Comedy and the COVID era: Susan Thompson sees the therapeutic value of laughter in a new light
“We have to make jokes, otherwise isolation and everything going on will swallow us up.”
Comedian, writer, and talent booker Susan Thompson.
AS ONE OF VANCOUVER’S most coveted festival panelists, managers, and talent bookers in the comedy world, standup Susan Thompson is more than familiar with the business and networking side of the industry. And that gives her a unique perspective on the role of standup through the pandemic, and the effects it’s having on the business of being funny.
She has performed extensively as a comedian and writer throughout Western Canada and the US, winning the title of BC’s Funniest Female not only once, but twice. She’s the lead talent booker for Vancouver’s House of Comedy and the networking talent liaison for the Jake Hirsch Entertainment Group, both positions that demonstrate her expertise management and production.
But now, amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Thompson sees comedy as being far more than just a business: it’s a form of therapy.
“Especially now, comedy makes me feel like I matter—like I’m making a difference,” she says.
A sense of humour goes a long way when comedy clubs are closed and standup events are cancelled.
“It helps us look at the utter ridiculousness of the situation,” Thompson says. “Either you can be mad that you can go to Walmart with 300 people and not to a theatre with 30 distanced people, or you can laugh about it.
“We have to make jokes, otherwise isolation and everything going on will swallow us up,” she adds.
Vancouver’s comedy scene, like every other arts sector in the city, has struggled to stay on its feet amid COVID-19 restrictions. Thompson says local comics have been hit especially hard, because a large share of income for Vancouver comedians comes from cruiseship shows or booking at corporate events, rather than club work. With those gigs gone, many comedians are scrambling to make ends meet. The impact of financial stress on their mental health, she adds, has pushed many talented comics out of the industry in the past year.
“I’ve lost the revenue stream that comes from comedy, because I’m not producing or managing as much,” she says. “But, when that starts to overwhelm me, I put on a Netflix comedy and just laugh, and I feel better.”
Though some comics aren’t interested in the online comedy space, there are many who have taken this shift in stride, creating virtual series and classes to support themselves in other ways. One of the comics Thompson mentions is Carla Collins, who has combined her interests in standup and yoga to create her company Comedic Meditation.
The sessions, which are now over Zoom, FaceTime, WhatsApp, or Messenger, start with 20 to 30 minutes of standup, then continue with 30 to 40 minutes of guided meditation. The science behind why this works as a form of therapy is simple: laughing creates the same brainwave frequency that meditation does.
“It’s things like Comedic Meditation that show how some people are being super-creative with online platforms,” Thompson says. “And, it shows how therapeutic laughing really is.”
Even with her own reservations about Zoom, Thompson adds that comedy is too vital for the world to let it slow down because of COVID-19.
“Comedy and standup are meant to unite people. It creates conversation about things that would normally try to separate us, like politics,” she adds. “It helps us recognize the importance of community, and what that does for our mental health.
“Zoom, of course, isn’t the most ideal situation for standup,” Thompson adds. “But, if I can get on there and make someone’s day better, that’s the only thing that matters.”
Related Articles
