Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:12] Speaker B: Welcome to the Comeback with Boomerang Healthcare, your podcast for relief, recovery and restoration. I'm Dr. Peter Abachi.
[00:00:22] Speaker C: And I'm Dr. Sarah Guzet. As doctors, we know healing isn't just about treatment. It's about finding the right tools, mindset and support to move you forward.
[00:00:32] Speaker B: You can have pain, you might be injured or even hurting on the inside, but with all that you got going on, you can still have a really great life. And that is what we are here for. This is the Comeback. Let's get started. I'm so excited.
Sarah, are you excited?
[00:00:52] Speaker C: I am, extremely. What a great, what a great topic and what a great guest. Welcome, Lori. We're honored to have you.
[00:01:00] Speaker A: I'm so happy to be here. This is not only, you know, this is so helpful to, it's gonna be so helpful to so many people, including me, hopefully.
[00:01:10] Speaker B: So we have, for, for our, our listeners, today is such a special treat. We have Laurie Tatullian, who is a funny, funny comedian and a great soul and has kindly agreed to share her life, her story, her experience, and how humor really affects the human experience. And, you know, we all go into health care to help people, to lift them up, to, to make the experience of their lives better, physically, emotionally, spiritually.
And when I was kind of looking into this whole topic, I was like, you know, humor and comedy, it's, it's like a continuum of health and wellness and medicine.
So, Lori, this is going to be great.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: Yes, I'm very passionate about this topic.
[00:02:03] Speaker C: Tell us a little bit about yourself, Lori.
[00:02:05] Speaker A: Oh, so I was born at 7:31am no, we won't go that far.
I, like you said, I'm a comedian, I'm an improviser, I write comedy, I do comedy all day long.
My world is a lot in make believe, fun world, which is great.
And I teach at the Groundlings, which is a world renowned place for improvisation. People from all over the world come to learn improv. Some really great people have come out of the Groundlings, like Pee Wee Herman, Will Ferrell, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Root. I could keep going on and on and on. So I teach there and we teach comedy. We teach how, like we take what you have because you really can't teach how to be funny, but we take your comedy bone, your funny bone, and we hone that. So I teach improvisation, sketch comedy, and besides that, I perform a lot. I write a lot of sketch comedy. I write for comedy movies, for television shows. I perform a lot. So it's like round the clock comedy. This is behind me is what. I'm in a room that's like my costume room and I could show you later, but it's all, you know, my wigs, this is some of them. And then I have post its all over for sketches and punch lines and ideas and all the projects that I'm working on. So. I love to make people laugh. That's just. I just love to make people laugh.
[00:03:47] Speaker B: You know, I gotta tell you, Lori, when I was growing up, I was a huge fan of the show mash.
[00:03:57] Speaker A: The.
[00:03:57] Speaker B: The series. Yeah, yeah. Like, I got to a point where I had watched so many episodes so many times that I could recite the show while I was watching it, what everybody was going to say.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:08] Speaker B: And I think, you know, that that combination of humanity with humor in taking care of people, you know, who are injured or intense, you know, situations, it became like almost a little bit of a role model. I wouldn't say that's what made me want to be a doctor or anything like that, but. But it was sort of a guiding role model of how to get through a challenging day. Right, with you gotta, you gotta make your co workers laugh, you gotta smile. And so what I think, you know, what you do and when, when you bring that to people in their lives, it's, it's so, you know, it's so impactful. Maybe tell us a little bit about what, how you got here, how you, how. What got you in that, in that direction.
[00:05:01] Speaker A: I don't know, it was. I just feel like it's innate. I feel that I was born with it. I can't imagine myself doing anything else. I feel like if I did anything else, I would be a horrible failure. Like no other company should ever hire me besides something that has to do with comedy. But the way that I got started is since I was young, I was always performing. So my father is, was an Armenian priest. Armenian Orthodox priest. Armenian priests can get married and have children.
So I grew up in a very traditional household. It wasn't strict and it wasn't like Bible beating at all. It's actually very different from that. But it was just rife with, you know, ritual and community.
And like these clergy would come to our house and our house was always open to everyone. My parents were very hospitable. They were like. They loved people. They loved all sorts of, not only Armenian, but like all sorts of people. And I grew up in a small town outside of Fresno and there was always people at our house, so I always had an audience and I just loved like people would you know, this is before cell phones and people would be sitting around in the living room and I would just start making like, do a stand up hour or start entertaining. And I was literally the entertainment to the point where people would come and they'd be like, lori, go dance. Michael Jackson. Lori, go to Madonna. And I would be like singing Like a Virgin too. I didn't know what it meant at the time. I don't think they did either. And I would just. It was my phone.
