Woman's comedians keep it clean
On the road to making a career as a standup comic, Sally Edwards of Mount Prospect, noticed a trend: Many of her gigs wanted a clean comic, or simply put, clean humor.
If the concept of a "clean comic" sounds a bit like an oxymoron, think again.
Beyond all the glamorous comedy clubs and glitzy nightlife scene, are many more conventions, business conferences, organizations and church groups, who book comics and funny speakers.
Edwards is trying to reach that market with an online business venture she started in November, called the Clean Comedians Chicago, also known as Humorous Speakers' Bureau.
"Our funny speakers can incorporate intelligent and clean humor about any topic or corporate service into your show," Edwards says on the site.
Currently, she has 10 comics profiled on the site, including herself.
"I'm thrilled to be passing these people along to other groups," Edwards says. "They're all excellent comics, and are very, very funny."
And clean, she adds. Consequently, pairing them with the right group, just makes her feel good, she says simply.
As a group, they run the gamut, from singer and stand up comic, Skip Griparis, to motivational humorist Jeff Havens, to ventriloquist Taylor Mason.
Edwards pitches them as everything from motivational humorists and corporate entertainers to professional keynote presenters.
Her latest hits have been to land a corporate gig for comedian and humorist Vince Maranto, as well as one next month herself at the annual Pajama Party hosted by Hotel Baker in St. Charles. Other gigs Edwards points to are before groups at the Milk Pail restaurant in East Dundee, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Crystal Lake, and at Trinity Lutheran Church in Evanston.
"It's a unique calling to be a clean comic," Edwards concedes, "but once people find out about it, they really like the idea."
She adds that it makes for more work for the comedian, keeping the humor clean. There are no cheap jokes, and definitely no double-entendres, Edwards adds.
Edwards evolved into her clean act as a result of drawing much of her material from her family, including her husband and three teenage children. She calls this one-woman show, which also incorporates songs, music and dancing, "Family Lunacy."
"If I have something on my mind going into a performance, it's gone by the time I come off," Edwards says. "Standup comedy is such a release, and by making it interactive with the audience, I hope they get that same sense of relief at the end."
Either way, they're guaranteed to feel better, she adds.
Find out more about the Humorous Speakers' Bureau, by visiting www.CleanComediansChicago.com, www.HumorousSpeakersBureau.com or www.BestCorporateHumor.com.