Feature: AN EVENING OF FEMALE COMICS at Women Writing for a Change

AN EVENING OF FEMALE COMICS at WOMEN WRITING FOR (A) CHANGE

Women Writing for (a) Change was established in Cincinnati Ohio, in 1991 by Mary Pierce Brosmer who is quoted as saying : "When women and girls are safe, empowered, prosperous, expressive and authentic, so is society." Women's equality is an issue that seems to keep limping along waiting for attitudes and perceptions to change. One vehicle of that change is facilitating women's voices, and on July, 25th, Women Writing for (a) Change facilitated several. An Evening of Female Comics was held at Go Bananas Comedy Club in Montgomery. The Comedy Club was brimming with an excited crowd happily chit chatting at tables and ordering refreshments. The occasion was a fundraiser for the beloved not-for-profit and the evening's festivities included several female stand-up comics, songs sung by Annie Davis, and readings of short plays written by Teri Foltz.

The very funny, Sandy Lingo, performed MC duties for the evening and kept the crowd informed and entertained throughout the event. She was so comfortable in front of the warm crowd that it felt like she was everybody's best friend. (Check out her blog, A Second Helping here.)

It seems that comedy is an especially difficult profession for women to break into, and the signed headshots on the entry walls at Go Bananas seemed to demonstrate this. I didn't officially count, but of the dozens and dozens of performer headshots, I saw maybe, two or three female comics. Thanks to Women Writing, the comics for this evening were all female, and though they were amateur comedians, they made stand up look easy as they kept me and the crowd giggling, commiserating, and at times outright belly-laughing.

Claudia Kasvin made her recent 70th birthday into a fun set aimed at the vagaries of aging, bemoaning her muffin top (which for her is an entire loaf of bread) and comparing her knees to shar pei puppies. Susan Branscome poked fun at her long marriage (with her husband right there in the audience) joking that "people could commit to marriage in the past because they only lived to 40!" She had a few zingers, the best one being about her bladder leaking more than the Trump administration. Brittany Freudiger was the youngest comic of the night and was introduced as representing the "millennial experience." Her set focused on her friends having children (or what she comically referred to as "vaccinated and fully blessed vessels of life") and the absurd and sometimes disgusting over-sharing of child photos on Facebook. The final comic of the night, Eva Lewandowski, was an excellent story teller. Her set was relaxed and effortless as she poked fun at her own interest in spiritual exploration. Scoffing at her own gullibility she admits, "talking to spirit guides is expensive!" and refers to one retreat as "taking a $1000 nap."

In between stand-up routines, Teri Foltz kept the laughs coming with her "pint sized" plays. In Status Pending Suz Fleming and Suzanne Boys are two women who come face to face after one of them has been "unfriended" by the other on Facebook. In Good Will, sisters (Suz Fleming and Hope Miller) uncover a secret about a mysterious uncle while going through boxes in their deceased mother's garage. Described by Lingo as being extremely prolific, Foltz also provided a show-opening poem inspired by Billy Collins (whom Foltz has studied under.) Lingo also announced that Foltz's full length play The Faculty Lounge, which premiered at the Carnegie in Covington, Kentucky, is now enjoying a run in Chicago at the Oil Lamp Theatre. Find details here.

Sprinkled throughout the evening were songs performed by Annie Davis who announced plans to audition for America's Got Talent.

Overall, Women Writing for (a) Change organized an evening that was warm, welcoming, and drenched with charm, so be sure to catch their upcoming events.

Future events include a staged reading of Diane Germaine's play, Not Yet on September 16th at 8pm at Women Writing for (a) Change (6906 Plainfield Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45236). In October, they are hosting an evening of "wine, words, and art" which will include, food, wine tasting, an art showing, readings, and a silent auction. Proceeds from both events will go to Women Writing for (a) Change.

Don't forget to sign up for classes, too!

For tickets to these events or for more information on classes, go to their website: http://www.womenwriting.org/

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