And then after that, you know, through school, I was always in the school plays and then college.
It's when I got to college where I was like, you know what? We're doing all these plays that are really great, but it's not really speaking, like my experience. I love Shakespeare, but I want to know what's going on like now, you know, in my world.
So I staged my first one woman show and it went great. And then from there on I just started. I kind of took the reign and started to create my own material. And what I think is funny, you know, like, I do think, you know, some of these playwrights are great and funny, you know, but I wanted to express my own experience of what's going on. So that's kind of how it just started.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: How did your kind of mom and dad, you know, were they.
Did they embrace your career path and how did you know. How did that go?
[00:07:45] Speaker A: Yeah, big time. They. They encouraged it, like, big time. They were.
They always were like, putting me up in front of. Not like they were like pageant moms, but, you know, like, bloody go see this poem. And that comes from their performer, their artists, themselves. So even though my dad was a priest before that, he was in comedic place plays when he was younger, when he first moved to America, like, nobody knows this, but he got accepted into UC Santa Barbara Film School. But there was like a visa problem that he didn't end up going into that path. My mom is a poet and an educator, so my grandmother was. Loved performance. Like, we in our family, we really, really value the arts. So it wasn't something we looked down upon. It was actually something looked up to. Like, you should strive to do your work and do it go. They were constant. Even, like when my dad would. I would be in my bedroom, like in high school, writing things, and he would come, he's like, what are you doing? You know, And I'm like, I'm writing this thing. I'm not sure it's funny. And he would brainstorm with me and he'd be like, I don't like it like that. Put it like that, you know, so they were very encouraging. And I just want to add this. I mean, when I was first starting, you know, some of my stuff could be raunchy or pushing the envelope. It's comedy. You know, some of the older Armenian traditional ladies would be like, a priest daughter should not be doing things like that. You know, he received a letter from this older woman who was like, 90, saying, like, your daughter shouldn't be doing these things on stage.
And he read the letter, and he just put it in the trash. He's like, this is. You know, you're not a priest. You're a performer, you know, and you make people laugh, which is I. I mean, in his eyes, in their eyes. It's, you know, an act of care and love. Just. That's what we're preaching. It's just done in a different way, I guess.
[00:09:50] Speaker B: I knew your dad, as I was mentioned before, we started when I was a young guy, when he was a priest, and he always had a twinkle in his eye, and he was always joyful and always wanted to spread joy to other people. And it was, you know, it was always good to be in his presence. It was always nice.
Yeah.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: Yes. You hit the nail on the head with that one. Yeah.
[00:10:18] Speaker C: That's also very telling because, you know, the life of a priest often is to write, counsel, and support their clergy and their congregation, and it can be really stressful. And so it sounds like it was almost like kind of like, role model to keep that, like, positive outlook and that sense of humor to kind of be, like, increasingly resilient. And so I'm curious if you found that to also be helpful for yourself.
[00:10:43] Speaker A: Absolutely. So thank you for bringing that up, because my mom and dad would counsel a lot of people. We had people coming through with all sorts of problems, and they felt safe with my parents and my. You know, I would listen in, and not because I was being nosy, but I was like, oh, this is what's going on. You know, I guess I was being nosy, actually.
But through. I guess from a young age, I realized, like, oh, life is hard, and people go through really hard things, like, not to get very dark, but like parents losing children or going through a divorce or the fact that at a very young age, I realized, because my dad would do funerals, baptisms, funeral is like, all the rights of life. Like birth, baptism in our tradition, you know, getting married and then funerals, I would go to funeral. Like, funerals were, like, a common thing.
And I realized like, oh, you die. You know, so that, like, life was. Life's big moments were very present in our house and to the point where the phone would ring and it would be a grieving somebody grieving because they wanted my father to give the last rights. So I would be like the operator, Mom, Uncle Vaughan's wife died. Come in. You know, they need you over. And then I would counsel them. Like, whatever I heard as a kid, I would say to them, it's okay, you know, he's in a better place. I didn't even know what I was saying. But, you know, life's big moments were very much a part of my life from a very early age.
[00:12:25] Speaker B: So you lived life growing up in a very intense way in some ways, because you were interacting with people when they were at the sort of extremes of their existence.
Did that affect the characters and the comedy and the routines that you created later in life, would you say?
[00:12:48] Speaker A: Absolutely, yes. Like, one of the first characters I created, her name is. It's an Armenian name.
