Stand-up comedy, spoken word poetry, sexy Bob Ross, and more
“The Future is Funny” is an understatement. Back for their second instalment, The Making-Box’s The Future is Funny show had audience members in fits of laughter.
The show evolved out of That Time of the Month, a feminist and LGBTQ positive stand-up comedy show produced by Natalie Norman and Erinn White in partnership with The Making-Box. The Future is Funny has grown into a platform for people identifying as women or non-binary to perform sketch comedy, improv, spoken word, music, burlesque, and any other form of comedy.
Hayley Kellett, host and creator of The Future is Funny, wanted to create an inclusive show for traditionally marginalized identities where audience members get to celebrate both who they are and the comics onstage.
“If you don’t see yourself being represented onstage, the illusion that you don’t belong is very strong,” Kellett said in an interview with The Ontarion before the show. “Creating a performance, piece, or show that features voices that aren’t being heard as often as the rest is creating a space for other people to go, ‘Oh cool, I can do that. I get that opportunity.’ It’s important to me to make sure that everybody, regardless of who they are, has a place that they can see themselves visibly on stage.”
The show started off with an original song by Laura Bailey, “Sexy Little House Bunny,” which was introduced as the opening number of the musical she’s currently in the process of writing.
Next, second-time stand-up performer and millennial librarian Becca Redden charmed the audience with a story about her first time watching someone watch porn at the public library.
Burlesque dancers Lilith Lemons and Olive von Topp from The Femmes Rebelles showcased their own brands of comedy, with their respectively thrilling and unexpectedly sexy performances.
Dressed as Bob Ross, the message of von Topp’s performance was, “There are no mistakes, just happy accidents.”
Adding to the diverse lineup, Elise from Guelph Spoken Word got the audience whooping and cheering for her poem about different ice cream flavours. Ice cream might have been a metaphor for sex.
Headliner DeAnne Smith performed a hilarious yet informative set. Smith spoke about the difference between marketing for men’s and women’s shampoo, getting a bikini wax for the first time, and emphasized that lesbian sex is not “scissoring,” among other topics.
During the show, Smith also addressed any reviewers in the show and stated that although she identifies as being agender, she would understand if she/her pronouns were used in a review, but would prefer to be known as a w♀man.*
Smith ended the show via a breakup letter with the audience, explaining that she wanted to “do it” with other audiences.
Smith’s half-hour Netflix special is set to air in 2019.
*∞
Photos by Karen K. Tran