'We desperately need to laugh': this L.A. festival helps the trans community heal through comedy
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“I broke up with someone that I was with for three years over FaceTime,” Vico Ortiz said , explaining the premise of their new comedy show “Libros” about two self-described healed libras holding court over an unhinged game show where nobody and everyone wins.“We shared an apartment together, bank account, dog … judge me for it, please.
That was 20-year-old me, but don’t judge me for being trans.”Ortiz’s show premiering at the Joy Who Lived Festival revels in the unhinged and urges people to judge each other for past messes with the opportunity to redeem oneself through comedy.“It’s f— healing, It’s a way of being like, ‘we’ve been judged so many times, but how about we judge ourselves and then we heal through that, and just love each other afterwards.’”Trans people are punch lines more often than performers in live comedy settings, but at the Joy Who Lived, trans comedians and actors can shine under spotlights created by and for trans creatives, enabling a unique space where people can let their guards down and laugh and cry through challenges and joys alike.
Festival organizers believe that a wide array of performing arts created by transgender artists can be a lifeline.Twink death, burlesque dancing, dungeons and dragons, Claude Cahun’s life told through puppets, and a cryptid talk show are just a few topics of over 30 shows featuring local and traveling talent that will run at several L.A.
venues including the Hudson Theater, Dynasty Typewriter, MCC United Church of Christ in the Valley and the LA LGBT Center.The festival began Tuesday and runs through April 12.The festival’s name is a cheeky play on Harry Potter’s nickname, “the boy who lived,” given to the character upon surviving a death curse.
Comedian and musician Laser Webber created the festival along with his partner, Maddox Pennington, inspired by conversations with co...