A courtenay-based comedian hopes that one day she can get on stage and not have to talk about being trans – that it will be irrelevant to her performance.
“But we’re not there yet,” said Patti Savard, who is also a tradeswoman, mom, and writer. “We live in a world where it’s important that I continue to do what I do.”
As a one-woman comedy act that showcases stand-up, theatrics, and song, Savard will spill her life out on stage and present her true sassy self and other personas in a queer journey through time that is “proudly puking rainbow gay.”
“I’m trying to spell out the story of what it’s like to grow up living inauthentically for most of your life … I think your life is what you choose to make it to be. Some choose their lives to be dramatic. I see mine as a comedy,” she said.
Comedy has been a dependable coping mechanism crutch for the Savard and has allowed her to consider various perspectives rather than simply her initial emotional reaction.
“When I’m actively going through a situation of grieving, I tend to try to find the joke in the scenario as well. And in finding the joke, I usually find the cure or the remedy, so to speak, for peace of mind."
The comedian also acknowledges her unique vantage point, especially on social behaviour – most notably as a tradeswoman working in carpentry – having grown up in the ’80s and ’90s, and having to live most of her life as male.
“The trade has not been the most welcoming atmosphere for women to be in and I have seen firsthand this type of treatment … I do have the advantage of being told that I can do everything, and that the world is my oyster, which after transition, is the confidence I decided to carry forward with me, which catches a lot of men on the job site by surprise,” she said.
The comedian welcomes literally everyone to her fringe festival performances, especially those of the underrepresented queer community, and those who are curious or exploring.
“Or, if you entirely hate me and you want to come and you want to protest, I will engage,” she said.
A Life in Transition will debut next week as part of the Nanaimo Fringe Festival at the Black Rabbit Kitchen and at the Gabriola Theatre Centre as a satellite venue for festival . And although the show is something the comedian is excited to present, segments of it have been workshopped across the country for roughly the past two years, notably in Vancouver and Toronto. Her show is one of two sponsored acts for trans artists by the Pacific Coast Stage Company, the presenters of the festival, as part of a commitment to prioritize and uplift marginalized voices.
A Life in Transition will run in Nanaimo on Aug. 9, 11, 14, 16, and 18. And at the Gabriola Theatre Centre on Gabriola Island on Aug. 15.
Visit www.gabriolatheatrecentre.ca for info on the Aug. 15 show, and www.nanaimofringe.com for more information on the Nanaimo shows.
