Woodstock resident Vicki Ferentinos is a polymath. The former art gallery owner and professional chef writes a regular column for the Vermont Standard.
She鈥檚 also a comedian.
Ferentinos has performed with the New York City-based improv troupe Upright Citizens Brigade, been featured on Comedy Central, and this weekend, she鈥檒l perform in the "Funny With Pride Comedy Show鈥� in Woodstock.
开云体育鈥檚 Jenn Jarecki recently sat down with Ferentinos and began by asking if the comedian had always incorporated queer themes into her act. This interview was produced for the ear. We highly recommend listening to the audio. We鈥檝e also provided a transcript, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Vicki Ferentinos: No, because I had no idea I was queer for the first five years of doing stand-up. I came out probably when I was like 36, and I started doing comedy at 32. And I won the shop award in high school, and I can blacksmith and weld, and I retiled the kitchen of every boyfriend's mom I ever dated, but anyway, still it's like, "I'm not gay, I'm just the lady who can do all these things."
Jenn Jarecki: Talking about life with your wife is a big part of your routine.
Vicki Ferentinos: It is. I always spoke from the truth of what I was going through in life. So yeah, my wife's a huge part of it. And it's funny, my mom would always say, like, "I don't understand why comedians talk about this, because that's so personal." But it was like, well, wait a second. Like, straight people talk about their significant other all the time and that seems normal. So, why wouldn't I talk about my wife?
Jenn Jarecki: OK, so, Woodstock Pride is in its second year. Were you involved last year?
Vicki Ferentinos: I had thyroid cancer last year, I had my thyroid removed. And they're like, "I don't know what you want to do." And I was like, "I'm going to be fine by then." And I was and I did the master of ceremony for the high heels race, and saw people of Woodstock wear heels that they've probably haven't worn in 20 years, which was fun. And then at night, we had done a show at the Grange Theatre in Pomfret. And this year, I was like, "Why don't we up it?" And Pentangle had just redone their theater, and so it's like a bigger theater, so we're hoping we'll sell out there too, and we have fun comics coming.
Jenn Jarecki: Well 鈥� and I want to ask you about that. When I saw that Woodstock Pride was having a comedy show, my first thought was a little contrarian. In February, President Trump issued an executive order claiming there are only two genders 鈥� male and female 鈥� and local organizations that support LGBTQ+ Vermonters have seen steep funding decreases, throwing their ability to deliver services into question. And so I've got to ask you, Vicki, what is there to laugh about right now?
Vicki Ferentinos: This is the best time to create great art and great comedy and make people laugh. You can't change darkness with darkness. You got to keep it light, you got to keep it moving, make them smile, laugh, think, plant a seed in their head and change something. And I don't think you're going to do it by just giving the same angst back. And hopefully, even as naive as it may be, hopefully that'll start changing things the other way. Because if you think about it, it took one guy to ride an escalator, repeat words over and over and over again to create this, or at least shine a light on that. Why can't it be the opposite be true?
Jenn Jarecki: What does Pride Month signify? And more personally like, what does it mean to you?
Vicki Ferentinos: I always had gay friends. I always all that, like, I was always in gay culture, because I'm a gay person, but I didn't realize that. And I think once you kind of open your brain up and you, like, realize things about yourself and your world becomes more colorful, and you're like, oh, you you have this literally, sense of pride during Pride Month because you realize how important representation matters. And like, I performed at the Stonewall many times. So, I'm very aware that there's been so many other people before me who've had it rougher, and I realized that you have to keep up the fight going. And I think Pride is a very important thing, just so people remember to remember.
