Meet the comics behind a new showcase at Club Café   

BY DIG STAFF + TRICIA AULD @TRICIAAULD

When we put Tricia Auld, then a fairly new comedian on Boston’s scene, on the cover of our newspaper two years ago, the reaction was what one might expect from some of the Hub’s less-than-enlightened male comics. Not surprisingly, a few took umbrage at her joke that as a woman working the clubs around here, you’ve made it to the big time when more popular performers start sending you dick pics.

Since Auld handled the blowback like a professional and deflected the punches so brilliantly, we knew that she would be Dig family forever. So when she recently approached us with news of a fresh monthly showcase that she is running at Club Café in Back Bay, we asked Auld to conduct some interviews herself. Without further ado, here she is chopping it up with her co-hosts Maya Manion and Corey Rodrigues.  

“It’s such an open and welcoming venue,” Auld says of Club Café . “I love running these shows because I get an opportunity to give everyone—especially women and minorities—in comedy more opportunities to do what they love in a welcoming space.”

TA: When did you connect the dots and realize that you could pursue a career out of making people laugh?

MM: I have not realized any such thing. In fact, quite the opposite.

CR: Honestly, I never connected any dots. I just continued to do it, the work increased, and I continued to do more.

TA: Can you describe the events leading up to the decision to pursue comedy as a career and what the response has been like?

MM: I can’t type, I’m terrible at math, and I have no other desirable/marketable skills. My parents wanted me to pursue my natural talents as a stage actress. I rebelled and went to college for political science. I got knocked up in college and started doing stand up by default. All of the aforementioned has not been well received as it shouldn’t.

CR: I’ve worked many day jobs and initially started with improv comedy. I knew nothing about the process or the road to becoming a stand up comedian. I just wrote some “funny” ideas down and decided to hit an open mic and see if it was possible to make people laugh with some words I had put on paper. Needless to say I became an ice pop and froze and just ended up watching the first couple of times. Until I saw a few people that were so bad they gave me the confidence to try. The response from others in general has been varied throughout the years. Ranging between supportive, skeptical, cynical, excited, curious, and frustrated.

TA: What has been your favorite moment in comedy so far?

MM: Performing at Mohegan Sun during the Funniest Comic in New England. I was focused and felt unstoppable, I was in a good creative place.

CR:  I don’t have a favorite moment yet. I feel like everything so far that has happened was supposed to happen. I have so much more work to do so I can feel like I’ve earned something significant enough to me that warrants a favorite moment. But to date nothing sticks out.

TA: What has been the biggest challenge in following your dream?

MM: Performing. I hate being on stage. I love writing, but the performing to me is brutal.

CR: The biggest challenge so far is time. I happily spend a lot of time dedicated to some form of entertainment but you miss a lot. You sacrifice so much family and friend time. The schedule is opposite in comparison to the average person. When they are resting I am working and vice versa. That goes for weekends, holidays, cookouts etc… so many relationships become strained.

TA: Who are some of the people who inspire you? Where does your inspiration for material come from?

MM: My family and friends inspire me. My biggest influence in comedy is Richard Pryor. I saw him on HBO when I was 11 and was mesmerized. I thought, “This guy’s childhood was as bad as mine and he’s making people laugh. I want to do that.”

CR: My grandfather. He’s a barber. I grew up in the barbershop. He’s funny. I guess it would just be him. I was never really influenced by other comedians. What inspires my material is life, people, human nature. Nuances, similarities in people etc… I like people, I like talking to them, I like learning new things from them and sharing what I’ve learned. I love positivity and I enjoy being surrounded by it. Being a comedian allows me the ability to control that dynamic. Positive vibes are infectious when people are laughing and I enjoy seeing others as well as myself in that state.

TA: What does the future look like for you?  What’s next?

CR: The future looks great! Especially with this show. In all seriousness, join me on the various social media platforms, come to shows, and allow some of this good time to rub off on you and you will see first hand what the future looks like.

CLUB CAFÉ COMEDY NIGHT. CLUB CAFÉ, 209 COLUMBUS AVE, BOSTON. FIRST THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH BEGINNING AUG 3. 7PM/FREE/21+. AULD ALSO HOSTS A SHOW AT CLUB CAFÉ WITH MANION, RODRIGUES, AND MORE ON FRI AUG 4. 7PM/$25/21+.