Chicago south-sider Jeanie Doogan is both a comedian and a teacher, so one experience plays off of the other. She’s also undeniably funny and we sat down with her ahead of her headline performance March 14-15 at Comedy Plex to get a comedic education.
How did you get into comedy in the first place?
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in probably in my 12th year of teaching and it was a hard year. I needed an outlet. I took a class and I met some good friends doing it. I took it with the intention of being on stage one time, a bucket list kind of thing, and it turned out to be something I loved and I’ve been doing it for 16 years.
You spent 20 years as a public-school teacher. Do you have a fair amount of material that comes from that experience?
Yes, I absolutely do. I think one of the biggest things is, I can still get nervous on stage, because as a high school teacher, I’m not used to people listening to me when I’m talking to them.
Teenagers are known for tuning you out. In all seriousness, though, what are the biggest challenges of being a teacher these days?
How much time do you have? The hardest thing is, it’s not that teenagers or children are
changing. The biggest challenge is technology and how it’s damaging our kids’ self-esteem
attention spans and critical thinking.
They say comedy is a craft, so what are things you do to hone your craft?
One thing I definitely do, and this is probably the hardest, is listen to my sets in order to
improve, what writing can be tightened or a joke that doesn’t hit the mark. When somebody is really polished, they look effortless.
What advice would you give to a comedian looking to break into the business?
The first piece of advice is if you’re looking to make it big you’re in it for the wrong reason. You have to do it because you love it and sacrifice a lot for it, because if you want to be booked and on stage you have to work at it. You have to be willing to sacrifice a lot of things.
When it comes to learning about life and the foibles of other people, Jeanie has you covered. Check out her website get an idea of where she’s coming from on a wide range of topics, and also hit up her Facebook for more. Class dismissed!
Take 5: JEANIE DOOGAN