• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
      Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
    • CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
      CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
    • WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
      WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
      Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
    • It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
      It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
    • What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
      What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • No image
      Pentimento’s Open Mic is Like an Old Patchwork Quilt–Worn, Yet Cozy
    • No image
      Kanye’s Antisemitism Steps on his Shoe Brand
    • Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
      Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • Student-Athlete of October
      Student-Athlete of October
    • Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
      Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
    • The Case for Body Neutrality
      The Case for Body Neutrality
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
      Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
    • Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
      Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
    • The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
      The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Ciara Wardlow Arts, Arts In The News, Popular CultureFebruary 24, 2017

Sasheer Zamata discusses stand-up and the politics of comedy

Zamata performing in the JAC auditorium last Thursday Photo by Audrey Stevens '17, Photo Editor

Comedian Sasheer Zamata visited campus last Thursday to perform a stand-up routine. Best known for her involvement with “Saturday Night Live,” Zamata first appeared on the show in 2014 and became a repertory player the following year. In addition to answering audience questions, Zamata also took the time to speak to the Wellesley News about the meaning of comedy and her own career trajectory.

Zamata, who lists Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Whoopi Goldberg and Sarah Silverman among her comedy idols, was already taking steps towards a comedy career as a college student at the University of Virginia, where she co-founded the improv comedy troupe Amuse Bouche. When asked about what makes good comedy, Zamata responded that she thinks good comedy boils down to honesty: “My favorite performers and writers work from a place of truth, and I try to do the same. Most of my material comes from personal experiences or relationships I have. I like telling stories that bring the audience into my life so they have a better understanding of what I’m saying and why I’m saying it.”

Discussing stand-up specifically, Zamata described a potential definition of the process as “taking the weird stuff in your head that makes you laugh and forming it in a way so other people can understand it.” The way she looks at it, when an audience doesn’t see the same comedic potential she does in a joke, it’s a matter of miscommunication rather than missing humor. “I’ve definitely told jokes on stage that I thought were hilarious, and the audience didn’t,” she said. “But that didn’t mean the idea wasn’t funny; that meant I had to reconfigure the structure of the joke to get the audience to understand how the joke plays in my head.”

One particular fan interaction that has stuck with her over time was with a man from the audience who compared her performance to “a kiss on the cheek followed by a left hook.” “I like to think that’s a pretty apt assessment of my work,” she added.

Regarding the relationship between politics and comedy, Zamata said that humor can be an extremely useful tool to get people talking about politics or issues considered “taboo”: “The news can be very daunting and comedy can help put a palatable lens over it. Also people may have a better time listening to a perspective other than their own if it comes in the form of a joke rather than a rant or an argument.” In addition to SNL, stand-up and her other comedy endeavors, Zamata is a Celebrity Ambassador for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). As an ambassador, Zamata is able to use her comedic abilities and audience to bring attention to issues important to the ACLU. For example, she wrote a video about privilege because the ACLU wanted to open up dialogue on the topic. “I liked that I was able to use humor to break down a topic that makes some people feel uncomfortable and get people to think about it in a different way,” she said.

Regarding her own career, Zamata attributed the most resonant advice she received to Tracy Morgan. “[He] told me that once you get a job, you can be grateful for the opportunity, but eventually you have to stop being grateful and start ‘showing your teeth.’ Stop sitting back and being appreciative and go grab what you deserve.” For Wellesley students interested in pursuing careers in comedy, Zamata had some advice of her own.

“If you’re going to pursue comedy, just know that you’re going to suck for a while, and that’s okay,” she said. “You’re going to make a lot of stuff that you won’t like, and other people won’t really like it either. But you’ll get better at it as you create more, and that’s when it starts to get exciting. If you want to work on the same thing for years and slowly progress artistically in ways that only you may notice—before others do—then do comedy, there may be a huge payoff.

“But if you want to do comedy because you want to get famous immediately,” she warned, “Do. Not. Do. Comedy.”

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleComedy and Politics Form a Symbiotic Relationship in Trump’s America
Next articleVerbinski’s modern gothic “A Cure for Wellness” values style over substance

You may also like

Pentimento’s Open Mic is Like an Old Patchwork Quilt–Worn, Yet Cozy

Kanye’s Antisemitism Steps on his Shoe Brand

Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top