Meet Adouria | Comedian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adouria and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adouria, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
All of comedy is a risk. You take a risk getting on stage telling joke with the possibility that only you think you are funny. Comedy is subjective. There’s no rule book or formula for how to be funny or the right way to be funny. You simply have to get up there and do it, and keep doing it to get good. Every time you’re on stage is a risk, every new joke is a risk. Sometimes the risk is not knowing where the line is, the risk is you might offend someone. But you can’t not take risks in comedy.

I take a risk every time I reach out to someone to book me, or to interview me. I’m still very new so know one knows who am. So I have to hustle and take risks for myself. I can’t wait for opportunities or people to come to me, I need to stay active and take these risks for myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The thing that excites me the most is that because I’m so new I have still have so much to learn and do. I still have so many firsts. There’s no feeling like your first open mic, your first booked show, even your first bomb. I’m not selling out venues (yet) or headlining (yet), and I hope to do those things, but after I have I’ll be looking at what’s next. What’s the next goal I need to conquer. I’m very goal oriented, looking towards the future is what drives me.

Something I’ve learned is not be so structured. I’m naturally structured as a person, I’m a control freak. When I first started I needed to know exactly what to say, when to say it, and how. And that really limited me. It made all my jokes sound rehearsed. I’ve learned to have an idea of stories or jokes, but also give myself space to riff, improvise, banter with the audience. This also keeps old jokes fresh, when you’re not doing them the same way every time.
The other thing I’ve learned is to always try new material, even if you feel it’s not ready. It’ll never feel ready, but you never know how good a joke is until you try it in front of an audience. It’s easy for me to get bored of a joke after telling it so many times. The fun is in the challenge of writing and trying new material.

I think what makes me different is I try to tell stories that are personal, or that have really happened. I’m constantly watching my surroundings and ease-dropping. (So if you see me in public be careful haha.) I try to be very candid, and tell things how they really happened, what I honestly think about it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My absolute favorite spot in LA is Il Caffé. It’s a coffee shop from Sweden, but they have one location Downtown. It’s the easiest spot to make new friends and find plans when you have none. They’re always doing events, and I think they make the best lattes. If you’re there you might run into Dan Dilworth (aka Prince of DTLA), he’s usually accompanied by a few French bulldogs who dress better than most people. If you don’t have plans, Dan’s the man, he always knows where the best party is.

I love Silver Lake/Los Feliz, that whole area is a hot spot for food and drinks and thrifting. My favorite spot is Sundays Best off Sunset. I never leave empty handed.

As far as food goes I’m a sucker for a good street hot dog or a food truck. Those are everywhere.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people. I don’t know where to begin.

First my grandma, who raised me and gave me my sense of humor. She put me in theatre at a young age which has helped me become so comfortable on stage making comedy natural for me.

My friend Isaac Gonzalez who is like a brother to me. He’s never stopped believing in me or roasting me. It’s very important to have someone who can do both, and they are very hard to find. Every joke or bit I’ve written I’ve run by him. He’s honest with me.

My roommate and best friend Miranda Lopez who I simply could not do life without. She pushed me to do my first open mic and it has led to so much and continues to. She reminds me that I am human, that I can still be funny while feeling my feelings and talking about them.

God for making me funny.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adouriavm/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCtDnKo4zH6A-yaukLmzEjZQ

Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8cnAJ4C/

Image Credits
Hailey Hildenbrand Benet