From the houses of congress to the boardrooms of America, women continue to earn their equal footing alongside male counterparts, making strides important for a new generation of women. The world of women in comedy is not different.  Well, there is less Ann Taylor and much more Amy Sedaris, but the fact remains that women continue to infiltrate, change, and utterly surprise a previously male-dominated industry.  This year's Second Annual Women in Comedy Festival at ImprovBoston (http://www.womenincomedyfestival.com/html/home.php) proves that 2010 just might be the decade of the funny femme. 

Started in 2009 by Boston based comediennes Michelle Barbara and Maria Ciampa, the festival brings together well-known performers working in sketch, improv, stand-up, and solo performance from L.A., New York, Chicago, and New England, many of whom have appeared on Comedy Central, Late Night with David Letterman, VH1, HBO, and Second City.

 Organizer, co-founder, and fiercely funny lady, Maria Ciampa, took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to answer some questions about the festival:

1. Why do we need a Women in Comedy Festival?

For fun.  I do comedy and watch comedy because I love it.  So let’s have a fun time, everyone.  PARTY.

I hope to laugh really hard at shows, learn from the comedians who come together at shows and the Panel Discussion and workshops, feel happy, watch other comedians having a great time performing and meeting new comedians, feel tired I bet, watch the audience laugh really hard, and end all war for good.  Or just end war. 
Oh, now there’s a good one. Good question.  A Renaissance would mean that ladies in comedy have been dead for a bit, and now they live again.  Like Jesus.  I’m not sure when you are saying when they died.  That must have been sad. I’m just glad they’re all  alive again.

Seriously: what I’ve heard from people who talk turkey, and by turkey I mean numbers- hard data, it might look grim.  I read that in 2008, out of 50 comedians who did Live at Gotham, only 7 were ladies.  And of Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Stand ups of all time, only 10% were women. 

But then, how I really feel is that it does no good to look at the turkey data.  It will only undermine my everyday actions if I feel like anything is working against me. So I ignore all that and work hard, and also have fun with it, because I love it.

I choose to focus on how Chelsea Lately boosted network ratings for E, how Maria Bamford and Jen Kirkman and Tig Notaro make me laugh really hard, how Tiny Feys’s 30 Rock has racked up the emmys.   And I write and I perform and I put together a festival with other people who I think are funny and I respect.

For stand up, improv, sketch, writing, I have the same approach to comedy: do it all the time, have fun, be honest in your comedy, know that nothing is personal.  Work as much as you can with people who you really like as humans and think are funny and respect.  Accept that it’s work - it’s actually a demanding lifestyle, and respect yourself for doing it. Don’t drink a lot, you’ll only screw yourself over.  When I get onstage, I’m grateful that I’m doing what I love.  


 

 

5. Female comics/performing groups to watch for in this festival?

Good question!  I do stand up all the time, and update my schedule on my web site. www.mariaciampa.com.  One of my favorite projects, other than WICF, is my web series that I created with my hot husband, Interviews With My Husband. You can find a link to it on my web site. 



Also, I have written a whole book of humorous short stories about growing up in a family of 7 kids just north of Boston, and my family loves me in advance for all the stuff I’m going to put out there.  Anyway, I need an editor for it, so if you are an editor or a publisher looking for a pretty awesome book, (not gonna lie, it’s pretty awesome) email me!  I even have a book proposal.  I’m all business, everyone.  Hurumph.  

8. One thing you'd never be caught dead doing in a public restroom!

Being a zombie eating another person’s brains.  Because I would be caught dead, and it would be soooo embarrassing to be caught eating in a public restroom.  Totally unhygienic.

We couldn't agree more Maria!

Maria Ciampa
http://www.mariaciampa.com
http://www.womenincomedyfestival.com/
Twitter: MariaCiampa

 The Women in Comedy Festival takes place from March 24-28, 2010 at ImprovBoston, Cambridge Massachusetts. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit:

http://www.womenincomedyfestival.com/html/home.php