Today we’d like to introduce you to Penny Oswin.
Penny, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve been an artist of some sort my whole life whether it was visual or on the stage. I’ve watched comedies my entire life and so it was my dream to just be on stage. When I was 12, I was exposed to Saturday Night Live for the first time and was like “Damn. this is what I want to do”. So, at 13, I BEGGED my parents to sign me up for a stand-up comedy class. I did okay for my first set at 13 years old. It wasn’t until I was 21 that I went to my first open mic in NYC and got really addicted to standup comedy. I started off in NYC around March 2012 – not only doing stand-up but also improv and screenwriting within that time period. I moved to Boston in September 2015 to be closer to friends and to really work on myself as a person away from NYC. It took me a while to warm up to the Boston comedy scene, but here I am now, producing 2 shows at my new home bar, Jacque’s Cabaret, and will be producing and co-producing 3 more shows starting in July.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am a stand-up comedian, character actor, and producer. I not only do your typical stand-up routine but I have at least 5 other characters in my inventory.
My characters include Katerina – a Russian dumpster whore who was once part of the KGB, Geraldine – filthy rich Back Bay socialite, Frauline Werner – stern film critic who praises Adam Sandler films, and of course, I have an impression of Lady GaGa that I’ve turned into my own original character.
My stand-up persona is an exaggerated version of myself. Off stage I’m a bit more reserved, but on stage I’m more outgoing, blunt, dry, witty, dark and raunchy. My purpose is to make people laugh because it makes them feel good. I just want to share my weird sense of humor with others and hope they like it. Also, I want to empower women to just be themselves on stage and not have gender standards define them as a performer. I don’t like to see gender or any of that sort of thing when performing.
As I mentioned, I produce a bunch of shows at Jacque’s Cabaret, and the other thing I love to do is open my shows with a Broadway lip-sync. I have been a theatre nerd my whole life and want to share that with an audience that isn’t so exposed to theatre. Even if they don’t know the song, it’s still my acting skills and perfect lip-syncing skills that sell it. I just want people to have a good time, so if I’m having a grand old-time lip-syncing on stage, then everyone else will have fun too. I love producing shows because it gives me a chance to network with other comics as well as mentor and help new comics. It’s a lot of work but rewarding at the end of the day.
How can artists connect with other artists?
The best thing you can do is just show up to places. As a comedian, it’s easy to feel like a lone wolf. I get a ton of DM’s a day from new comics and I tell them I’m more than happy to help them if they have any questions or need advice on things. If you are a comic and you feel like you don’t fit in, come to my Sunday show and guaranteed, you will feel welcomed. Comedy can be isolating at times and it takes time to really get to know people. But once you do, it will feel like family and you will have a support system for life.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can see me perform at Jacque’s Cabaret in Boston at “The Sunday Funday Open Mic” every Sunday from 7 – 10 p.m. I also host “Penny 4 Ya Thoughts” every 3rd Friday of the month at Jacque’s Cabaret. I will be co-producing “The Human Variety Hour” back-to-back with a new character monologue show called “The Penny Hour” every 2nd Friday of the month starting in July (Shows at 8 pm & 10 pm). I perform a lot around the city at local shows, so it’s best to follow my social media handles to keep track of my dates for where I’ll be performing.
You can easily find my work on YouTube by searching “Penny Oswin”. I make regular appearances on “DI-Why the Show” on Somerville Cable Access TV so you can certainly find me there either on the panel as myself or doing character work. Or you can find me at most open mics around Boston, working on my material.a
Contact Info:
- Address: Jacque’s Cabaret
79 Broadway
Boston, MA - Email: pennyoswin@gmail.com
- Instagram: @pennyoswin
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/PennyOComedy
- Twitter: @pennyoswin
Image Credit:
Sarah Belclaire
Somerville Cable Access TV (SCA-TV)
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