It's like the Armenian housewife. And she's like a. Know it all chatty. And I mean, I created this like, 20, 20 years ago, and I think it was through her where I started to talk about all these things, you know, and, you know, giving marriage advice or life advice, she's very. She gives. She even had an advice column, you know, in a newspaper.
So it's. It was taking those big life moments and then twisting them and presenting them in a comedic way. So maybe, like, some things that people are going through or we don't want to talk about or whatever, but it's presenting it in a. Framed. Through a comedic lens.
Yeah. So that. I mean, honestly, every character, you know, so from the housewife to the. The crazy neighbor to.
I mean, I wasn't there just making fun of people in my parents, parish, but since I was a kid, I saw people through character, like, through their point of view, you know, like, what is.
Why is he doing that? You know, and try to become them.
So.
[00:14:12] Speaker B: And have you. Have you seen sort of the. You see the polarization of politics and life in America, and how does that affect the comedy and the way that, you know, you interact with your audience even.
[00:14:28] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, I love that.
So, okay, I'll just say this. I am very thrusted. Okay, So I. My dad was a priest, and then I ended up marrying somebody who was a mayor of the town that we live in. So politics became. It's like church and state were like. And I didn't ask for this Like, I wasn't like, I'm gonna grow up and I'm gonna grow up and be, you know, Jacqueline Kennedy and be the, you know, like, be a political wife. But I was like, what a fun role to play. Let's do it.
So I, this is just me speaking.
I, because of that glimpse into politics through my husband's work, I try to see where people are coming from, honestly. I try to see, like, why do they feel this way and why are they so extreme in that way. And then I feel that it's my job because especially now, everything is so tense and there's factions.
I try with my work to make fun of all of it equally, to show, like, in my point of view, it's all like the same. Ish, you know, Like, I don't know if it's the same, but so it's like, where are we coming from? There's a reason why the people. This person thinks this way, this way. And I just love, I'm kind of, Is this the word sacrilegious about it? Like, I don't care.
[00:15:57] Speaker B: You're diving, you're, you're diving deep.
[00:16:00] Speaker A: Yeah. I want to make behind it, all of it, because from again, my experience, I've seen that it kind of is bad in both situations. In all situations, there's just shitty, can I cuss, there's just shitty people around and there's good people all around in any group.
[00:16:20] Speaker C: So I love that your comedy is politically agnostic, so to speak. You know, you don't discriminate.
[00:16:26] Speaker A: Right, yes. Thank you.
[00:16:29] Speaker C: I'm just gonna make fun of it. All right. And so I love that. And it doesn't come, it sounds like it doesn't come from a place of right judgment, but rather a place of curiosity.
[00:16:38] Speaker A: Absolutely. Yeah, it is.
[00:16:39] Speaker C: I love that. And I'm so curious because your characters, your material are hilarious and I'm so curious about your writing process and, and you know, where this comes from and, and you know, how do you organize all of your various materials and things like that? Like, I just imagine like post its everywhere or is there like an inner monologue that you like, turn into a script? Like, tell us a little bit about that.
[00:17:04] Speaker A: Sure. And thank you. Do you have five hours for this part? Because I'm gonna need your help.
I, I, yes, we do.
Okay.
I sometimes have a problem turning it off.
That's my issue.
Not that you asked, but it's, I feel like I'm someone who has too many ideas, so I try to like organize it all, you know, And I, I've gotten much better at that as I've gotten older, where it's like, okay, I'm just gonna focus on this project.
So, yeah, so my mind is constantly going. I have. Either on my phone or I have a notepad where I jot down ideas and I try to park it for later.
And the. It's a little bit even more jumbled because it's sketch comedy. So it's not like if you're a movie writer or you just, you write for mash, it's like, well, back then, but you're writing just one story. Sketch comedy is like anything that's happening right now. You know what I mean? So I'll be writing, let's say I'd be working on a show, a script, but then something happens in the news and I'm like, wait, I got to go to that. You know? So my writing process to go back to that is I wake up very early in the morning. That's when my brain is fresh and I just feel this excitement to honestly write. And especially when I'm really into an idea.
So I write and I'm like, and then I write in the afternoon, I go to work, I teach, and then I just try to sneak it in for the rest of the day. But I have to just recently, I'm like, okay, I need to like, put, you know, kind of schedule it out a little so that I'm not in like, make believe land all the time. You know, I don't think that's.
So it's a lot of organizing, which I'm getting better at because I don't have an organized brain.
[00:19:02] Speaker B: You know, Laurie, I've written a couple of books and I've done a lot of articles for WebMD and other places. And I found that I really had to compartmentalize my brain, you know, like my day job as a doctor. I could never, ever do anything writing or creative in any way while I was in doctor mode. And I would have to find a space and a time completely separate from that in order for me to tap into, you know, that, that side of it in order to write something or produce something. But it sounds like you're kind of always really, you're, you're, you know, your creative brain is always sort of on.
