WIT Voices

I never felt intimidated that I was a woman before reading articles about how few female directors there are (working). Then the wheels started turning and I started noticing things. You know how when you meet someone new, and you’ve never heard of their occupation before, you all of a sudden notice the security guards at the event, or the bus drivers, or the person who designed the elevator on which you’re riding. All of these seemingly obvious jobs that people clearly had to do before you knew that person existed, and you’re only now noticing them.

That’s how I felt about being female in a male-driven (I hate using the word “dominated”) profession. I have to say that I’ve been able to get over it and just move forward, but every time I do, someone new points it out to me. If I pitch for a show and a male ends up getting it, I find myself making excuses that point to THAT as the reason, instead of looking at my pitch and wondering what I can do better next time. There are more reasons why a company would pick one pitch/director over another than there are cars on the freeway, so I really have to work on letting a pitch go and not overanalyzing the result.

I recently got the chance to pitch for a show I have wanted to direct since I heard it in the 90’s, and before I was asked to write this pitch, I could have talked about it for hours. The minute I needed to put pen to paper, I went blank. I thought about how the company was founded by mostly men and one woman, how the cast was predominantly male and the only females are basically comic relief, and maybe they would want a male director. The only other directors who were pitching were men, and all of those articles I have read about female directors just flashed through my brain. I thought about all how so many female directors are stifled by the fact that they either have to act like domineering bitches or they won’t get their way.

Then I realized that was just stupid. One amazing comedienne/producer, Zena Leigh Logan, really put it in perspective. I thought of everyone, she would have experienced prejudice in the stand up comedy world.

”So far I haven’t experienced any significant challenges that differ by gender. One out of every 10 shows I am the only female comic. However the ratio of male to female comics is usually pretty significant. I may be one of 2-4 comics out of 10-12 at any given show. I have a group of comic friends I often perform with and we usually meet more people when we are together than I do when I’m alone. Of my group of comic friends with whom I regularly work out I am the only female.

I haven’t noticed a difference in the way I am treated by crowds or most people…. I don’t think an audience views a female comic’s act differently than they do a male’s. I think the audience will connect with your act if you make it relatable and your personality is accessible. That’s what’s really important: the comic’s stage presence more so than their gender.

… .I definitely have a female point of view. I think a lot of the stuff I write, though, is accessible by men and women. I think this because just as many guys as girls quote my jokes back to me and tell me they liked this bit or that bit.“

So I was completely off the mark. I was letting outside forces and opinions affect my perception of myself and my work. I completely forgot the gender of the people to whom I pitched, and I just pitched the show. I just told them what story I would tell. Why I wanted to and needed to do it, how I would do it, how I pictured the entire piece since the first time I heard the soundtrack and how my life in the last twelve years has influenced my view on it now.

Imagine that. Just told the story.

And I got it.