Interview with Melbourne Comedian Mimi Shaheen, who first performed comedy on Valentine’s Day this year, and is off to an impressive start so far. She performed her second gig in front of a large crowd at the Comic’s Lounge (which was a milestone as she'd frequented the venue as a punter from the age of 15). Mimi has always loved comedy: she received various comedic theatre roles in high school (which earned her a spot at the Victorian College of the Arts), and has a very dark sense of humour. Mimi had TWO gigs at the Comic’s Lounge this week, and will be performing at Yes All Women on 6 July, and Funny At The Brunny on 18 July.
We discuss: The adventure of comedy speed dating in December 2015 which in a roundabout way led Mimi to attend the Comic’s Lounge workshop group, putting in lots of open-mic hours, the past pains which brought about her dark taste in comedy, comedy goals and wanting to “eat it alive”, Mimi’s experiences as a Social Worker/Family Worker, immigrating from Syria as a child and the challenges of fitting in, how bullying and other traumas have shaped her work so that she is a strong advocate for children, inter-generational problems and other issues in her work, Mimi’s techniques to maintain a healthy work-life balance, managing temper, Mimi’s super power, and her message of finding a way to laugh as it will assist with coping.
