Canberra academic-turned-comedian Jo Richards tackles sexism through stand-up - ABC News

Stand-up comedy has an unflattering reputation for using offensive material, such as sexist jokes, to grab a quick reaction from audiences.

So, how does a young lesbian feminist, who is also doing a PhD in gender studies, make it in that kind of environment?

Quite well, actually.

Emerging comedian Jo Richards first stepped onto the stand-up scene just a couple of months ago, but has already successfully performed almost a dozen live shows.

The 27-year-old Canberra actor saw all her work dry up as a result of COVID-19 restrictions imposed on theatres, but by chance, she happened upon a comedy course and decided to "give this a crack".

"I thought [comedy] would be easier because I have so much acting experience, but it's very scary," Richards said.

She said she learned that "the way to be funny was to not be funny at first — and to be okay with that."

"You have to work at getting better, rather than having a joke bomb and being like, 'Cool, I'm never doing this again.'"

"But it's also a high. When you get off the stage you're like, 'I am so funny.'"

'We are actually creating better comedy'

The comedian is also working on a PhD in gender studies.(Supplied)

When she's not on stage, Richards is working on a PhD in gender studies at the University of Canberra's 50/50 by 2030 Foundation.

Instead of keeping her two passions separate, she said her research was helping her challenge sexism in comedy.

"You do hear sexist jokes a lot," she said.

'A lot of lazy comedy relies on things like sexism, and often when there are women in the room, they choose not to laugh, not necessarily because they're offended, but because it's a bad joke."

As a woman she said she didn't "even have the opportunity to tell a sexist joke".

"I mean, I could in a really meta way, but it's not something I'm going to do," she said.

"It's not a crutch I can lean on.

"So, I think as comedy becomes more diverse, we are actually creating better comedy."

Richards said the simple fact that she existed as a female comedian was feminism in itself.

"Because so many people still have preconceived ideas that women aren't funny, that feminism isn't funny, or that all feminists are angry," she said.

"And women shouldn't tell jokes, they should just be hot."

Feminism, politics make for good comedy

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But she added that the scene was becoming more progressive and inclusive — and not just for the benefit of female or diverse comedians, but also audiences.

"If you're in the audience and you're a woman, you're queer or you have mental illness, you might be nervous that someone's going to get up and tell jokes about you," Richards said.

"But Canberra is great.

"The reason why I got into comedy was because Canberra comedians were actively encouraging people who were a bit nervous about being in that community — including women, queer people and people with a disability — to come and try it."

Welcoming local venues, like Smith's Alternative in the city centre, are among the places Richards performs.

The academic-turned-comedian says the Canberra community has been welcoming of her work.(Supplied: Arj Barker)

She has also chosen a less travelled path when it comes to her material, choosing to be sparing with how much of her content she bases on personal experiences.

Instead, she jokes about "cults, religion, the housing market or politics".

Her direction has been strategic as it gives her scope to sprinkle educational snippets of feminism and politics throughout her comedic routines — unlikely recipes, perhaps.

"So much of the political conversation we have today is combative and it makes people shut off," she said.

"Whereas, making someone laugh about something really opens them up to thinking about things in new ways."

She said taking the stage helped other people understand her perspective and experience.

"You're not trying to convince them of anything or beat something into their heads, you're just saying, 'Here's the truth presented to you in a funny way'," she said.

"And you can sort of pull them out of who they are for a minute and let them laugh at something, giving them that distance and space to reflect without feeling like they're under attack.

"It's not that comedy should be political, it's just that there is a relationship between comedy and politics that I think is underplayed."

Richards will perform at Smith's Alternative on Thursday night.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTAxLTE2L2NhbmJlcnJhLWFjYWRlbWljLXR1cm5lZC1jb21lZGlhbi1qby1yaWNoYXJkcy10YWNrbGluZy1zZXhpc20vMTMwNjI4MzjSASdodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTMwNjI4Mzg?oc=5

2021-01-15 21:07:00Z
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