Name: Christine Ferrera
City: Baltimore, Maryland
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
How many years? 5 years
Bio: Christine Ferrera is an American triathlete, comedian and mother of eight (goldfish). She performs darkly absurd stand-up in clubs, conference rooms and crawl spaces internationally and has appeared as a peripheral character in several Nora Ephron films in her mind. She has performed at the Pittsburgh Comedy Festival, Chicago Women’s Funny Festival, Thunderfest and Amsterdam Fringe Festival, among many others. She was recently a featured performer on Wham City Comedy’s (Adult Swim/IFC) national tour. Ferrera’s book about her decade-long correspondence with Starbucks Coffee Company, Starbux Diary, was included in City Paper’s Top 10 Baltimore Books of 2015 and described as, “Hilariously personal.” She lives and works and eats and prays and loves in Baltimore, USA.
1) Tell us about your first time doing comedy. The first time I did comedy I used a “prop,” which was audio of punchlines pre-recorded using a computerized voice. I set up the jokes, played the punchlines delivered by a computer with no affect and stood awkwardly as the audience reacted. It was called Awkward Pauzez the Digital Comic and it was a way for me to confront my fears of performing live comedy by making it as uncomfortable as possible right off the bat.
2) Who inspires you? My boyfriend, my mom, Wham City Comedy, Maria Bamford, Andy Kaufman, Kate Berlant, Dynasty Handbag, basically all female identifying comics and/or performance artists, Laurie Anderson, feminism and the BBC.
3) What’s the worst joke you’ve ever written? I just wrote this stinker: I was sexually assaulted by a snowman. The rape kit melted.
4) Tell us about a time you BOMBED or was Heckled. I was recently (sort of) heckled while on tour. I say sort of because it was hard to tell if the woman was even aware of her actions. She was extremely drunk. She sat up front and screamed or made a loud, incoherent noise every time I spoke, thus making it hard for the audience to follow my intimate, absurd stories. Oh! I was also heckled and asked to get off stage while performing on the children’s portion of a festival that I had not been informed was for CHILDREN.
5) Where’s your favorite place to perform? Anywhere with Wham City Comedy and every festival I’ve been to.
6) What’s your best/worst comedy memory? Best: opening for Gary Gulman in Thunderfest in Boston last summer. Worst: that drunk, screamy lady I mentioned above in Fullerton, CA.
7) What would you tell someone starting out in comedy? If you love it, never give up.
8) What’s the most embarrassing moment that you’re willing to share? I recently enrolled in a clown workshop, the fancy european kind, but 10 minutes into it I burst into tears and had to leave.
9) Who would play you in a movie? Why? My dream choice would be Kathryn Hahn because she is so funny and interesting but a little scary, too.
10) What do you do for fun? Comedy, conversations with friends, painting
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