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Healing from the Punches: Comedy as Medicine with Hannah Gadsby
June 4, 2021 at 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm BST
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In this salon, Interintellect co-hosts Amir H. Hajizamani + Catherine Woodiwiss invite you to explore the relationships between comedy, trauma, and healing, with the help of groundbreaking show “Nanette,” by Hannah Gadsby.
“Laughter is not our medicine. Stories hold our cure. Laughter is just the honey that sweetens the bitter medicine.” —Hannah Gadsby
In 2017, Hannah Gadsby broke and reforged comedy by creating a stand-up show that defies categorisation. In “Nanette,” she refuses to continue using her traumas as punchlines, and elevates them to complex stories instead. She still makes us laugh, but also invites us to feel and think and connect…and heal.
What can we learn from not just the content of Gadsby’s stories, but how she has arrived at their current form? What tensions are each of us living with? When do we turn hurt into jokes and when do we turn it into narratives? What do anger and laughter have in common? Does comedy need to come from pain and discomfort? Do jokes need to have a target? What responsibilities do we have toward ourselves and our audience when telling our stories? And how can humour and stories contribute to individual and collective healing?
Join us for a stimulating and intimate conversation. Take this opportunity to (re-)watch “Nanette” and bring your favourite quotes, observations, stories, and bits to share.
[This salon is part of our healing salon series. Return attendees and new attendees welcome alike!]
Must watch (it will help since we will refer to various bits in the show):
- Nanette by Hannah Gadsby (Netflix) *If you are attending the salon and do not have access to Netflix, reach out to Amir or Catherine, and we’ll get you sorted.
Optional reading/watching:
- Hannah Gadsby: Three ideas. Three contradictions. Or not. (TED)
- Humor Research Lab: The Benign Violation Theory
- Amir (co-host)’s open mic stand-up set from 2017 (Youtube)
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