Funny Girls

The Comedy Fempire Strikes Back

Zoe Rogers changed my life. I met her at a Moms Unhinged Show when I went to see my friend and LTYM cast member, Lisa Lane, perform and Zoe was headlining. I told her I wanted her to be in my show, and in May 2023, she and Lisa were in the cast of Listen To Your Mother Boulder. Yep, it was one of our funniest years.

When I learned she taught a stand-up comedy class, I leapt at the chance; I’d inexplicably started a “Stand-up Comedy Set” idea brain dump in my notes app earlier that year. And once I started, I couldn’t stop. And it was partly because writing humor for so long led so perfectly into creating stand-up sets, and partly because it’s a RUSH, but mainly I’m still at it because of Zoe’s guidance, friendship, advocacy, and the community she created. (You can see me July 17th at the Bug Theater in Denver with Moms Unhinged!)

Several of my comedy classmates and I routinely meet to brainstorm and practice, and the act of creating in community has always been irresistible to me.

I had the honor of producing an all-women LTYM Boulder Comedy show with Zoe in April, and can’t wait to collaborate with her on more productions.

When Zoe was in the cast of Listen To Your Mother Boulder 2023, she expressed awe and gratitude for the dynamic—coming from the comedy industry, it was shocking and refreshing to have a cast of women who were supportive, encouraging, welcoming. We didn’t compete with each other, shit talk, gossip, or feel threatened. We know there is room for all of us at the table.

Shockingly enough, that isn’t always the vibe in the male-dominated comedy world. And rather than be pissed about it, Zoe did something about it. She is the creator of the Boulder Comedy Festival, a week-long event that showcases diversity and inclusion in comedy and promotes the voices of women and POC. She is a badass and a pioneer, and Stace and I had the honor of talking with her a year ago—before I even started comedy—about her experience. You can listen to “It’s Not Ladies Night,” our conversation with Zoe Rogers, here.

It was difficult to hear about some of the sexism and harassment and cruelty she’s encountered in the comedy world, both in LA and locally. When we interviewed her for the podcast last year, she told us about a time when she suggested to a producer that he put her and another female comic she admired on a show together (two women on a show—what!!) and he replied, “It’s not ladies’ night.”

She told us, “I was like staring at him, and I had this moment where you have to choose sometimes between saying the right thing and being able to continue to work. I wanna be like, are you the same guy that put eight straight white dudes in the same hoodie on stage for 90 minutes, who talked about how bitches are crazy and they get high in their mom's basement? Cuz that was redundant.”

I have always struggled with overwhelming feels of pure rage when I hear about the blatant discrimination against women in comedy. When I listened to Zoe’s early experiences and tuned into the ongoing sexism that still happens (I know it’s shocking, but not everybody is thrilled about a comedy festival that highlights diversity and female comics!), I tend to go full-on Red Ross (it’s a Friends references, guys).

But Zoe takes the high road. In fact, High Road Comedy is the name of her brand and classes. She believes, correctly, that women are stronger when they band together in positivity and support. I know she’s right. But sometimes I want to torch the whole damn village in addition to joining hands with my fellow Comedy Fempire Warriors.

She told us that she tries to approach it the same way she does when she encourages her children to focus on the kind classmates instead of the mean kids. “So I try to do that for myself, where I'm like, “Don't focus on the guys who can't stand that you're simultaneously female and are driven. Focus on the other friends that are like, “How can I help you?”

In addition to being a comic and teacher, Zoe is the mom of three kids who are also paying very close attention to the social climate. She’s had some tough conversations about sexism with her kids:

“And kids will bring that up to you. And because they're so direct, you know, my son will be like, “Well why does this person have a problem with you? There are other people who do what you do. What is the problem with you if you've never had an issue with this person?” And I was short on time, I had to get my daughter to bed and I also had to help my middle son with a homework project, and I was loading the dishwasher, and I turned around and I was like, “Why do you think?”

He’s like, “Because you're a girl.” It's like, “Yep. Exactly.”

In anticipation of this year’s festival, I asked Zoe some follow-up questions about her journey.

Steph: Describe the climate of stand-up comedy when you started, and what it felt like to do clubs and shows where you were the only woman?

Zoe: When I first started there was the anxiety about getting on stage and the added anxiety of almost always being the only woman on stage. You feel like you have to represent your entire gender. . . no pressure. 

