From Hollywood to your local bar, most comedians tend to be male.
Erin Terry, co-host and producer of Eyes Up Here, is giving female comedians a chance to perform in a more inclusive show. The show has had over 65 different women performers participate and has put on over 30 events all around the state.
“I always like to have diversity in my lineup," Terry said. "There are some times when it’s all white women, but I try to book people of color and non-cisgender folks because I want to have a diversity in topics. Some people are gay, some people are moms, some people are married — and all their stories are different.”
The diversity does not stop at the performers, but continues in the audience as well. Having a diverse set of comedians allows varied listeners to connect to the comedians' stories.
“You don’t realize how male-dominated the comedy scene is until you go to a show where there are no men on stage,” Terry said. “So often, when you're at a comedy show with friends, more than half the jokes don't resonate. They’re not universal to women or people that are gay.”
Jody Oakley is another comedian who has performed in the Eyes Up Here series. She said her favorite part of performing comedy is when audience members are able to relate to her material.
“It’s really nice when people come up to you after a show and they tell you they really liked your show and really related to it," Oakley said. "It makes you realize how similar people are.”
Virginia Scarre, another comedian, performed stand-up for her first time at Eyes Up Here open mic event.
"It was so welcoming and so much fun — and so many talented women. It was so inspiring," Scarre said.
