Huff hails from Chicago, where she's a member of the prestigious Second City troupe. But she's no stranger to Colorado, and will be returning here to perform at the Boulder International Fringe Festival that starts September 18 and runs through September 29. See also:Kelsie Huff on Boulder Fringe Festival, the standup bug and insult compliments
For Fringe, she will be bringing back Bruiser: Tales from a Traumatized Tomboy. The show focuses on "the hilarity of adolescent and adult humiliation using Huff's trademark blend of uproarious characters, crushing and unavoidable hereditary influences and engaging storytelling," says Emily Harrison, the show's producer.
In Bruiser, she talks about naming and collecting her scabs, holding conversations with imaginary rodents and making enemies with troll dolls -- all part of the trauma of her youth that shaped her into the comic she is today. Huff's comedy focuses on her family -- a trick she learned early. "I remember watching Eddie Murphy's Delirious over and over when I was like six," she says. "I liked the bits about his family and would perform them at recess. I got in big trouble. It was worth it."
In Chicago, she's very involved with the comedy community, teaching two workshops and organizing the kates, a female stand-up night. "I dig teaching," she says. "Writing your own work can be a bit isolating, and comedians can be sad and cranky...like 75 percent of the time! Surrounding myself with newbies keeps me positive and reminds me why I do this madness. For the fun!"
This will be Huff's fifth Fringe trip, to a festival and town she loves. "I have scrapbooks full of great memories," she says. "Well, I don't scrapbook, but if I did it would be all Boulder." That's a town that's much friendlier than her hometown, she adds: "In Chicago, I get yelled at on the street, never complimented."
She's such a fan of Boulder she will host the festival's opening night festivities, Agora at the Riverside, starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 18 at the Agora, 1724 Broadway in Boulder; tickets are $5. She will also host The Big Time Daily Late Night with Kelsie Huff and Special Fringe Guests at 10 p.m. at the Agora every night during the festival; it's a free event.
She'll perform Bruiser several times during the festival at the Dairy Center for the Arts, in the East Theater. The first performance is at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, September 19; for the complete schedule and to buy tickets, go to the Fringe Festival website.
And Huff is also teaching "You Time! Personal Narrative in Stand Up," from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday September 21, at the Dairy Center; the workshop is designed to help a performer come up with material from past experiences. Contact [email protected] or call 917-495-2277 to reserve a spot.
For more on Kelsie Huff, visit her website and Square Products Theater.
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