[00:19:45] Speaker A: Alert for, yeah, it's great. And sometimes it's like, you know, and I've been better at it. So. Yeah, so I'm, I've been better at it. Meaning where? I mean, I don't just sit home and I'm writing all the time, but I, you know, try to go out and do things. And you have to, as a writer, you have to participate in life and to know what it's about. The only thing is my work, my job is also very creative and it's in make believe land. And lately I'm like, I, maybe I should just get a job as an accountant part time. Like do something so non creative. I know most people crave creativity. I'm a little bit like, let me just go, I don't know, work at a lumber yard. You know, I'm never going to do that, but it tells us, yeah, but I love it. I don't know.
[00:20:40] Speaker B: There's created, there's creativity though, and then there's creativity that's interacting with humanity and the human experience. And so that's, I think it's very different than being detached and being creative versus yours is always. There's a social connectivity behind I think what you're doing maybe most of the time.
[00:21:04] Speaker A: Yeah, that's true. I guess I know it when I'm performing, I feel that and I, that's why when I'm in the, when I'm writing, I know what the end goal is. You know, I mean I do enjoy the process of writing, but I know that the end goal is being on that stage, being in a room full of laughter and connecting with people.
[00:21:29] Speaker C: You know, it's interesting as you're, as you're talking about this, you know, there's so much research about the benefits of laughter and the Science of Happiness has been really popular the last 15, 20 years and I never thought about it from the perspective of, for the comedian as well. Right.
To know that you were the one who like triggered the laughter and hopefully then triggered. Right. Their endorphins and all their feel good hormones and everything like that. So I am kind of curious, do you find the process also therapeutic for yourself?
[00:22:00] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And just to piggyback on what you're saying, maybe it's also kind of like a doctor or a priest where nobody thinks about the doctor, how the doctor's feeling or how the priest, like the priest might need prayers too, you know what I mean? So the comedian, like I'm not saying I'm suffering, but for me it's absolutely therapeutic. You know, it's, it's how I just process. That's how I process things. It's like I'll take this issue and I'll talk about it through a character, you know, so if it's anxiety or like these uncomfortable Feelings or something hard we're going through. That's just how I express it. And a cool thing that has happened, which I wanted to bring up on this podcast, is I've gotten messages from people. And I'm not saying this to, like, you know, think, brag, or whatever, but it's. I've gotten messages from people who are like, I'm going through cancer. And I've watched your videos of this one character. Her name is Sosi.
And I just. It really helped me get through chemo, or I was going through this really hard time. And then it was honestly your. I came to your show and it just lifted my spirit, you know, and that to me is like. I mean, that's not what I have in mind when I'm creating. You know, I just create it. But when I hear things like that, I'm like, that's. That is so fulfilling to me.
So, yes. But for me, self, selfishly, it's fun. I don't know. I feel very fortunate that this is my work, like a playland every day, you know, I mean, it's not, like, fun. It's very. There's a formula, and the drudge of writing kind of sucks, but it's exciting.
Once that final product is done, that show is done, and it's people. You know, you're backstage and you're getting ready, and the lights are going to go up, and this whole thing you've created in your room by yourself is now coming alive, and people are laughing. I mean, it's like the best drug.
I don't do drugs. I've never done drugs.
[00:24:23] Speaker B: I'm glad to hear. To hear that you're getting feedback of how you're impacting people's lives, you know, when people are with. With cancer or some of these, you know, other health problems. And I was wondering. I was thinking when you were talking, too, there are times where Sarah or myself might be working with a patient, maybe a really challenging situation, maybe a very emotional one, and you. You walk out of the room and you're like, wow. But then you got to walk back into the next room and be, you know, kind of wipe it off and be there for the next person, you know, and try to put that away and, you know, open up to. To the next person you're working with. I'm just wondering if you've, like, had nights or you've been on stage or had performances where maybe you were having a bad day or something, you know, wasn't, you know, good in your life, yet you had to Be, you know, Sosy or her or, you know, make everybody laugh and not know that.
And, you know, has. Have you had those moments? And if you did, how did. How did you. How did you work through that?
[00:25:29] Speaker A: Yeah, I was actually thankful that I had a performance during those moments because for me, those moments have been very healing. So the one that comes very fast to me is when my father passed away. I was very close with my father and I had a performance schedule literally five days after it was, even before the funeral had happened. So it's.
