Acting
This hilarious, historic concert film showcases the funniest queer stand-up comics and queer sketch groups working in America today. Outlaugh! takes you on stage and backstage with fiery headliner Lea DeLaria, as well as Bob Smith, Page Hurwitz, Karen Ripley, Jason Stuart, Mark Davis, Sabrina Matthews, Andre Kelley, Jerry Calumn, Stephanie Howard, Jen Slusser, Jason Dudey, Roy Cruz, Charlie Vaughn, Bobaloo, Ariana, Bill Cruz, The Gay Mafia, The Nellie Olesons and Outlaugh! creator Mike Player. Outlaugh! is a rib-tickling ride that captures some of the funniest queers who have ever dared to strut their stuff.
Laugh out loud at Bay Area comedians Scott Capurro, Marilyn Pittman, Tom Ammiano, and Karen Ripley-taped lived at Josie's Cabaret and Juice Joint in San Francisco.
Karen Williams burst onto the San Francisco Bay Area comedy circuit in the early 1980s. As the country’s first openly lesbian Black comic to use specifically lesbian material, Karen’s humor was unlike any other. A feminist and LGBTQ+ rights activist, Williams became known for her quick repartee and insightful commentary. But while her popularity as a performer grew, off-stage she was a single mom, struggling to raise her children. In 1988, Karen founded the HaHa Institute, dedicated to helping others find healing through humor. Award-winning director Andrea Meyerson brings Karen Williams' story to the screen, covering her hard-fought battle to break into male-dominated comedy clubs and the joy that has guided her through it all. Rarely-seen vintage performance footage woven together with interviews from family members and industry colleagues—including Kate Clinton, Marga Gomez, and Diane Amos, as well as Karen herself—reveal the life of this amazingly creative and prolific woman.
