We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zoe Rogers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zoe below.

Zoe, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful comedy project I’ve worked on is Boulder Comedy Festival. The idea came from seeing a real lack of diversity and women in comedy shows and festivals. I always try to use creativity to address Issues or things I think could be done better. Years ago I saw a lack of diversity in comedy, so I created a show called token straight white dude, with only one straight white male comic each month, allowing the remaining spots to showcase diversity. I saw a lack of women on shows so I started an all female show. I remember years ago wanting to have a festival that highlighted diversity and women, and I was happy to create it. This June will be the third annual Boulder Comedy Festival.

Zoe , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started stand up comedy a little over ten years ago. I really love being a mom, but it is a lot and there’s a lot of judgment and you don’t feel very heard. I had started spending a lot of time crying on my bathroom floor and a friend encouraged me to take a comedy class. It changed my life. It allowed me to really feel like I could connect with other people and laugh about the things that I felt anxious or insecure about. After that class, I started performing and saw that there was a real lack of women and diversity in shows. I started producing not long after that. I’ve run shows in Irish pubs, theaters, backyards and most recently at the beautiful Dairy Arts Center. Dairy Arts tapped me to host and curate their monthly comedy show, which is awesome. They also were tremendously supportive of me starting Boulder Comedy Festival. We have a whole weekend of shows at Dairy Arts for Boulder Comedy Festival and it is really incredible. I began teaching and really liked being able to encourage people to find their unique comedic voice. Teaching also allows you to help other people find the funny in their own lives. My students say class is like a mix of comedy and therapy. I think connecting and laughing with other people is one of the best things you can do for your mental health.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Years ago I had a comic bring me on the road as their feature, which is an awesome thing for a headliner to do. We had shows across many states and they went very well and I learned a lot. We had a run of shows in one city, that was at a really nice club, but the manager hated women. He very clearly did not want me there and went out of his way to be very polite to everybody else and shake their hand, but was very purposefully rude to me. That really threw me. I felt like no matter what I did he wasn’t going to like me and I was performing in his club two times a night for a week.

Having to deal with that was rough, but three beautiful things came out of it. The comic who had me feature for him stood up for me, which was huge. I reached out to a friend who is a comic and told her what was happening, and that I was crying in my car before the show. She said “We have all been there. Don’t cry in your car. You get up there and crush. Be so funny that the audience asks him why he doesn’t book more women.”

One night before a show at the club I was venting to my husband about the situation. I didn’t realize it, but my son who was 10 at the time had overheard us. He came up and said ” I don’t know what to say, but I won’t ever be like that. And I think all trailblazers cry.”

I was apparently not the only woman that was treated that way, and the club manager was fired not long after that.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think the best thing society can do to support comedy and live entertainment is to keep buying tickets. Keep showing venues that it is lucrative to have live performances. Also, have an open mind. For a very long time there has been this myth that there’s a certain type of person who is funny. For years I’ve had people say to me “you don’t look like a comic” but that’s only because there’s this preconceived notion of what a comic looks like. There is not one particular kind of person that owns funny. Funny comes in many different shapes and forms. As long as people come out and support the arts, it will thrive.

Contact Info:

• Website: BoulderComedyFestival.com
• Other: Classes Highroadcomedy.com [email protected] Shows ZoeRogersComedy.com Boulder Comedy Festival [email protected]

Image Credits
Troy Conrad Melissa Leavenworth Matt Misisco