[00:25:54] Speaker B: It's. It's raw right there.
[00:25:56] Speaker A: Like, way raw, you know?
[00:25:58] Speaker B: Oh, man. Yeah.
[00:25:59] Speaker A: Yeah. And.
And I, I was like, should I do this or not do this? Should I cancel it? And I was like, you know what? My dad would want me. He, you know, he would absolutely say, like, go do the performance.
And I did.
And I almost feel like that performance was a gift from heaven because it just. People and even a friend of mine who's seen a lot of came to the show and was like, that was one of your best. And I was like, what? And it's because I think I. I just had all that energy and all that love I felt for my. For my dad, and I just felt like some spiritual something going on that I. I performed. And it. I'm not saying, oh, everything was done and I was happy, but it really was medicine for me. Just. And that's because I'm like, this is life, like, and that's what I experienced growing up. There's. There's suffering, there's laughter, there's in that. But that communal coming together. That's why I love theater and comedy is. It's. It is healing. It is. So that was my. One of the experiences. But there's also been times when I physically don't feel well, you know, like as a woman, like during my cycle, you know, I'll be having a really bad. It's like I have no energy and I feel like I'm literally going to pass out. But those are actually harder where I'm like, like really pushing and hydrating. And there was one time I was like, holding on to this, my seed partner, because I thought I was going to literally, like, I'm about to go down.
[00:27:37] Speaker B: Oh, wow.
[00:27:38] Speaker A: You know, but you can't. You gotta. It's like being an athlete in that way, you know, you gotta just go. Go with it. So, yeah, so for me, that's how it's been beneficial. And even like one more like back in the day, like, when I would break up with a guy, you know, and I'd be, like, so screwed up. I would go to a show and be like, hey, this is fun. I don't need a man.
[00:28:03] Speaker B: And did you tell any jokes about the man or you just let it go?
[00:28:07] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:28:07] Speaker C: Did the man turn into a character?
[00:28:09] Speaker A: I'm just curious.
[00:28:10] Speaker C: People want to know.
[00:28:11] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, that's revenge comedy.
[00:28:14] Speaker B: Revenge comedy.
[00:28:15] Speaker C: Oh, I love it.
So it sounds like, you know, you use a lot of comedic relief. And it's interesting because for, you know, for some time, people used to think, oh, if I crack jokes too much, I'm, like, trying to avoid, you know, reality. Or I'm trying to, like, avoid something that's so painful. Like, you really should be, like, more, like, serious about and explore it. And it's so funny because I'm a big fan of, like, positive psychology, and I do a lot of, you know, various types of therapy with my patients, and I do use a lot of laughter because I encourage my patients to find their funny bone again, because often when they're injured and they've been in a dark place and they're not feeling so good, for them to go find some comedic relief. And it's tough because to your point, sometimes when you're in a, you know, in a dark place, it takes a lot of effort, right, to whether it be, you know, be funny or to be present with it. And so I am curious if there's anything that ever helps you when you're struggling to, you know, be in that mindset or going through a tough time. Anything in particular that helps you. Any other tools in your toolbox?
[00:29:23] Speaker A: I run out of my house, screaming down the street in a panic attack. Is that healthy? No, I'm just kidding.
I do have.
[00:29:33] Speaker C: I do have an opening next week. I'm just saying, Lori.
[00:29:39] Speaker A: After this, what helps me? I eat all my. All my things are very unhealthy. No, seriously, I try. I tried. Okay, first, let me say this. I try not to be that person who's always cracking a joke, like, going to a funeral and being like, oh, you know, I try to, like, reel it in. Actually, my family and my husband sometimes I'm thinks I'm, like, the most unfunniest person in real life, because I. You know what I mean? I'm so. That's that. But for me, I. Well, obviously, it's comedy. Like, for me, it's getting back into project mode is. Has been the biggest thing. So if I feel things are falling apart, I find something that I want to work on and that has been number one for me. So. And I don't know, again, I am not the therapist, but I've. With friends, I've talked about this. And when they're down in the dumps or whatever, I'm like, work on something.
Make something, you know, and put yourself into it. So for mine, it's comedy, but for somebody else, it could be ceramics or whatever it is. So that's number one for me, is when I feel out of control, it's like, bring it in and make something be, you know, take control that way. So I would say that. And all the other tools I have are very unhealthy. So I'm not gonna. No, I don't. I. I don't know. I go on walks a lot. I actually. I go on walks a lot. I walk a lot. I love walking.
[00:31:11] Speaker C: Well, yeah, that's phenomenal. And I'll say it's okay to have, you know, some unhealthy coping tools. Most people do.
