ST. LOUIS — It has been said that laughter is the best medicine. St Louis happens to be a place where people are getting plenty of laughs.
“St. Louis is very funny, not just because I live here,” laughed comedian Meredith Hopping.
“It is a great place to get a lot of confidence in doing comedy,” added comedian Kenny Kinds.
But if anyone thinks making people laugh is easy, comedian Rafe Williams doesn’t agree.
“The illusion of comedy is that it’s effortless. And that’s why people go to open mic and put in no effort and bomb,” he laughed.
The ability to get a crowd going takes time to perfect.
“It’s just the more you do it the better you get at it,” Kinds told 5 On Your Side.
But you’ll need some tough skin.
“It’s the only artform where the public is your editor. So you have put something out there in real time and get feedback in real time. Sometimes that feedback can be brutal,” said Williams.
“It is absolutely a rollercoaster and if you’re not doing because you can’t do anything else, you probably shouldn’t do it. It’s a struggle. But you do it because you love it,” said Hopping.
The laughter they receive eases the pain from the critics.
“Once you get that laughter, it’s like OK I can do this for how long I have to be out here. Just want to get it again. Once it’s done, I gotta get it again,” said Kinds.
The laughs can be addictive, which is why they continue to perform.
“My first show where the audience was there to hear me make them laugh, and the energy was the most electric, exciting thing I had ever experienced,” said Hopping. “I am the funniest when I am unapologetically myself,” she added.
All three of the comics will be performing in the 2021 Flyover Comedy Festival, which promises to have something funny for everyone.
“If you can’t find something you like at Flyover with a hundred different acts and three different types of comedy happening, it’s you. You have no sense of humor,” laughed Williams.
If you want to know more about the festival taking place in The Grove, check out the Flyover Comedy Festival website.