Nondual Standup Comedy with Alicia Dattner

 

Like many standup comedians, Alicia Dattner draws material from her everyday life. In her case, this includes a longtime spiritual practice embracing modalities like Vipassana, yoga, kirtan, intersubjective meditation, and higher-self channeling. Not to mention a Jewish upbringing in prayer, song, community, and great comedy.

She brings this all together in a delightfully laugh-packed show she calls “Are You Dressed for the Apocalypse?” It has been described as “standup comedy meets satsang.” And from June 8 through August 31, Alicia is bringing her show to the Fanatic Salon Theater in Culver City CA, with a different comic opening each show.
 

“It’s really a romp through culturally relevant themes of the day,” she says of the evening, “from social media to people who love pets to romantic relationships and eventually to deep thoughts about our relationship to the planet, all framed in a sort of trauma-informed, very embodied physical, dynamic humor.”

Or, to quote Alicia’s parents, “I can’t believe you said that on stage!”

From comedy clubs to yoga festivals to NPR—from Hollywood to Honolulu, from Bali to Bombay—Dattner has been cracking up audiences and winning acclaim in prestigious media outlets such as the New York Times, ABC News, San Francisco Weekly and L.A. Weekly. In 2013, she produced The Spiritual Comedy Festival, sharing the stage with kindred spirits such as Swami Beyondananda (Steve Bhaerman) and Vanda Mikoloski.” 

So is spirituality an appropriate topic for comedy? Alicia answers an emphatic yes.
 

“I have these dual interests that seem to oppose one another – comedy and spirituality. The deeper I got into my spiritual journey, the less seriously I had to take myself. What I try to do, rather than making fun of the practices themselves, is to make fun of myself, my ego, my approach to the practices. I try to get at what’s funny about being human.

“Laughter is of course similar to any other ecstatic practice—sexuality, prayer, chanting.... It’s a portal to a healing dimension. Laughter helps us disrupt thought-grooves and make new connections with our synapses, so we can literally open our minds and come to our senses. And when we laugh together it’s very bonding and uplifting.”

So wherever you find yourself on the spiritual path and this strange journey called human life, “Are You Ready for the Apocalypse?” is a show you won’t want to miss. (Ages 16 and over.)