Lady Laughs
Local Emmy Winner Pushing Female Comics
By Greg Johnson
It was the ladies' turn this weekend.
The laughs were flying at the Fourth Annual Women of Color comedy shows last Friday and Saturday night. Seven local comediennes from a variety of backgrounds shared their perspective on everything comedy - from war to family reunions to the demise of Michael Jackson.
"He's white people's problem now," shared one African-American comedienne, discussing the King of Pop's metamorphosis in appearance. "And they can't complain. We took Bill Clinton off their hands three years ago."
The event has snowballed in popularity since its inception four years ago and played to two sold-out crowds this weekend at Jimmy Tingle's Off-Broadway in Somerville's Davis Square as well as Cambridge's Comedy Studio.
"It went amazingly well," said Rick Jenkins, owner of Harvard Square's nationally-revered Comedy Studio which has housed the event since its birth in 1999. "We had to open the doors early because the line was out to the street."
At the center of all these laughs is Dorchester's own Deb Farrar-Parkman. One of the seven people involved with the show since its inception, Deb now finds herself handling the many complications that come with such a popular event: a media blitz, hosting duties come showtime, and, last but not least, the pressure of two sold-out shows.
"It's been a little crazy," Deb admitted during a phone interview last week.
Crazy indeed. In fact, the demand for tickets was so great, there was even an effort to add a third show at the last minute. One of the many turned away from the theater even made an offer on this reporter's press pass. The event has suddenly become one of the most popular nights of the year in a booming Boston comedy scene, and Deb Farrar-Parkman takes great pride in the way the show can bring together so many people in the name of the art form she has grown to love.
But, looking back, this is just another milestone in an impressive career for Farrar-Parkman. The lifelong Dorchester resident spent time at Suffolk University before transferring and receiving her degree from Pepperdine University. She would go on to work as a television producer for most of the '80s and '90s. After years of working within the medium, Deb would eventually be rewarded with TV's highest honor, as she took home an Emmy in 2000 for a documentary she helped produce about the Dorchester House. After seeing a flier about the Dot House, Deb spent time learning about the grandparents raising their grandchildren within the community. It didn't take long for her to push WGBH to develop a project showcasing the Fields Corner facility. The documentary eventually hit the airwaves and brought Deb a statuette for small-screen excellence.
Despite this success, Deb decided to take some time off from television in August of 1997 and go back to school. Suddenly without the artistic elements her television career had allotted her, Deb discovered stand-up comedy as a way to "keep [her] creative".
After participating in a seven-week stand-up comedy class, Deb was able to hit the stage four times at different clubs around the area. After three years as a hobbyist, Deb began to take comedy seriously and gain a balanced perspective on the art form she now loves.
"I feel the difference between comedy and TV is [comedy] is like your own," Deb says. "When you're working on TV, only maybe 60 percent of it is yours. Everybody has a hand in changing what you do. With comedy, it's yours. The onus is on you to make it funny. If you bomb, you can't blame someone else. It makes you accountable. It makes you grown up."
Deb now performs at clubs all over New England, and finds herself in even greater demand following the publicity of the Women of Color event. Aside from the major publicity and success of the weekend, the comediennes involved with the event have now received offers from colleges and companies to perform.
Even with all this creative success under her belt, the Emmy Award winner still finds time to stay active within the community. In addition to her full-time job in South Boston with the United Way, Deb spends time doing work at the Roxbury Boys and Girls club as well as immersing herself in other projects, such as last year's "The Favorite Poem" project with former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky.
As for the women of color show, Deb is pleased she is able to bring so many different perspectives to so many different crowds.
"I hope it continues to grow," says Deb. "Last year we wouldn't have even thought about doing [three shows], but the response we've gotten is that there are people out there that want different perspectives on comedy. They want to see it all. They want to hear it all."
COURTESY OF THE DORCHESTER REPORTER
Deb talks about ColorStruck on WCVB- Boston's "Cityline"No Offense, But... The Boston Globe