Steph: How has your experience as a comic shifted since you started in terms of the dynamic when performing? 

Zoe: It's been over a decade doing stand up and I feel like for the most part things have improved in terms of women and diversity. I do see some retro flyers these days with all straight white dudes on a line-up, but mostly producers seem to have increased awareness of having women and diversity. When I first started doing comedy it was really hard to get booked as a woman on a show. There would be one a month on a monthly show, so if you were booked on it it meant the other women in the scene weren't on it.

So I started producing shows in the back of bars in LA. I was always surprised at the quality of talent that would come and do our little Sunday 6 o'clock show. Producing shows was how I made sure that I and other comics had a chance to keep getting up and keep getting better. It was in those back rooms that it became clear that you can book diverse and incredibly funny comics, so why weren't people doing it? I think it was the old boys club mentality. That's improved a lot over the last decade. 

At one point I had an idea for show called “Token Straight White Dude,” where we would only have one straight white guy each month so we could showcase diversity in the rest of the spots and give people an opportunity to be seen. The trouble was, none of the venues I worked with wanted any part of it. Eventually a friend of mine let me do the show in her backyard. There was an awesome turn out. I started to feel like, “Oh, I'm not the only one who feels the need for this.”

I have had awesome opportunities to work terrific venues who were supportive of what I was trying to create. I started teaching and saw there was a real need for a women’s class. I started a show called Comedy Fempire which had a mix or newer and more seasoned women in comedy. Doing those shows showed me that there is an audience for women and diversity in comedy, it wasn't just me thinking why aren't there more women and more diversity. 

Steph: I know being in a cast of supportive women with LTYM was a big change for you and made an impact. Can you describe what that felt like? 

Zoe: Being a woman in comedy meant being able to crush stereotypes and open doors for more women, but it also felt like I couldn't share about the things you deal with, whether it's harassment or discrimination. You would be gaslit and labeled as someone who makes drama. By the time I did LTYM, that had become my default setting. It was so nice to be in a community of supportive women. Thankfully there is more of that in the comedy world these days. I try to create it for my students and women in comedy, and there's also Andrea Marie who is running Moms Unhinged.  

Steph: What finally led you to start the Boulder Comedy Festival, and what has the reception been? 

Zoe: Lack of diversity and women in shows and festivals are what led me to start Boulder Comedy Festival. I had started thinking about a Festival based on highlighting women and diversity while I was producing shows in LA. Once I moved to Colorado, six years ago, it seemed like more of a possibility. When I started work at Dairy Arts Center and curating their monthly comedy show, I asked if they'd be open to a festival that focused on women and diversity and they offered us the whole weekend. Having that support from them was huge and it felt like it legitimized the festival. I had comics I knew from LA and New York coming in for the first festival combined with local headliners. The reception was awesome.

The first year on the first show, I stepped onstage and said "Welcome to Boulder Comedy Festival," the audience responded by shouting "Thank you!" And I just about cried. It was standing room only and it was a really awesome feeling. 

The reception has been incredible. Lots of people come out each year to support us. The audiences are awesome and we get lots of emails from people asking if we need volunteers. I feel like Boulder Comedy Festival really met a need for more women and diversity in comedy. This community is beautiful. Comedy has so many funny and diverse voices. Highlighting those voices is really important. 

Want to be one of the amazing people supporting this amazing festival? Here are the details!

The 4th Annual Boulder Comedy Festival is June 19-23rd! Join us for seven hilarious shows featuring over 30 talented comics from all across the country.

As always, Boulder Comedy Festival is proud to highlight women and diversity in comedy, showcasing incredible talent and diverse voices. With shows spread across four venues, including two Boozy Brunch Shows, there's plenty of comedy to go around.

The Saturday June 22nd show is a benefit for Rocky Mountain Equality. 
Last year's shows sold out fast, so grab your tickets early. Venues are Junkyard Social, Dairy Arts Center, Finkel and Garf Brewing and Boco Cider.

🎟️ Tickets are selling fast, so don't wait! Join us at the Boulder Comedy Festival!
Complete list of shows, comics and tickets at www.BoulderComedyFestival.com
20% off with online promocode name of venue

JUNKYARD  Wednesday June 19th 7pm
DAIRY      Thurs, Fri,Sat and Sunday 7pm
FINKEL     Saturday Boozy Brunch 2pm
BOCO       Sunday Boozy Brunch 2pm