What Famous Comediennes Taught Me About Being Unstoppable

by Sheila Moeschen

I’ve always loved comedy and humor in general.

As I kid I loved The Muppet Show and read MAD Magazine, and listened to Weird Al Yankovic.

When I was pursuing my PhD from Northwestern in the Interdisciplinary Theatre & Drama program, I become more exposed to the history of comedy, especially in America and, even more specifically, the role that women have always played shaping and driving humor—from satire writers in the early-1800s to women who owned vaudeville stages in the turn of the century.

The contributions of these, and the many other funny women that followed, are largely either obscured or historically siloed. I wanted to expose the legacy of these fantastic, brave, funny women from a century ago through to present day.

I wanted to amplify the voices and varied contributions of these women. I wanted to show that a woman who purposefully engages with humor is immensely powerful, influential, and even radical. And I wanted to create a fun, interesting, engaging way to point to engage with these ideas as well as celebrate the enormous body of work from these women that continues to unfold.

I Questioned Whether I Could Bring the Legacy of These Women to Life

One of the biggest challenges was simply narrowing the field down to 50 outstanding women! I lost a lot of sleep over the include/exclude tango.

I also felt a lot of pressure to present these women in ways that were fun and insightful, but dynamic in terms of their work. We all have our favorite funny icons or icons in the making; we all have different tastes when it comes to humor (no matter who is creating or making the humor).

I felt pretty anxious at times that I was “getting it right” about the kind of comedy they are involved in or, in some cases, really pioneered.

Any writer who says she’s above self-doubt somewhere in the process must be missing some creative gland or gene.

I did question as to whether or not I could bring the legacy of these women to life. I hope I did.

My Biggest Triumph: Writing About Mae West and Elaine May

I think one of the biggest triumphs I had was in writing two specific profiles: Mae West and Elaine May.

These were different women historically, but both showed a galvanizing sensibility of self, of who they were/are as women and as humorous women. In writing about both of them—both slightly and wonderfully terrifying in their own way—I really felt like I was calling them into the room with me.

I felt if Elaine May was smoking a cigarette, reading over my shoulder. She would have at least smirked in a couple of places (before shredding the text and demanding a rewrite). That feeling of embodiment through the work is very gratifying and humbling.

I am one steward of these womens’ stories. I take that pretty seriously.

Writing About Other Powerful Women Reminded Me of My Own Power

I thought I already had a pretty deep and profound appreciation for funny women, but this work opened up a whole other level of that for me.

I also came away feeling very inspired and energized as a creative. Many of these women made opportunities for themselves out of virtually nothing. That seems to be a thread running through their stories: make what you want to see in the world; be unstoppable in that regard.

And it probably also speaks to the history of women as makers, doers, problem-solvers, and original life-hackers, but it was something unexpected and reminded me of my own power and agency as a creative person.

As a Writer, You Commune with Something Else that is You and Not You

All writing is a spiritual practice for me.

You are moving in and out of time, places, histories, and most importantly, emotions. That requires communion with something else that is both you and not you.

It’s also transformative. You’re never who you are when you started writing. You are pushing at, what I call, the architecture that is bigger than we can see. And every time you do that, it changes you in some way.

It’s really wonderful and I feel immensely lucky and grateful that I get to experience it.

Advice for a Young Writer: Bring All of Your Heart to the Process

Take it all very seriously by bringing all of your heart and integrity and openness to the process.

Give mighty thanks for revisions and wonderful, trusted, smart editors.

Find the love in your craft, project, or big work and when you’re tempted to bail on it, remember that and let it fuel you to keep going.

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Sheila Moeschen, PhD, is a Boston-based gender and pop-culture writer. After graduating with a Doctorate in Gender and Theatre Studies from Northwestern University and doing a stint in academia teaching about the history of American humor, gender and comedy, she took her passion for and interest in comedy to the stage where she learned and performed improv and sketch in the Boston comedy scene.

She has also brought her comedy skills beyond the theater, running wellness and creativity workshops that incorporate the tools and benefits of improv and humor. Sheila has been involved with the annual Women In Comedy Festival (WICF) since its inception in 2008, working behind the scenes to support the event, which has featured and broken out some of the biggest names in comedy today.

For more information on Sheila and her work, please see her website, or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women: 50 Trailblazers of Comedy: The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women celebrates the outstanding contributions of women in comedy past and present. From icons like Lucille Ball, Joan Rivers, and Tina Fey to current comedy heroes like Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, and Tig Notaro, The League charts a rich lineage of women using humor to speak truth to power, to challenge the status quo, and to lift people up through laughter.

Some of these women broke boundaries as pioneers on stage as well as in front of and behind the camera. Others penned their way into the history of American humor, redrawing the boundaries of writers’ rooms to include diverse voices and perspectives.

Through their collective work as stand-up, sketch and improv comics, humor writers, and slapstick film stars, these women formed a network forged by creativity, guts, and a deep love of what comedy can do and be. In the process, the ladies of The League continue to pass their knowledge and insights from woman to woman, from funny generation to funny generation, in a secret handshake of sorts offering support, inspiration, and, above all, laughter.

Available at Running Press, Amazon, and wherever books are sold.