Photo Credit: Alex Anne Mastroni
“Occasionally, we female comics do get approached after shows and get told things like ‘Wow, you're pretty funny, for a girl.’ It’s very easy for well-meaning audience members to give backhanded compliments,” says Milwaukee’s own Dana Ehrmann about being a funny woman in a realm where men prevail—and some people still have ill-conceived ideas of members of her gender being able to elicit chuckles.
But compliments on Ehrmann need never be back-handed. She’s a hoot, period. And that makes her a good fit for the inaugural edition of the latest of Milwaukee Comedy’s monthly stand-up showcases, Fermented Laughs. She shares the debut bill with fellow Milwaukeean and host Tyler Menz, Madison’s Charlie Kojis and Chicago-based headliner John McCombs, 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Fermentorium Wauwatosa Barrel House (6933 W. North Ave.).
As for female comedians in Milwaukee, Ehrmann continues, “I think because there are fewer of us in the local scene, I think we all shoulder a greater responsibility in representing our gender in the art form. It’s a little unfair, but the female comics of the Milwaukee scene, we’re a tight-knit, a very supportive group. So, it’s a fun journey to be on together.”
One of the engines propelling that journey for Ehrmann and others has been Milwaukee Comedy. About its founder, she enthuses, “Matt Kemple and his co-producers, Greg Bach and Kaitlin McCarthy, have done a fantastic job building Milwaukee Comedy up, and I’m grateful they’ve watched me grow and asked me to be a part of a lot of things already.” Other Milwaukee Comedy events Ehrmann has played include Keg Stand-Up, Subjective and its stand-up/improv amalgamation, Voyager.
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The increasing number of opportunities to ply her wit in public stem in part from her upbringing, “I come from a funny family, so I think the interest in comedy was always there, “ she says, adding a commendation to her mom as a role model for her pursuit of laughter. “I talk about my family a lot, especially my mom, Carol. If you see my stand-up, you might come away feeling like you know her.”
Ehrmann’s education abetted her comedic pursuits as well. Sometimes, they were furtively extracurricular, as she recalls, “I like to think I was always the kid in the back of the classroom in school, cracking jokes quietly so only a few people could hear.” Going further in her studies provided a pedagogical imprimatur for her wisecracking, though. “When I got to college, there was a stand-up comedy club, and I joined. It was my way of trying something different and becoming a new person as I started college.”
Though comedy allowed her to develop a fresh persona, Ehrmann’s shtick often relies on a common trope for funny folks. As she says, “My comedy has a lot to do with self-deprecation. I’ve always seen myself as the underdog or a little bit on the outside of things, so I acknowledge that and hopefully bring it all back into my favor by making jokes out of it.
“A lot of people say I’m very dry with my humor. And amongst the other comics in the Milwaukee area, combined with the self-deprecation and dryness, I've probably got a more straight-laced, innocent and naive vibe that I try to use comedically, as well,” Ehrmann continues. She even finds inspiration in interactions where others may put her down. “I really do find my material in everyday life, any situation in which I find myself. Since I’m self-deprecating, I’m likely to find humor in any interaction in which someone looks down upon me, ha ha, or sees me differently than I see myself.”
One place where she is on equal footing, though, is on stage. Of the other comics at the Fermentorium with her, she offers, “Tyler Menz is local and a favorite of mine; he’s full of energy, telling stories everyone can love and relate to. Charlie Kojis is a killer out of Madison. I think his comedy is really smart and I appreciate his deadpan delivery. I’ve never met John McCombs so I’m very excited to see him headline! It’s fun getting to meet new comics from all over.”
And if Ehrmann’s recommendations don’t tempt you to come out for Fermented Laughs, she adds, “Who doesn't wanna laugh? You're going to laugh hard at this lineup of comics put together by Milwaukee Comedy. And if that's not enough, it’s at a really cool venue that you’ve probably been meaning to try anyway. This area in Tosa is really happening. I think checking out a comedy show is a unique thing to do with a group of friends or a date or even by yourself.”
Here, Ehrmann is being dry, self-deprecating and on her game with hilarity opening Northeastern Wisconsin shtickster Charlie Berens of The Manitowoc Minute last fall at the Pabst Theater:
And here, she is sharing a studio with transplanted Michigan comic Raegan Niemela on the latest episode of the podcast they started this year, Sweet Little Ladies (including some language that may be NSFW):
