Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Bartlett.
Laura, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My comedy career started with a speeding ticket. It was during a comedy defensive driving class when the idea of pursuing stand-up first became real. No joke. I have a Plano policeman to thank for the highly motivating $60 dollar traffic ticket that I really couldn’t afford as a single mom; because, once my record was expunged, I found my way back to the Addison IMPROV enrolled in a Monday night stand-up comedy workshop.
The following months and years were pretty crazy – during the weekdays I was this single mom working full-time in corporate America and on weekends I was an aspiring stand-up comedian doing open mics.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege to do some really cool stuff I would never have dreamed I’d do. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know and perform with some really talented people like Paul Varghese, Chuck Cason and SNL’s Victoria Jackson. There was even that time I opened for the legendary mentalist The Great Kreskin. And ultimately, sharing the stage every year for the last 12 years with the women of FOUR FUNNY FEMALES and calling the McKinney Performing Arts Center “Home.”
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well for starters, I was a 30-something year-old single mom battling paralyzing stage fright. It was so bad that my body would start to go into early stages of shock. I remember my hands being so cold that I’d go on stage in a winter coat with chemical hand warmers in the pockets. In those days I was also warned “nobody will come out to see just female comedians- you should get a guy to headline.” It may seem silly now, but that was the way it was in the early 2000’s.
Another challenge was where I chose to produce Four Funny Females: the “burbs.” I wanted to bring stand-up comedy to my hometown. At the time, McKinney’s Historic Downtown was mostly known for its antique shops. The closest comedy club back then was in Addison, TX, 20 miles South-West of McKinney. To make matters worse, the venue I chose was an 18th century courthouse famous for hosting an axe murder trial. Seriously, there’s a TV movie about it called “Killing in a Small Town.” Everything that made me fall in love with the McKinney Performing Arts Center – the historical venue, the charm – were huge marketing challenges. For instance, the theater seats were historical wooden folding chairs, it didn’t have a marquee or signage, and it had zero public awareness. I remember pointing once and asking a stranger what was up with the huge building in the middle of the square and getting just shrug. Nobody had a clue. In a pre-Facebook world, I remember running all over town handing out handmade flyers and putting up FFF bandit signs. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t eventually met Karen Klassen, owner of Spoons Café, a popular spot across from MPAC. She allowed me to Zip Tie my 5′ long FOUR FUNNY FEMALES comedy banners to her restaurant’s wrought iron patio gate. Karen’s generosity of spirit epitomizes “Women Helping Women.”
Four Funny Females – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Four Funny Females is a 90-minute clean stand-up comedy show featuring an award-winning cast of all-female stand-up comedians. We each have our own unique personality and comedy style. Something else that’s different than most is that everyone in the cast has a successful career outside of comedy. We’re sort of regular people who know how to relate to regular people. Our goal isn’t to offend but to make our audiences feel better about themselves and the world around them. I guess it’s worked because I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that they’ve seen FFF more than once. The other day a lady walked up to me at Starbucks to tell me that she and her 3 girlfriends had tickets to see us for a 5th time! We sort of have earned the reputation as the “Ultimate Girls Night Out…but guys like us, too.” We’ve been honored to be a 2 x Dallas A-List Winner and lauded as the “Fastest Rising Franchise,” by Theater Jones. Since our start in 2006 we’ve been featured in the New York Times, CNN Money, Dallas Morning News, Plano Profile, D Magazine, Dallas Child, McKinney Living, McKinney Magazine, Dallas Guide, Quick, Bubble Life, Dallas Observer” and WFAA “Good Morning Texas.”
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My favorites times are when peoples tell how much Four Funny Females means to them or how our show helped get them through something very difficult. After one of our recent shows an audience member grieving the loss of her daughter handed me roses and said “thank you’. – keep doing what you’re doing.” Another time I received a phone call from a woman letting me know that she and her husband had planned to celebrate his last chemotherapy treatment by going to see our show. Every once-in-a-while, we get the opportunity to help an audience member make their own special memory. A couple of years ago I was asked if I could help a man with a “do-over” public marriage proposal. So during one of our Valentines shows, in front of 400 people, we were able to give a husband and wife the public proposal that their teenage selves had only dreamed of, 30 years after the fact. I think people really appreciate that our hearts are bigger than our egos.
Pricing:
- $22.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fourfunnyfemales.com
- Phone: 2144509675
- Email: laurabartlettcomedy@yahoo.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurabartlettcomedy
Image Credit:
Mark Woods
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