We recently connected with Lauren Dufault and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

Ok, picture this:

It’s 10:30 PM on a Friday night at a Chili’s in Fort Myers, Florida. It’s July- so you’re sticking to the leather in the booth and wishing you wore shorts. As the smell of soggy french fries wafts through the air, you try and watch the host. You can’t see most of him because the bar is in the middle of the room. You also cant hear him because the mic is cutting in and out.

You lean over to see that three middle aged people talking very loudly in another sweaty corner booth- while the bartender is shaking a drink trying to drowned out the sound of another punchline that didn’t land. You don’t understand why they aren’t listening, you’ll later learn that this was probably hard for them to endure as well.

You look over at the tired and tispy headliner thats sitting across from you in the booth, and then back down to your watered down jack and coke. After taking another rather large sip of your liquid coping mechanism you hear the host wearly say “…and give it up for your guest comic- *insert him mispronouncing your name* ”

You stand up and walk towards the stage, shaking more than the bartenders drink he just made. You’re nervous and you have swamp a** like no ones business.

You step onto the stage and turn around to the empty restaurant- trying desperately to pretend its full- but getting distracted by the sudden black out youre experiencing. You forget your jokes entirely. So- you start talking about how your dad is canadian. For five minutes, time stands still. How long has it been? What day is it? Who am I?

You’ll look back at this memory and forget if anyone laughed.

You finally hear yourself say “…and thats my time, thank you”

The host comes back up, whispers “What the h*** was that?” and you head back to your sticky booth- feeling simultaneously crushed and hopeful about your future in stand up comedy.

By the end of the show you’re more sweaty, theres 3 less people in the room and the bartender has been on their phone for the past 20 minutes. The host walks up to you, his own sweat gliding down his temples. He begrudging smacks a wrinkly five dollar bill in your hand and says “here- maybe next time you’ll get ’em”

As he walks away you look down at that sweaty Abraham Lincoln and think, “Ive made it”

Lauren, 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 got on stage for the first time in 2014. Before that, I had considered myself an athlete through and through. I swam for 20 years of my life, so the arts was a big mystery to me. I was never really given the chance to perform as a kid. We were a family of athletes. I did know I loved to be goofy though.

It wasn’t until I finished college and retired from swimming that I was finally given more time to explore who I was outside the pool. Unsure of what I wanted to do, I tried to join the military, coach swimming, and even become a brand ambassador for liquor companies. With all the stress on my body I ended up breaking 3 ligaments in my left ankle and went through surgery to reconstruct it. After I was healed (but still in my boot), I became a lifeguard at an LA fitness in Rochester NY (where I grew up) and would day dream about being on stage while the empty 4 ft pool stared back at me.

One thing led to another and I found myself in the position of moving down to Florida to escape my life of alcohol abuse and injury. My first few weeks of being in Naples, FL I met a friend named Holly who ultimately gave me the courage to get on stage for the first time. I am forever grateful for her.

I ended up quitting after 4 months in because of this thing called “self Sabotage”. I didnt get back on stage until 2017 when I really started to learn HOW to become a comedian. The first rule I shouldve learned was “listen to nobody”.

Since then its been quite the adventure on and off stage. Comedy has helped me grow as a performer and a person. I am thankful for the amazing poeple Ive met and the experiences Ive had. My favorite show Ive ever done was opening for Bob Saget. He was so nice. His number one rule he taught me was to “have fun”. That changed my whole perspective.

I am most proud of the consistency and resilience I have showed throughout the years. I could have quit so many times because life gets hard- but I keep going. Now, Im 2 1/2 years sober and loving the comedy ride.

One day at time.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part about being a comedian is the ability to help create energy in a room. I love nothing more than to watch people walk away from any show I am a part of with a huge smile on their face. Doing stand up comedy is like catching lighting bolts of laughter and staying present in that moment. It is what you make it, and thats where authenticity is super important.

An audience never lies!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’ll apply to rule of three on this one!

Ive recently unlearned that “comedy is a lonely journey.” Yes, sometimes you are alone on the road or thinking up new material- but the most successful people I know are always making connections, asking questions, and celebrating the wins of others.

Ive unlearned that “failure = bad.” It is more productive to keep failing than demand perfection from yourself and quit.

Ive unlearned “saying yes to everything”. Find people you love to work with, projects that inspire you and push you as a performer! Don’t get stuck in the cycle of being comfortable.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @laurendcomedy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Laurendcomedy/

Image Credits

Photographer Travis Santo
Photographer Jordan Torelli