We were lucky to catch up with Saskia Bee recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Saskia with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I was raised in part by my Depression-era grandparents. Notions of thrift, reuse, saving, and cobbling together resources was an integral part of my upbringing. My grandmother would pay me to do odd jobs, while my grandfather taught me to repurpose and repair things to restore them to usefulness. Because of my grandparents’ resourcefulness, we never went without essentials; nor did I lack anything in the way of treats or more novel provisions.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Having just completed producing and co-starring in a retro 1950s satirical variety show – the creation of which was a colloborative effort with some extremely talented writers and performers – I’m cherishing the camaraderie the ensemble enjoyed together. Within the Crack Ups Comedy Night production company I co-run with my business partner, Maureen Lombardo, I think there may be space to grow a comedy troupe of sorts to bring more specialized live comedy offerings to the Phoenix market. I’ve grown my own personal brand (Saskia Bee Comedy) with support from my comedy community, and I would love to return the favor by creating new opportunities for these gifted individuals. Beyond that, I’m also really interested in taking on some junior producers who want to run shows of their own, but maybe don’t know how to get started. I’d love the comedy culture in our city to evolve even further to set people up for success in a multitude of roles.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Mentorship from trusted and experienced individuals means everything. The instructors, directors, producers, and other entertainers I’ve worked with have all influenced me in some way because I see what works and doesn’t work for them; and the few who took the extra time to speak to me or answer questions were the most impactful. If you’re new to anything, find someone who knows more than you and is willing to share the info.
Immersing yourself in the culture of your scene (whatever that may be) is also imerative to your success. You can’t go with or against the flow, if you don’t even know where the river is! Try new spaces, new ideas, new collaborations, and be present. Let the discovery happen organically.
Finally, develop a few different lenses through which to consider others’ points of view. Often in entertainment, we must be different things to different people. The audience wants to laugh; the venue wants to profit; the performers want to be paid and applauded. Catering to each aspect requires the ability to shift perspective. My best advice to manage it all is this: as long as you operate holistically in service of the production, everyone wins.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I genuinely believe in the value of being well-rounded. It’s great to be great, but where’s the challenge? I’m very process-oriented, so just “being good at XYZ” isn’t quite enough for me. I’m striving to learn new things all the time, even if it’s only to discover I absolutely suck at them! The perfect example of this for any comedian is practicing Improvisational comedy. Improv can be scary for a lot of performers because it’s unscripted; but therein lies the magic! Whether you think it’s “funny” or not, Improv is a skill set. Without fail, every stand-up comedian I know who also has Improv chops tends to be funnier and more natural on stage and when interacting with the audience. Improv doesn’t make you perfect, but it makes you brave. As a performer, bravery is more important than looking cool.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/saskia-bee-comedy/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beesaskia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beesaskia
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