But I love your. Basically compartmentalizing. Right. And then focusing on the things you can control, because you can't control a lot of the other, you know, negative challenges and pain in your life. But, you know, you can go and focus on your work and take a break from all the heaviness in your life. And I think that's phenomenal.
[00:31:36] Speaker A: Yeah. And also children. I. I don't have children yet, but, like, my nieces and nephews, we just started this summer. This is so crazy. We started kickball games with the family, and so I've been working very hard on this project, and I'm in my brain a lot. I'm like, let's do kickball games. And everybody's been coming, so it's just fun. And I hadn't played kickball since I was in elementary.
[00:32:02] Speaker B: My daughter's been in all these kickball leagues in San Francisco. It sounds. It sounds so fun.
[00:32:07] Speaker A: Yeah, you need to play. Everybody needs to do it. What was it two days ago? I asked all my cousins to come and like you, I have a cousin who's a doctor and one's an engineer, and they're very serious people, and they. We just had a blast. So join the kickball league.
So I think play is important, too. Going back to being a kid, even though my life is very much being kiddish, but I was like, let's play kickball, and everybody's into it, so. Yeah.
[00:32:37] Speaker C: Oh, I love that. I love that. Apparently, I missed the memo on kickball. Good to know.
[00:32:43] Speaker B: Yeah, It's a saw.
[00:32:44] Speaker C: I'll have to look into that.
[00:32:46] Speaker B: My daughter loves it. She's.
[00:32:47] Speaker A: That's awesome. Wow. So, like, professional league playing?
[00:32:51] Speaker B: No, it's like a rec league. They have them in San Francisco where she lives. And, you know, you. You get a group of people, you sign up, and you play, like, several games, and then there's playoffs, and then when that ends, then they start another league, and she keeps. She keeps signing up.
[00:33:06] Speaker A: Oh, I love that.
[00:33:07] Speaker B: I think it's. It's a great way to blow off steam and.
So fun after work and. Yeah, yeah.
[00:33:14] Speaker A: Any.
[00:33:14] Speaker B: Any stories or thoughts about the audience, you know. You know, you're. You're on stage and you're giving it your all, and I'm sure there's all kinds of characters out there and, you know, thoughts or tips on how to manage a crowd. I mean, that is an art that I don't think I probably would ever have.
[00:33:37] Speaker A: Right. And I love that question, because I love connecting with the crowd, like, breaking that fourth wall between the performer and the audience. And some of my. I would say, most successful pieces are the ones where I'm a character and I go out in the audience and it's pure improv. Like, I don't know who's out there. I don't know what I'm gonna say. I don't know. I mean, I'm working through the point of view of character, so that helps. And I do have improv tools to guide that. But the audience itself, I love when an audience is, like, talking. I don't mind that. I mean, if someone's, like, really disruptive and heckling the whole time, that's annoying, and that hasn't happened, But I'm there for it. So I love when an audience is like, I'll hear gasps or like, oh, no, she did. They're totally, like, involved in the performance.
[00:34:33] Speaker B: You know, gives you more energy, maybe.
[00:34:36] Speaker A: Absolutely. And then I'll. You know, we'll. We'll break that fourth wall and respond. But there's also those characters where I really do go into the audience, and that might be a little uncomfortable for people. Like, some people don't want to be, you know, talked to, and I sort leave them alone. But I'll take.
Do structured improv, we call it, where you take an audience member and you do improv based on their life or their thing, and you involve the. I love involving the audience in my performances.
[00:35:08] Speaker C: If you're ever nervous on stage. And I. And I say this knowing that if you take a look at all the phobias, public speaking is Number one, and death is number two. So people would rather. Right. I just wanted to come to the face with mortality than go on a stage. And so that's how much more most Americans hate public speaking. So I'm curious, do you ever, like, especially now with, like, new characters or certain crowds, do you ever get, like, a little nervous and how do you handle that?
[00:35:37] Speaker A: That is weird because.
And airplanes are my phobia.
No, I. I really don't. I never had. It's weird. I don't have that fear of getting up in front of an audience. What I do get nervous is if I don't know my lines well and I don't know what I'm doing. There's been some shows where I don't feel quite 100%. We got this, you know, strong, like, I don't know my lines that well.
That's when I'll get nervous, you know, I'll be like. I mean, I do get butterflies. Absolutely. It's not like anxiety. I think that used to happen earlier, very early in my career when I first started one woman shows and I was like, 19.
