Mugging is NOT Acting

I recently saw a sketch comedy show that angered me so much. The only sistah in the show relied so heavily on mugging and making big faces that by the end of the night I wanted to poke my own eyes out. Here's what's in her skill bag: the ooh-lawdy-I'm-so-scared face, the oh-no-you-didn't! face, the aw-hell-no! face, the what-did-he-just-say-to-me? face -- scratch that -- it was the same as the oh-no-you-didn't! face, and then there was the I'm-just-pleased-as-punch-with-myself-so-I'ma-smile-ear-to-ear! face. Made me want to punch her in the face.

Several of the White actors in the cast had depth of character, showed layers, made interesting choices and varied the timing of their delivery from one character to the next. That's what is expected of them. There are so many of them doing this work that they have to be really kick-ass and unique in order to stand apart from the over-abundant crowd of White male improvisers. But because the numbers of us doing sketch and improv are so much lower... what? How does that rationale work exactly? As long as we do something that gets the laughs, we're not held to the same acting standards? We just have to mug and make big faces and someone thinks we're funny because that's what Black folks in comedy do? And since there are so few Black women, especially, doing sketch, that somehow becomes our go-to thing?

Is it our own fault as performers for doing it in the first place? Or should we blame the audiences for fostering the multiplication of these types of performers by laughing in the first place? Is it The Man's fault for casting that type of actor in comedy? And it's not even just sketch comedy. It's commercials with the sassy, fat Black woman. It's my favorite soap opera with the take-no-jive, angry but sassy, fat Black nurse. Dangit! Where can we draw the line between "I'm Black and this is my unique voice" and "I'm Black... ain't I funny?"

I clearly need someone to blame. I felt offended. I felt maddened. I felt the desire to do something. Not just blog about it. But to actually do something. I'm enrolling in an improv acting class next week to work on more of my own characters. I'm going to write more kevINda sketches. I'm taking a theatre company up on their offer to join with them and teach some sketch workshops to actors of color. And, yes, I am blogging. Mugging is not acting. And I realize that blogging is not action. But I needed to vent. Now, I'm going to act.

- Inda