currently, Rachel plays the titular character on ABC's Imaginary Mary. This special episode was recorded live at the Women in Comedy Festival in 2017. (BTW, Rachel has a vibrant coughing fit in the middle of the episode - and we're super grateful to the kind women who offered up some cough drops and tissues!)
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"You can go out as the dude. You can go out as the space alien. You can go out as the whatever, instead of just thinking you can play the female parts. My advice is, don't think of yourself as a woman. Think of yourself as a person." - Rachel Dratch in Conversations with Funny Feminists |
What happens when two Type-A podcasters want to interview each other? They do it as efficiently as possible. Hence, this two-for-one episode in which Pam interviews award-winning professional speaker Angela Lussier for Conversations with Funny Feminists and at the same time Angela interviews Pam for Claim the Stage! Angela Lussier is the CEO of the Speaker Sisterhood, a network of public speaking clubs for women who want to follow their dreams by finding their voice, the author of three books, and a two-time TEDx speaker. Angela is the host of a podcast for women who want to become paid speakers called Claim the Stage.
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"Stop waiting. Start creating...we tend to find reasons to hold off...but my recommendation is to just go out and do it!" |
Frances Callier and Angela V. Shelton are real life best friends who share their smart and funny insights with the rest of the world. They met at the Second City Chicago, where they polished their talents as writers and comedy satirists. You may have seen fighting off bugs on NBC’s I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. They brought hilarity to the big screen in the hit film He’s Just Not That Into You. Frances and Angela have appeared as “Pop Cultural Pundits” on NBC’s The Today Show and Dateline, CNN’s Showbiz Tonight and Headline News, and on NPR’s Day to Day and Off Ramp. Last year, they hit the road with Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberal Tour. Their new podcast is called Frangela: The Final Word where they make "Real News. REAL FUNNY."
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"Whenever somebody's intention is to shut you up or to make you do something, that's when you've crossed the line." |
Julia Weiss has been called “a brilliant and a force of leadership for the women in Chicago." Julia Weiss is a comedian, a playwright, and a former Second City's touring company member, a job she left to be one of the head writers at Cards Against Humanity. She performs with the improvised Star Trek podcast and regularly contributes to The Paper Machete, a weekly live magazine. Julia has also produced several plays in Chicago including the acclaimed Tammy: A Coming of Age Story About A Girl Who’s Part T-Rex.
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"Comedy isn't about giving voice to the powerful. It's about giving voice to the people who aren't." |
Michelle Barbera has performed, written, and produced comedy in Boston for over a decade. She was a member of ImprovBoston’s Mainstage for over four years and co-directed the Tribe Theatre. Michelle is the co-founder of the Women in Comedy Festival (WICF) whose goal is to help close the gender gap in comedy by showcasing women and their allies across all comedic platforms.
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"Make stuff. And don't wait for permission. If you have an idea, just do it." |
Megan Gray is the artistic director of Magnet Theater (NYC) where she also teaches various classes including the female-only class "Lady Party" and produces They Might Just Kiss, a monthly show with an all-female cast. Megan currently can be seen at Magnet in notable shows such as "Junior Varsity," "The Armando Diaz Experience," "The Cast," and she tours with the spectacular Magnet TourCo. In this episode, Megan and Pam talk about the classes and shows that Megan does specifically with female improvisers, the comedy scene in NYC, and tips for theater managers and teachers to make their communities more inclusive and welcoming. And we might just kiss too!
In this episode, Pam bonds with Jill Bernard of HUGE Theater (Minneapolis, MN) and ComedySportz-Twin Cities. Jill has taught and performed to adoring crowds throughout the entire big, blue world. If you’re lucky enough to be at a festival with Jill Bernard, you might be lucky enough to see her critically-acclaimed award-winning, solo historical musical improv show “Drum Machine." You can enjoy a small, cute piece of Jill if you pick up her book Jill Bernard’s Small Cute Book of Improv. We hope you listen to this episode and say, "YAY!"
Pam continues her conversation with improv comedy goddess Susan Messing of Annoyance, iO, and Second City theaters in Chicago. In this episode, we dig deeply into Susan's thoughts about the recent sexual harassment reports in the comedy world and how performers, teachers, and directors can adjust their thinking and behavior to get on board with the evolution revolution. We also talk about the little ripples of revolt we experienced by posting a certain photo and quote on Facebook...
Named the "Funniest Woman in Chicago" by Chicago Magazine, Susan Messing has been a popular and beloved teacher and performer at Annoyance, iO, and Second City theaters for over three decades. In our debut episode, Susan talks about her trajectory through the Chicago improv world as a woman, how she maintains her brassy confidence, and generously gives new improvisers advice on how to work as (and with) a woman in comedy.
Our Theme Song "Bitches Get Stuff Done" by Josh Silverstein |