Blog #4 – The Accidental Comedian

I recently took my teenage twins on some college tours. While attempting to inspire and motivate them about all the possibilities ahead, I personally started to feel somewhat melancholy—wishing I had done a lot of things differently in my own life and wanting to feel more fulfilled, inspired and excited again, but not knowing exactly what to do about it.

As it turned out, my former university has an alumni career counseling service, so I scheduled an appointment. The first session was helpful in re-framing my own thinking about my life. The coach was actually doing her day job—ironically, her personal passion is acting and improv comedy! She told me she spends her evenings at The Villain Theater at Florida International University. Was our encounter a coincidence? I think not. Sometimes as artists, we do what we need to do to earn a living, put food on the table and raise a family. Even if it means having a “day job.” The universe was picking up on my vibes and with a little positive action on my part, it started to put helpful people and resources in my path to guide me back to a more artistic and enriching life.

Although my new plan isn’t totally mapped out, things are definitely percolating. I came to realize that after a long hiatus, being a “bad-ass” mom focusing on nurturing my children and establishing a strong foundation for them while working in a different career, what I really yearned to do now was to find creative outlets in the arts and cultural world and work in show business again. It was as if I was picking up where I had left off years ago and it was okay to feel good about my choices and to be proud of myself. I can still fog a mirror, so I ain’t done yet!

I got a wild idea of taking a stab at stand-up comedy. Maybe I do have my family’s “crazy genes” after all, or, I’m a masochist still trying to fill the abandonment issues of my childhood, or both for that matter. Nevertheless, I decided to go for it. I started jotting down notes on index cards whenever I got an inspiration—which would often come at the most inconvenient times, like when I’m almost asleep, or driving, or in the shower. Other times ideas come when I’m experiencing some annoyance, observing an injustice, or happen upon an absurd situation.

Soon, I had a stack of note cards and decided that if I could scrape together a good three to five minutes I would somehow get up the nerve to give it a shot at an open-mic night. I went to a few local clubs recently and noticed there were some decent performances by vocalists and musicians, but there were no comics.

Back at home I set up my video camera in my bedroom and like a teenager, warned everyone to “Keep out!” I felt like such a nerd, like Robert DeNiro’s character Rupert Pupkin rehearsing his act in his mother’s basement in the Martin Scorsese film, “The King of Comedy.” I recorded my spiel and planned to review it to see whether it was all shit, or whether there was anything viable an audience could relate to and laugh about.

Another positive step I took was to join WomenInComedy.org. I’ve been contributing to the blog (this is my 4th submission) and I look forward to us connecting, empowering and advocating for one another in this industry. I’d love to connect and hear some comments or feedback, if anyone cares to reach out just shoot me an email at faithbatt@gmail.com

In the past, aside from writing and producing for “America’s Most Wanted,” I had written some screenplays, sitcom pilots and sketches that have collected an impressive pile of dust in my garage. I also had some experience working as an actress, so I decided the best thing to do at this point would be to go back to my roots, continue writing and develop my improv skills.

I admired the courage it took for actors to get on stage and perform spontaneously in the moment, without a script. For years, I secretly fantasized about being part of Second City and writing and performing in comedy sketches on SNL, but I never thought I would have the opportunity, especially living in Florida.

One has to start somewhere though, so I decided recently, to “Feel the fear and do it anyway,” as Susan Jeffers would say. (My self-help tool kit comes in handy after all). Improv seemed like a great way to get the creative juices flowing and do some networking. I’m being open and willing and putting my thoughts and actions out to the universe. We’ll have to wait and see what it sends back. Meanwhile, I figured that practicing improv could at least reduce my stress and maybe even be fun. I was definitely down for some fun!

The next thing I did was attend a showcase performance at a local improv company called, Sick Puppies in Boca Raton, FL. It was the graduation show of a class that had been learning for about seven weeks and it was very interesting to watch and fun to interact with the performers, even though my husband, Layne, dragged me to the shadows of the back row, probably hoping they wouldn’t involve him. He’s a behind the scenes kind of guy.

Then, I found a local improv “Meetup” group online, run by ImprovU and decided to drop in. I was curious but also a little nervous thinking I was about to potentially make a fool of myself, but I thought I’d try my luck. In any case, I figured, if I embarrassed myself, or came across looking like a total ass, it didn’t really matter. No one knew me, plus, other people were brave enough to risk making fools of themselves too, so, I wasn’t alone.

I spent about two and half hours actively engaged in exercises and scenes with the other 20 or so people who showed up, even though only eight had RSVP’d online. It was an enjoyable and engaging experience with a bunch of strangers. Who knew all of these resources existed in my own backyard? I felt like a kid again. I had awakened the playful child in me that had been dormant all these years.

Afterwards, I went across the Ave in Delray Beach to an ice cream shop and enjoyed a hot fudge sundae to reward myself for having the courage to trust my intuition and take positive action. Then, I drove home, got into bed with a book, “We Killed: The Rise of American Women in Comedy,” (one of about ten I got from the library that week) and then drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face, dreaming of what I’ll do next and the wonderful possibilities of where this might lead.

Faith Antman Batt is an Emmy award winning writer, producer and actress. She is currently developing a stand-up act and plans to publish her memoir, “Cracking Up! Life With My Fractured Family."