Summer sizzlers: UNO documentary on Funny Women Showcase

What: Funny Women Showcase

Film By: UNO Student and documentarian Shelby Chifici

Editor’s Note: NolaVie partners with students of UNO professor László Zsolt Fülöp, pairing them with artists, non-profits, environmental groups, and cultural entities to facilitate a live curriculum that results in a short documentary. Shelby Chifici provides a look into the New Orleans comedy scene by showing some of the acts of the Funny Women Showcase at the Hi-Ho Lounge. Enjoy a taste of some of the wittiest women New Orleans has to offer joking about topics such as aging, intersectionality, and covid.

|Read the full transcript of the documentary below|

It’s no secret that New Orleans has a busy nightlife known for Mardi Gras, music festivals, the food and Bourbon Street. Nola serves tourists a party like no other, but I want to focus on the comedy scene, more specifically, women in stand-up comedy.

Stand up is still largely a male-dominated field, but there are and have been a multitude of talented women telling jokes since before it was even deemed appropriate in society. In 2021 women are still paid 82 cents for every dollar a man makes, [and] for women of color it’s less. While the wage gap is unfair, the spread of covid 19 halted everything. People in entertainment couldn’t go back to work, but when they finally could, these women were happy to make people laugh at the Hi-Ho Lounge.

Hosted by TK Fairley, the funny women showcase featured a lineup of entertaining stand-ups.

“So let’s go ahead and get this thing started. [Let me] tell y’all a little joke before I bring the people up. Alright y’all let me tell you what we’ve been going through since the pandemic. 

The topics range from aging:

“I made 72 my last birthday, yes, I did, and you know apart from certain you know little aches and pains and [ __ ] I like it really. But the best thing is last year, wait for it, I finally paid off my student loans. That’s right that’s something that you all have to look forward to”. 

“And I turned and I looked next to me and i’m like since when did they start letting children drive those babies are 12! Where are their moms and then I went closer and I’m like ‘oh no they’re not babies, I think they might be in their 20s.’ But how can that be because I’m in my 20s. What are you using on your skin? It’s glowing; I looked in their rear view mirror. I’m like ‘okay how old am I?’ Take out my license, 19, whatever you know none of your goddamn business”

America:

“Oh we’re outside and it’s like  just a little bit scary just like a little bit, because you know we were in the middle of a pandemic a panini a panorama whatever.”

“You want to call it you know and also like America is embarrassing”

Vaccines:
“I know I had a group of co-workers just wouldn’t get vaccinated and that was just a fun time because we usually get along really good but we were at odds a bit. One day they were like Lee why are you so upset with us and they’re like don’t you understand? We just don’t understand the long-term effects of that vaccine and then they all went off for a smoke break.”

Covid:

“The last time i was really really high and I was here somebody was blowing bubbles outside. I don’t know where the [ __ ] the bubbles came from but I ducked hard right. I ducked real real hard because there’s breath in there right. I don’t know who that came from. Why did somebody just drive by Covid me?”

Intersectionality:

“Anybody intersectionality, okay between two cultures three cultures. Like if i’m black and a woman does that count? Did y’all know I was black and a woman? I just want to make sure because i’m living my life like a mediocre white man right now okay.”
The LGBTQ+ community

“The only thing that you’re dealing with whenever you actually become friends with a genXer who comes out later on in life. Remember we didn’t have what you have. We didn’t have that freedom you know. A lot of us actually have to struggle to come out so anybody out there that actually is struggling to come out I’m just going to let you know right now it’s hard to be yourself okay. And it’s fine to still figure out a safe way to do it and when you do don’t just be yourself, celebrate yourself celebrate yourself.”

Everyone is supportive friendly and inclusive though it may be small at the Hi Ho lounge there’s room for everybody except for [ __].