[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Cathy Ladman’s one-woman show Does This Show Make Me Look Fat? heads to the Whitefire Theatre on June 6.
I am a big solo show supporter, as you may know. Cathy Ladman’s new show, Does This Show Make Me Look Fat? opens the same week as the Hollywood Fringe Festival. So she’s among excellent solo company in L.A.…is that a contradiction in terms? No matter!
Cathy has chosen to perform a show about her own very personal battle with eating disorders. Sheis a stand up comedian, so this show is funny…does this seem odd? I don’t think so. Having seen a million or so solo shows over the course of my busy theatre life, I can tell you very assuredly, humor changes everything. If you have something important to say, something life changing, the darker the better in fact, then making people laugh, especially uncomfortably because they see themselves in your story, is absolutely the best way to go.
Every writer works differently, each show comes about in its own unique way and I’m always fascinated to find out how and why a play exists. So I asked Cathy to give us some insight into her solo creation…
Hi Cathy, thank you for letting us ‘in’ a little. Firstly, can you tell us a little about your background and your life in entertainment?
I grew up in Queens, NYC. Middle-class, Jewish family. Youngest of three girls. I became interested in comedy when I was about eight years old, listening to my parents’ comedy albums, specifically, Nichols & May Examine Doctors. Pretty sophisticated for an 8-year-old. But I was innately drawn to it. In ninth grade, I was voted Class Clown – absolutely the best thing that could have happened to me, as far as I was concerned! Right then, I made a conscious decision to become a comedian. And it took me another twelve years to get up the nerve to do it!
I am a huge fan of solo shows, but why did you choose this particular genre to tell this story, rather than a play or a book or a film?
I’ve been doing standup for about 43 years, so live performance is what is closest to me. I suppose that is why it seemed “logical” to me to do a solo show. But I think a book would be next for this story.
How long did the show take to create?
Oh my god. I had the idea of doing this show over twenty years ago. I know. That’s a very long time. And I worked on and off on it probably mostly over the past 15 years. Collaborating with Laura Coyle really helped me bring it to life.
What were some of the biggest obstacles you found in making this show?
I found the hardest thing for me was trying to write it on my own. Even though it’s my story, I just didn’t enjoy the solitariness of writing it alone. I found it much more fun doing it with someone.
What were some of the best surprises?
The biggest surprise was how much I loved sharing the most intimate details of this terribly secretive disease with which I’d grappled for so many years. And how interested people were to hear about it. Even people who didn’t have a firsthand experience with anorexia related to the overarching theme of perfectionism.
What have you learned from the process, about theatre, about yourself?
I’ve learned, yet once again, to walk through my fears about doing something new; how important it is to me to share something of value that could possibly help someone. And I learned that not everything has to be a laugh line. And to always, always, trust my instincts.
Would you have done anything differently now that the show is about to be seen?
I would have done it sooner! But I did it when I was ready to do it. And I have learned that live theatre is a living, breathing thing, and it changes, and that’s a good thing.
Do you have any advice for anyone thinking about creating a solo show?
Jump in with both feet. Tell your story. You never know how many people need to hear it.
Thank you, Cathy! It’s wonderful to find out more about Does This Show Make Me Look Fat? – very inspiring!
Well, I for one will be in the audience for Cathy Ladman’s Does This Show Make Me Look Fat? The Whitefire Theatre is such a supportive space and everyone behind the scenes there are wonderful creative people that truly lift up every production they host, so I am sure Cathy and her audience will have a fantastic experience on June 6 at 8pm!
You can find out more about Cathy Ladman, the show and all she’s about on her website: https://www.cathyladman.com/
Ticket:
https://whitefire.stagey.net/projects/10134?tab=tickets
When:
June 6, 8pm
Where:
The Whitefire Theatre
13500 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423