With finals week approaching, the Womxn’s Resource Center is inviting comedians to offer a night of destressing and laughter for the Cal Poly Pomona community. The free Q&A event titled, The Future is Female Comedy Show, will allow students to virtually connect with comedians on Dec. 3.
The Q&A session comes after the release of the prerecorded comedy show, displaying a wide range of perspectives and talent, which will be made available to students Dec. 1. The Q&A session will allow students to speak directly to the comedians behind The Future is Female Comedy Show to learn about their struggles and successes in the field.
“Grrrls Night has been traditionally very dialogue-based, and we realize this is a stressful time,” said Maria Cerce, Womxn’s Resource Center coordinator. “Folks are probably looking for some content to either distract themselves from their work or take a break and relax. What is better than laughter? Laughter is such a great stress reliever. It helps people get into a happy space and, coincidentally, it works that my sister is a comedian.”
In collaboration with the Womxn’s Resource Center, the comedy show was organized by comedian Kristina Cerce, who goes by the stage name Mistress K. Mistress K hand-picked each comedian to ensure the inclusion of femmes from all walks of life.
“It is the most diverse show that has been put on in a long time,” said Mistress K. “We have shades across the spectrum. We have cis and trans folk in the show. I also wanted to give a good age range for people because comedy is not something age-specific. I wanted to get a very diverse group of women to have something for everybody.”
Instead of fighting for a single spot in a lineup full of men, the show was intended to provide a platform to womxn-identifying comedians. With no headlines and an equal amount of time, the event is organized to treat each standup comedian as an equal.
As one of the eight comedians featured, Tracie Walker felt empowered to be on stage with other femmes who come from different worlds.
“I am very heavy on representation even if I am the token female, token Black woman or token even when it comes to age,” said Walker. “I feel this intense need to represent maturing women because this country, maybe even the world, idolizes youth. The only thing that has empowered me to go through the struggle out here in Hollywood, facing racism, sexism and ageism is that I am a voice for people.”
Through the show, Mistress K and her sisters in comedy hoped to encourage and inspire other women to speak up and try stand-up.
Ashleigh Shapiro, another featured guest, said that although the comedy scene is not friendly toward women, the platform provided by the resource center showcases that there is an audience who wants to see women speak from their perspectives.
Due to the lack of women in the comedy scene, most female comedians are reaching across the aisle or throwing a ladder down to help others receive an opportunity to perform in the field, Shapiro said.
The Womxn’s Resource Center invites all students to watch The Future is Female Comedy Show with the understanding that the show was made to highlight femme-identifying folks.
“I do think that comedy is an interesting way of getting a conversation going about society of what we think is acceptable or okay, even if the jokes are offensive,” said Cerce. “I am going to admit that we did not censor the women that are in this show. We have a trigger warning for that reason. We want everyone watching to understand that these are not the views or perspectives of the WRC. This is just us believing in art, creation and the voice of women.”
The Q&A event is scheduled to be held on Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Students can now submit their questions ahead of time. To register for the free event, visit https://mybar.cpp.edu/event/6150526.