Laughing Matters: The History and Power of Comedy
Comedy can be seen and experienced in many forms\u2014onstage, on screens, and even in hospitals. Like laughter, its effects are contagious and its power spills over onto all of us. This panel of experts, comedians, and expert comedians will talk about the history of comedy and its potential to create change.
- Wayne Federman\xa0is\xa0a\xa0stand-up comic, actor, author, comedy writer, professor, and Emmy-winning producer. He has appeared multiple times on\xa0The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon\xa0and\xa0has his own stand-up special on Comedy Central.\xa0He\xa0is the author of the bestselling book,\xa0The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain to Dave Chappelle, and\xa0teaches the history of stand-up comedy\xa0at the USC School of Dramatic Arts.
- Lanita Jacobs\xa0(joining remotely)\xa0is an associate professor of American Studies and Ethnicity and Anthropology at USC. Her\xa0fieldwork across sites of hair care, hospitals, and humor, asks\xa0how speakers construct a sense of themselves as individuals and community members without forgetting the socio-political stakes animating their lives. She is the author of\xa0To Be Real: Truth and Racial Authenticity in African American Standup Comedy.
- Kristina Wong\xa0is a performance artist, comedian, writer, and elected representative in Koreatown Los Angeles.\u202fDuring the Covid-19 pandemic, she founded the Auntie Sewing Squad, a national network of volunteers sewing masks for vulnerable communities. Their work inspired the book,\xa0The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice. Wong\u2019s show,\xa0Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, is a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and winner of the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Solo Performance.
- Moderator:\xa0Zachary Steel is an assistant professor of Theatre Practice and director of Comedy at USC. He has taught at the Clown School, is currently teaching at the Idiot Workshop, and is director of USC Comic+Care, a program that utilizes the practice of various comedy disciplines to strengthen community and support the healing process. USC Comic+Care has partnered with LAC+USC, CHLA, Norris Cancer Center, The Children\u2019s Bureau, and other healthcare organizations.