Women We Love: Mia McCullough

Known for her straight talk, no chaser honesty, Mia McCullough is a playwright, comedian, and decent human. Here are 10 reasons why Mia is a woman we love.

1. Mia is a very brazen hussy and master of the ‘resting bitch face’.

2. She is against glorifying the addict/troubled artist persona. In fact, she promotes self-care and has all the info on living with chronic migraines.

3. Able to make hilarious comparisons between Hanukkah to teenage sex, her stand-up is smart and unexpected. This sense of humor is not solely restricted to comedy; it’s in her plays, screenplays, and social media posts. Mia believes humor makes life a lot more bearable.

4. Mia is an unashamed grouch who you can’t help but love. This is because she admires and studied the world’s best meanie, Oscar the Grouch.

5. As a teacher, Mia is both incredibly practical and kinda touchy-feely. To her, it's just as valuable to teach her students how to make a script great as well as how to persevere in the real world.

6. Despite what we may think, her starker from the 80’s worked harder than any Millennial stalker ever will. Want proof? Watch “Stalker Fun” on YouTube.

7. Mia is all about collaborating vs competing with women in the industry. She readily shares tips on improving craft, dealing with rejection, and handling the work/life balance.

8. Her family loves animals – even the sickly ones. They tried to dress their deaf dog as Emperor Palpatine. Unfortunately, their dog only does happy – not menacing.

9. She loves her art and is serious about doing the work. She’s not afraid to disconnect the WiFi and hide from her husband and son.

10. She organized an impromptu party for women from the Chicago theatre scene. Intentioned to build solidary, the open invitation party was a great time to laugh, eat, and talk about the triumph and struggles with like-minded souls.

Don’t know the notorious M.I.A? Shout at her on Twitter (@Brazenhussyrant) or register for her workshop Dissecting Dialog at Chicago Dramatists. Classes start Wednesday, April 13.