The Femmes of Color Comedy Club (@focitupcomedy) is producing a podcast featuring live performances, games and chat with fierce and fabulous comedians hosted by Kemah Bob. It’s an opportunity to hear incredible comedy and get to know the folks behind the funny.
FOC IT UP! celebrates and centers the perspectives of women, non-binary, gender non-conformig and trans-masculine comedians of color. That’s right, a comedy show with a 100% no-white-guys-onstage guarantee honey!
The FOC IT UP Comedy Club, founded by American comic Kemah Bob (shey/they), celebrates the perspectives of comedians of colour that are not cis-men with a 100% no-white-dudes-onstage guarantee! The acronym FOC stands for Femmes of Color, however the show platforms women, gender nonconforming, non-binary and trans-masculine performers of color.
As a Texas native new to London’s comedy scene, Kemah Bob noticed blatant tokenism and a general a lack of non-white acts and audience members at mainstream gigs - which she found surprising in Europe’s most multicultural city.
She noticed she didn’t have the opportunity to hang out with other women of color backstage. And a lot happens backstage - performers get to talk about life, gigs, get and give advice. But many of the people she found herself performing with were white and more often than not, male.
Inspired by her work with the Guilty Feminist, a revolutionary feminist podcast, and The Cocoa Butter Club, a platform decolonizing cabaret, Kemah created a space to center comedians who are often othered and recognize their fierce, fabulous and funny perspectives.
The FOC IT UP Comedy Club provides a space for comedians to experiment with material in a way they might not experience on other mixed bills. According to Kemah, “audiences affect how comedians deliver material, how they feel about what they’re saying and what they think they can bring to a performance. If you perform to white audiences all of the time, a lot of the humour you do ends up being a joke on you.”
The Femmes of Color Comedy Club has also carved out a place for itself by serving an underrepresented audience. The joy of FOC IT UP! Is the acts get to see themselves reflected offstage, with a diverse audience of women, queer people and allies from all backgrounds. The audience gets to hear perspectives they can relate to - or don’t hear often in many mainstream comedy shows.
Kemah Bob says: “We prioritize the experience of people of color on and off stage, and encourage everyone else to check their privilege at the door. So far, even straight white dudes are having a great time.”
Now with the help of The Guilty Feminist’s team, Kemah is turning FOC IT UP into a podcast. In the first season she will bring the magic of The Femmes of Color Comedy Club and the voices of 36 comedians to an audience worldwide!
Kemah Bob adds: “Since I began co-hosting the Guilty Feminist years ago, I’ve always been inspired by its ability to raise awareness of amazing comedians that are often overlooked by the mainstream. And more-so its ability to align us with an audience that connects with our perspectives and may not have found us otherwise.
Since founding FOC IT UP! one of my greatest joys is bringing relatable talent to an audience that many comedy spaces don’t cater to and I’m delighted to say that with the help of The House of The Guilty Feminist I’ll be able to invite an even bigger audience to get to know these FOC-ing legends.”
The FOC IT UP! Podcast will be co-produced by the Femmes of Color Comedy Club and The House of The Guilty Feminist. It will be recorded in front of a live audience in London and feature comedy performances, games and cheerful chat between Kemah and her guests. It’ll be a one stop shop to hear comedy from incredible voices and get to know them better.
Tickets for all shows: https://www.21-soho.com/foc-it-up
