Beijing Broads: “In Improv You Have to Accept the World That is Given to You”

The Beijingers | Feb 25, 2018 5:00 pm | Add a comment | 2924 reads

Charity does not always come from strenuous labor, by building schools or digging wells. It can also disguise itself under the umbrella of comedy. All female improv group Beijing Broads started out with occasional shows and have now grown into a monthly slot at the US-China Comedy Center. Where does charity come in? All of their proceeds go to Educating Girls in Rural China (EGRC), which helps young women from impoverished families, single parents or from otherwise challenged households in western China, finish high school and attend university. “Did you know it costs around RMB 5,000 per year for one girl to attend high school? I had no idea it wasn’t free! We almost cried when we found out,” says Anete Elken, one of the co-founders of Beijing Broads. The group now consists of nine players, who gave us the lowdown on the lives behind the laughs.

Why do you think it’s important to have a female improv group?
Lucila San Martin: Comedy is usually a very hostile environment for women. If you are on stage with the man, you will be the woman in the scene, the partner, second in importance. I have played in scenes with men when I start the situation playing a male but once a guy walks on stage I am immediately pushed into a woman’s role.
Anete Elken: They don’t even notice if you go on stage with the physicality of an old Beijing man, playing a definite male character. Just look at a random improv group. If there are 10 people, maybe two of them will be women, no more.
Lucila San Martin: I think it’s very important for the community because it provides a safe space for women. Funnily enough, our audience is very mixed.
Silvia Perdiguero: It’s a statement. We need to prove that women can be funny without sexist jokes. We write our own sketches about international politics, feminism, or other topics of importance.
All: It’s a space for women to be silly, try their voices, not be ladies, and just play.

How do women join the Broads?
Anete Elken: Most of the girls joined through open workshops.
Lucila San Martin: The open practices are very rewarding because you see a lot of women who clearly want to express themselves but are not used to using their voices or their bodies. After the workshop, you can see the impact it has had on the women who come.

What other benefits has improv brought to your lives?
Lucila San Martin: Improv has actually helped me deal with daily situations. I’ve found myself saying yes to opportunities much more often. It also helped me to make friends with other women, it is interesting and we don’t like talking about it but most of us were “tomboys” growing up and no one taught us how to be friends with other girls but rather how to be cool like the guys.

What do you like about being a part of Beijing Broads?
Lucila San Martin: I think it’s amazing that we are so international. We have Americans, Canadians, Argentinians, Estonians, Brits, Spaniards, and Chinese. It’s very inclusive and we like to mix everything up a little. Our last practice sketch was about kangaroos and the Australian accent but the currency was RMB.
Silvia Perdiguero: People say it is obvious from how we act on stage that we are really good friends. I think it helps us perform as well.
Laurence Couture: I just want to summarize and say that Beijing Broads are incredibly supportive of each other. I’ve been a part of improv groups around the world and it is often more competitive or judgmental. This is the only place members actually reflect on their feelings after the show. This is amazing!

Where can we see your shows?
Anete Elken: We usually perform on the fourth Saturday of each month at the US-China Comedy Center, 65 Xiaojingchang Hutong.

Beijing Broads are celebrating their post-Spring Festival return on Mar 1, 8pm, at Palms L.A. Liangmaqiao. Tickets are RMB 50.