This evening at the Hopkins Center for the Arts, well-known stand-up comic and writer Tig Notaro will perform in Spaulding Auditorium.
Hop programming director Margaret Lawrence said that she expected the tickets for Notaro’s show to sell out, despite the show being added to the Hopkins Center’s programming later in the season.
“The Hop visiting performing artist series, almost all of it goes on sale in the summer all at once, but once in a while artists may be added to that schedule as what we would call an opportunity booking,” Lawrence said. “And that’s what this show is, it was added on to the schedule because it came along as an opportunity later on.”
This will be Notaro’s first performance at the Hop which typically averages of one comedic performer a year. This year, the Hop booked two comedians this year, including Notaro, Hoppublicity coordinator Rebecca Bailey said.
“I would say that within the balance of things that we do, in our overall programming we’re looking at what’s available out there at other venues in the area and other forms of entertainment,” she said. “There are other places around in this area that comedians play, and we don’t feel like there’s as much of a gap in that area. We only have so many spots for visiting artists in a year… we are very selective with the comedians we choose. We look for people who are really great artists, who are really thought provoking, doing really interesting things on the cutting edge of the cultural conversation.”
As the Hop’s programming director, Lawrence has the final say on which artists the center books for a performance.
“To me, Tig Notaro is really one of a kind,” Lawrence said. “She is really someone who takes the framework of stand-up comedy, and she has done something so original with it that it almost brings it to performance art.”
Lawrence noted that Notaro has a distinct style that made her stand out as a great option for the Hop.
“Her timing is very unusual and so hilarious,” she said. “She can tell a story in a way that you don’t know what she’s going to say next, and you just know that she’s someone who can bring a sense of humor to a situation such that the situation just gets funnier and funnier and funnier. I feel like I could sit and anything she says I could sit and listen to, and I don’t say that about very many people.”
Bailey said that she enjoyed the intimate feeling that Notaro can generate in her stand-up routine for the audience.
“She had this hilarious, deadpan, dry delivery that seemed to give nothing away,” Bailey said. “But she was talking about these things that were very personal and things you wouldn’t think you’d ever talk about in front of people… yet somehow she made you able to laugh and commiserate with her.”
Lawrence emphasized that, in addition to her knack for comedy, Notaro also brings strong personal character to the table.
“[Notaro is] somebody who is very iconic in a way,” Lawrence said. “She went through a very challenging health situation and came out the other end, and I think she has a lot of willpower herself, and I really admire that as well. But really fundamentally it’s her abilities as a performer that make her somebody I [wanted to bring here].”
The event on Wednesday night is open to all, and many comedically-inclined students have purchased tickets to see Notaro in action. Drew Zwetchkenbaum ’16, a member of the Jack-O-Lantern humor magazine and the improv comedy group Casual Thursday, said that he is glad to have the opportunity to see her perform.
“I’ve heard a lot about her, and I’ve seen a couple of her shorter stand-up sets on “Conan” [2012],” he said. “I thought she was really funny. I’ve read about her, she’s got a really interesting stage presence and voice, and she talks about her own struggles with cancer and is able to frame in a really comedic and cathartic way, and I’m really excited to see her live.”
When a video clip of Notaro’s stand-up routine, in which she discussed her experience after being diagnosed with breast cancer, found viral success in 2012 , Notaro gained widespread popularity. Notaro frequently appears on Conan O’Brien’s eponymous talk show “Conan” as well as “This American Life.” Notaro has also guest starred in television shows such as “The Office” (2005), “Community” (2009) and “Bob’s Burgers” (2011).
While her reputation as a comedic force began on the internet, Notaro is beginning to gain more mainstream recognition for her comedy.
Notaro has been included on Business Insider’s list of “50 Women Who Are Changing the World” and Rolling Stone’s list of “50 Funniest People Now.” Notaro was also nominated for a Grammy award in 2014 for her comedy album “LIVE”.
Tickets for the show are between $10 and $25 for students and $22.50 to $25 for community members.