I would get bad anxiety, but I would do it. And then, you know. But now, over the years, I crave it. Now I have no qualms about it. But those are the nervous. Like, I think I get nervous. Yeah. If I don't know my lines or if I feel physically not well, that's when I get nervous. I'm like, oh, my God, I'm gonna go out and. Because I've been working so hard on the show or physically, I. I don't feel well. I'm like, oh, am I going to, like, I have a vertigo problem. So I'm like, pass out during. Because I give so much energy, you know, so. But no, I don't. I get butterflies, but not like anxiety. No.
[00:37:08] Speaker C: And I think that's. And I think that's fantastic, too, because what you. What you said is actually something we actually often encourage, which is you can be nervous and do it anyways, and then over time, your body kind of learns if through that exposure, that it's not that bad, you know, that's fantastic.
[00:37:25] Speaker A: Not. No. Yeah.
[00:37:27] Speaker B: As a. As a teacher, if you put your teaching hat on Lori, and you have here a doctor and a psychologist who, you know, we want to make our patients happy when we can. Are there any tools to help us be maybe a little funnier?
[00:37:46] Speaker A: How does. Yeah.
[00:37:47] Speaker B: How can you coach us up a little bit?
[00:37:49] Speaker A: That's like a whole program.
[00:37:51] Speaker B: Sign up for that course.
[00:37:55] Speaker A: But I'll start with this. I feel that everybody has a sense. I mean, that's what makes humans so amazing. That, I mean, I don't think animals have sense of humors. I don't know, that's like for zoologist.
[00:38:10] Speaker B: I feel like the seagulls are always laughing at me.
[00:38:12] Speaker A: Okay, then you have. You could diagnose them as some psychosis, I don't know.
But yeah, like as humans. From what I know is that we're the only species that has a sense of humor, which is so cool.
So where was I going with that?
[00:38:34] Speaker B: Well, you were going to coach us up a little bit.
[00:38:37] Speaker C: We need help, Lori.
[00:38:39] Speaker A: Okay.
Going down species route. Okay. Oh, this is what I was going to say. So I feel that everybody has creativity. I don't care if you think you're the most boring. And some people, like, I'm just not funny. I think everybody has it. So as a teacher, I try to call that and I try to bring that out in people.
You know what I'm going to say? But this is like more complicated is I love improv. And I always say if the world did improv in politics, if like at the UN they played improv games, I feel like there would be peace on earth.
So I. It would be great to see like hospitals or maybe in therapy groups like to do improv games because it's very psych psychology based, it's very guttural and it's really freeing people up. You know what I mean? Like, when I start my classes, I'm like, we're gonna do crazy things in here. Meaning, like, you're gonna act so silly and it might be weird and. But there is no judgment. Like, we are literally gonna be like children, you know, like that how children, young children, where they don't judge themselves and they just do.
And these are what the classes are like for adults. It's like you're playing all these games, you're working with each other and it's funny. Things come up. So my. I mean, I can.
That's the first tip I would do is maybe bring improv improv games. Me, I'll come and teach a class, you know, or take an improv class and then see like you in. It would have to be more like group. In a group setting to play some of these games. And I, you know, at the, at the Groundlings and other places I've taught, we not only get like, oh, I want to be a comedian and I'm a professional actor. We get that a lot. But we also get people Who, A lot of people who are like, I'm an engineer. I'm, you know, they have very regular people, adult jobs and they just want to have fun and they, they love it.
So I would say implementing improv where wherever we can would be so fun.
[00:41:07] Speaker B: So we got some homework to do.
[00:41:09] Speaker C: It definitely sounds like it. I, I will say one of the things I do recommend to my patients sometimes is we're always encouraging patients to build up this pain, coping skills like toolbox, so to speak. And it's got all sorts of things in it for some patients. They have, you know, heating PA ice packs or meditation or prayer. And something I often tell my patients is, you know, if you're going to be doing your stretching on the floor, you know, your home exercise from pt, and then you're going to sit on an ice pack, why don't you also add one more tool and that's laughter. And so now it sounds like I'm going to tell them to check out some amazing improv, perhaps yours. So tell me, where can we find you?
[00:41:49] Speaker A: So, well, I'm, I'm in Los Angeles, so the Groundlings is such a great place. We offer classes for beginners, which is like, if you have no improv experience, we have classes. Those are workshop classes. And there's improv classes in most major cities or around them. So San Francisco, New York, Chicago. So I would check that out.
And for me, where you could find me is my website, laurietatoulian.com which is l O R Y T A T O U L I n dot com.
Also all my socials, Instagram, Facebook for the older folks and Tick Tock.
So I'm all over the place.
[00:42:35] Speaker B: I feel like, Lori, I think I saw you perform in San Francisco.
