Inside With: Renee Gauthier, Comedienne and Actress
Renee Gauthier is a well-rounded comedienne who packs a lot of energy into a small package. She recently moved to L.A. to explore the comedy possibilities there, but so far has kept good on her promise to make regular visits back to Chicago, where she pops into old haunts the Lincoln Lodge, Chicago Underground Comedy, Spitfire shows, and elsewhere. You can check out her Rooftop Comedy clips here, her Fearless Radio appearances here, her visits to Red Bar Radio here, and a giant pile of performance photos here.
Tell us about your background in Chicago comedy - improv, sketch, stand-up - how did you get started, and where have you studied and performed?
I have always loved comedy, my family is very comedic. When I was 18 I auditioned for a Second City Serious Improv class that was free and being taught by Second City Alumni. This was before the Training Center was as big as it is now. I made it, went to one class and never went back. A few years later I really wanted to take classes there and lured my sister-in-law and sister into taking classes with me. We went through all basic levels then I went on to the Conservatory. From there I became a graduate and have been lucky enough to be a part of several sketch groups - Grandma June's Sewing Circle and Taco Flavored Eggrolls - I was the token white girl in that one. I was in Happy Heads with several comics including Nick Vatterot and Jeb Cadwell - we did Sketchfest two years in a row. I was also picked to be in Second City's first House Ensemble. We would open for Tour Co. and shows on the ETC stage. I have been lucky to work with Amy Armstrong, a well-known Cabaret singer. I took part in an improvised show that was up at the Theater Building. I did three levels at IO and then because of funds, I stopped. That is the sad history.
Are there things you can do with improv that you can't do with stand-up, and vice versa? What's your favorite aspect of each kind of comedy?
I used to think there were things I could not do with one or the other but I have found my own way to integrate the two. I love jokes that can be sketchy and with that I make it a one person sketch. I love improv because it is a group effort. You learn how to give and take and you all create something funny and awesome. I love stand up for the fact that it is all from your point of view and you are the only one responsible for selling that point of view - when that hits with the crowd, it is really great!
Who is the funniest person you know, and what's the last thing they said that made you laugh out loud?
Oh geez, the funniest person I know is my grandmother and she doesn't even know it. For the sake of this question I will pick someone else. Mike Bridenstine told me a story about his cousin and a horse show...I almost puked from laughing. I feel wrong telling his story, but man is it hilarious. Although you want me to pick one, I know a lot of funny people, my family could have its own reality show.
What made you decide to pack up the Saturn and spin out to L.A.? What's it been like since you got there?
I have wanted to move to LA for awhile. I kept changing my mind and then last May I went to LA for a week alone and booked myself on shows. I really felt good about it and I came home and the plans were made. I love all forms of comedy including good TV shows. I would love to be able to do sitcoms along with stand up, so here I am.
Since I have been here it has been a rollercoaster of emotions. I share a bedroom with my sister and that is fine, but tough. I have a Korean roommate who speaks little English and cooks smelly stuff a lot. I wait tables at Houston's Steakhouse and I have met some good friends and waited on some big names. I have done a good amount of shows. The truth is, I feel like I am in my first year of high school. Making female friends in the comedy scene is not easy, it never was. I feel like I left this awesome group of stand up girlfriends and now I have none. Some open mics are rough because nobody wants anyone to be funnier than them so the laughs are hard to earn. I like the challenge and I will keep doing it, I just find it to be discouraging at times.
The great part is the Chicago comics here. Eric Acosta and his fiancee Kathleen are awesome and have introduced me to so many people. Matt Braunger is so supportive and was an instant friend, Kyle Kinane is so nice about me asking him too many questions - he supports me too. It is very nice of them. Mick Betancort from Chicago was so nice and helpful when I met him. I feel lucky to know these people because I barely knew them when I got here. Chicago people really stick together, it is cool.
We enjoyed that twisted little "hot priest" comedy short film you did in LA with Matt Braunger and Kyle Kinane. How did that come about, and what else is going on with Chicagoans in Los Angeles (SALOON Comedy Shows, etc.)?
Yeah, that short was fun to make. Matt Braunger was the creator of that, it was a pilot entry shot for Channel 101. Channel 101 is one of the coolest things I have seen, it is a website that shows sketch pilots. I am not going to do it justice so I am going to ask you to go to channel101.com. As for the short, Matt called me and asked me if I could do a small part, of course I said yes. That was the first time the guys had seen me do anything and it was fun.
Chicagoans? Let's see, well, Braunger has a show every first Monday of each month he produces called SALOON...He put me up sight unseen and for that I am grateful, because it could have been bad, as it sometimes is, but it went well. Braunger is also quickly becoming one of my friends favorite comics to see. Kinane is the newest members of Blerds.com, I believe. He is so amazingly funny and a good guy, great combo. Eric Acosta does stand up, but is really embedded in the Channel 101 scene, he is an amazing writer and comedic actor, he does great pilot shows for them, so, so funny and smart. That is what I know about them, I am sure I am leaving out bigger and better things that they are doing.
What do you miss most about Chicago at the moment?
I miss the comedy rooms, the comedians, the food, the supportive comedy scene, I miss SpitFire, my family, my friends, and my boyfriend.
Tell us about your powerful nostalgia for '80's movies - and which is better for a quick mood pick-me-up, the "Ralph Macchio finally beats William Zabka" scene in The Karate Kid , or the "kids unexpectedly bond and tell off the principal" scene in Breakfast Club?
Definitely Karate Kid final scene. Man I love that movie. My apartment complex looks like the first scene of the Karate Kid, so I relate to it. I also have a YMCA training of karate and I get my ass kicked a lot. William Zabka's hair is amazing in that movie. I have to tell you I met Noah Blake, who is the guy in the 80's movie Teen Witch who raps "top that". Not familiar? Check it out on my MySpace. He is a comic and he is pretty funny. We did the Comedy Store together - coolest guy ever and totally cool with talking about "Teen Witch". It is funny, I have met Jodie Foster and Hilary Swank, neither of which was as cool as meeting the "Teen Witch" guy.
Do you plan on returning to Chicago to perform with the Spitfire girls and elsewhere every once in awhile?
Hell yeah! I love that group and I talk about them all of the time. I am excited to one day be able to get those girls here to blow the scene out of the water. Soon, very soon!
What would you like to accomplish, in comedy and in life, over the next ten years?
I would like to be a polished comedienne, with a fan base. I would love to have a sitcom under my belt. I would also like to be happy with someone who I make happy, and have kids. I would love to be a significant part of the comedy scene, making it better and playing an innovative part.
