Chicagoist: Women Share Humorous Love Letters To Themselves for V Day Comedy Special
Local non-profit Women In Comedy celebrated an early, alternative Valentine’s Day Tuesday night at their first annual fundraiser, “A Love Letter To Myself,” hosted at The Laugh Factory.
The show’s tone was perhaps best captured in a tongue-in-cheek musical number from the organization’s executive director and founder, Victoria Elena Nones, about what life could be like for a girl “who lost a little weight.”
Miami New Times: All Female Comedy Show Just in Time for Valentine's
Women in Comedy, a Chicago organization aiming to empower and connect female improvisers, is bringing the ladies while Villain Theater is providing the stage. The lineup consists of comedians Gladys Nobriga, Meaghan Gallagher, Liz Tracy (former New Times music editor and current arts writer), and Catherina Transleau. Two improv teams will also join: one composed of women from several theaters across South Florida, and the other, Villain Theater's own female troupe Orange is the New Wack.
Jezebel: Chicago's Woman Comedians Are Fighting Back Against Sexual Harassment
“This is a thing that’s making me angry right now,” Nones told Jezebel. “That these institutions are coming back and saying, ‘Well, we have policies in place.’ [The reality is] that if you’re not actively engaging in those policies and you’re not making sure everybody knows it on a regular, day-to-day basis, and making it a part of your company culture, then those policies don’t mean anything.”
Chicago Tribune Front Page: Women In Improv Comedy Detail a Culture of Sexual Harassment, Silence
Nones, who would later create www.womenincomedy.org as a forum for female improvisers to share their stories, said she considered bringing the issue to the attention of Second City's administration but was informed she would need to speak with someone whose role also involved artistic decisions. "And for me, as a performer, that doesn't feel safe," she said. "Because if he doesn't agree, how does that bode for my reputation going forward? They can say all they want that it won't affect you (to report a problem), but we know bias happens behind closed doors. I later heard that it was circulating through the office that, 'Oh, Victoria's being dramatic.' "
NY Magazine: Are You a Woman in Comedy Who's Been Harassed? This Org Wants To Help
After several female comedians came forward recently with stories of sexual assault and abuse within their close-knit but extremely male-dominated communities, it was clear that the time had come for a reevaluation of the industry as it stood. On Wednesday, Women in Comedy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering, connecting, and advocating for women in the comedy industry, published a public Google Form titled "Gross Things That Happened To Me As A Woman In Comedy."