Was it. It's been less. It was less than a year ago, right, with your, your, your group.
[00:42:48] Speaker A: Yes, yes. That was June, I believe, of last year.
[00:42:52] Speaker B: June of last year. Okay. So about a year ago, that was.
[00:42:55] Speaker A: A show I was a little bit nervous about, to be honest with you.
[00:42:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:42:59] Speaker A: Not because it was. I was there because you were there. And I felt like what is. It could be. Feel judged and. No, I felt because it was a little bit thrown together, like three of the cast members suddenly couldn't make it.
And it was a little bit like all over the place in my, it wasn't one of my, I'm not making excuses, but it wasn't the tightest show in from the history of my shows. And like before we got on stage, we're like, I don't I don't know if this is going to do. How, I don't know how this is going to go because we hadn't done a tech properly. There were.
[00:43:33] Speaker B: Anyway, your shows are always great, coming.
[00:43:36] Speaker A: And supporting the arts. And I think at the end of the day people had a great.
Okay, thank you.
I was just searching for a compliment.
[00:43:43] Speaker B: No, I, I've, I've seen you, I've seen your, your shows. I don't know, you've probably, you don't come to San Francisco a lot, but they're always great. I, I, we always try to make it when we can.
[00:43:54] Speaker A: Yeah. I think the first time I came to San Francisco was like 12 years. It's like 12 years ago when I first started doing the Big Bad Armo show.
[00:44:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:44:04] Speaker A: Yeah, that was fun. That was fun. I love San Butt, one of my favorite cities.
Yeah. So. Well, one of my favorite shows was in San Francisco that ended Beach Blanket Babylon. Yes.
[00:44:17] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:44:19] Speaker C: Yeah, that's a Bay Area classic. Yes.
[00:44:21] Speaker A: Yeah, they bring something like that back.
[00:44:24] Speaker C: Well, we hope that you'll come back to the Bay Area.
[00:44:28] Speaker A: Yes, me too. Yeah.
[00:44:30] Speaker C: Because, you know, we can give that homework out all the time to go check you out.
[00:44:35] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:44:35] Speaker C: Lots of great stories today.
Anything to close us up today. Any last stories or advice or anything you want to share?
[00:44:47] Speaker A: Well, I'll just piggyback on what you just said. So I, I do have a show that I'm working on that I did this last year. It's called the End of the Year show.
And I give it a title. Like last year was called 2024, you, Hot Message. And it takes all the big news events that has happened in the past year and we put them in sketch comedy. So, or I, it's with a cast of 10 people. I write it. It's, it's fun. And that to me is therapeutic because it's taking these really heavy topics. It's like, how can we possibly laugh at this, you know?
So that's what I try to do with that show is like looking back at the year and laughing about it. So it kind of relieves that the heaviness of it all and lessens it. And we have political sketches and people are booing some people and some people are cheer and it's like totally involved. And everybody at the end of the day is just laughing at our very absurd world.
[00:45:48] Speaker B: Oh, this one's 2025 is going to be a doozy.
[00:45:52] Speaker A: It's like, if you can I shape. Can I shift my camera really quick?
[00:45:56] Speaker B: Sure, absolutely.
[00:45:58] Speaker A: So These are all my. My notes for all. For 2025. And I don't. My other wall. It's like all. It's. Yeah, I have. So I don't even know where to start and begin with 2020.
[00:46:11] Speaker C: The material just writes itself for you sometimes, doesn't it?
[00:46:13] Speaker A: It sounds like handed on a. On a platter and it. On a platter.
So it's. It's. But the last thing I just want to say is I think the work you're doing is awesome. Thank you for bringing me on. I completely believe in the power of comedy and humor because I believe comedy is just the flip side of pain and suffering.
So if it's. If we look at it from that way, that it's just on the other side, for me, it's lessened the hard stuff in life. It just kind of lessens it. You know, it's medicine. That's how I see it.
So go to comedy shows. Take an improv class. Do comedy.
[00:46:59] Speaker B: It was our pleasure to have you, Lori.
Thank you so much.
[00:47:03] Speaker A: Thank you, Sarah.
[00:47:05] Speaker B: How can people find us?
[00:47:07] Speaker C: Right?
[00:47:08] Speaker A: Check.
[00:47:08] Speaker C: Check us out. You can always check us out wherever you find your podcast, whether it be Spotify or itunes or. We're also on YouTube at. At the Comeback with Boomerang Healthcare. And we're so grateful to have you here today, Lori, and grateful to all our listeners. So if you've enjoyed today's episode, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss any more updates.
And until next time, keep moving forward. Your Comeback is just getting started.
