Marga Gomez to pound” world’s longest running LGBTQ performance festival in NYC.
“She pushes buttons, pushes the envelope, and pushes the boundaries of all conventional wisdom,” writes Lisa Keen of the Washington Blade about Marga Gomez, comedian, writer, performer, and a triple winner of San Francisco Bay Guardian’s “Best Comedian” award. Gomez also received The Los Angeles Ovation Award for Best Featured Actress.
Gomez got her comedy start in San Francisco where she honed her high energy, proudly Latina, openly gay, slightly dorky, tragically sexy, laugh-getting act. Her television credits include HBO's "Comic Relief," Showtime's "Latino Laugh Festival," and Logo’s "One Night Stand Up." Marga is also the author and performer of nine solo plays which have been produced nationally, internationally, and off-Broadway. Her latest show “Not Getting Any Younger” received San Francisco Chronicle’s highest rating in 2011 and ran at the San Francisco Marsh through June 2012.
And now she is to headline the world’s longest-running LGBTQ Performance Festival in New York with her new show “Pound”.
In my interview with her, Gomez enlightened me about “Pound,” her views on criticism, her comedy, and how, despite her temporary hiatus from sex, she can “still write a sexy lesbian show.”
Who has impacted you most in your career and how? What do you consider your most significant accomplishment?
Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner showed me that one person can create an entire world on stage. Lily’s precision and commitment to creating characters is something I always strive for.
I hope my most significant accomplishment will be the world premiere of “Pound”, my eleventh solo theater piece and my first explicitly lesbian sex-based comedy. It's being commissioned by Dixon Place in New York, and as any performer knows, getting paid for your art in New York is a big accomplishment.
Do you think comedic abilities are something someone either has or doesn’t? Or do you think it’s something that can be learned?
I teach comedy for solo performers and when my students are not tapping into their comic nature it's usually because they are overthinking it. We all have a capacity for love and comedy. That's the good stuff we're born with. We just need get out of our way and let it happen.
Describe a recent unpopular decision you made.
Last year I got into an online shit storm over a business using a name that is an ethnic slur. My Facebook post went viral. I became the face of the controversy and got attacked and harassed online by strangers. It made me a stronger person and eventually the business changed the name and is doing great.
How do you react to instruction and criticism?
I don't like it but I shut up and listen.
What is your philosophy towards your work?
My philosophy is to take risks.
What do you think about when you are alone in your car?
Are there really UFOs, and would I look good with bangs.
A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?
This happens in San Francisco quite a lot with all the penguin Internet startups. This penguin has come to announce that he bought my building and my rent is going up. He's wearing a sombrero because penguins don't like sunshine.
List five words that describe your character.
Goofy, horny, humble, a narcissist, Gemini.
What are some of the biggest mistakes new comedians make?
Sleeping with the bartender.
“Pound” is a theater piece, but you also do stand-up comedy. What is the difference between writing jokes and creating a solo theater piece like “Pound”?
“Pound” has lots of funny lines and physical comedy, but those come after I establish a plot, theme and characters. Solo theater can take a year or more to write, rewrite, and workshop with preview audiences. It feels like I'm writing a screenplay. I want to take the audience to a destination. When I write stand-up, it's with a different set of muscles. Jokes are bite-size and geared for the short attention span. Some jokes are easy and some take hours to get right, like a math problem. A stand-up comic always needs a “plan b” in her back pocket if the crowd isn't feeling it. People come to comedy clubs to blow off some steam and party. People come to theater to have their minds blown. I enjoy both challenges.
If you could be anyone else, who would it be?
Oprah, of course. I have a quote taped over my desk as I write the “Pound” script. It is by Ray Bradbury, who said, "It is lack that gives us inspiration." What it means to me now is that even if my sex life has stalled, I can still write a sexy lesbian show.
“Pound” is directed by David Schweizer and will play for six performances on Fridays, July 10, 17, and 14, and Saturdays, July 11, 18 and 25. Tickets are $16 in advance, $20 at the door, and $12 for students and seniors. For more information please visit: www.margagomez.com