Opening for Michelle Wolf in Berlin
What I discovered on stage in front of 500 people
Hi! Thank you for reading You’re Invited to Laugh: a weekly look at work as an American stand-up comedian based in Berlin, Germany. I moved to Europe as an opera singer in 2019 and you can read the full story here. This publication is free right now, but you are invited to pledge support for the future!
In 2018, I was part of an opera development program that put on a concert in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. A bunch of friends were in town and we had an amazing meal after the show. I remember the meal more than the concert (at which I sang Santuzza), but that night solidified a part of my written biography that will persist until my death: Stephanie DePrez has performed at Carnegie Hall.
I thought about that recital a lot last week, when I added another Big One to my bio, opening for Michelle Wolf at Babylon Kino in Berlin.
I met Michelle when I was in Barcelona in January. I did a bunch of mics and shows, and, despite missing a show due to my own faulty calendar keeping, I believe I left a good impression. If I see you in person I’m happy to share the full story, but what matters is that an adage that comes from my time in musical theater proved to be correct: you are always auditioning. Every time you go up, you are demonstrating skill. Every time you meet someone backstage, it is an opportunity to be kind, interested, and easy to work with.
This wasn’t hard to do in a community like Barcelona, which is a gem of support and collaboration.
I was at dinner with my friend Elle at a fabulous Greek place in Mitte when I opened my phone and saw a DM from Michelle in my Instagram, inviting me to do 15-20 minutes at the top of her Berlin show. I experienced a series of emotions I can no longer recall, and passed the phone to Elle. We proceeded to let the ouzo flow.
The difference between doing a set for fifty people versus 500 people is that with fifty people, you can gauge the vibe and play with them. 500? You just plant yourself and shoot straight. I did jokes I’ve been doing for years, launching and landing them with the precision of having lived through nearly every possible outcome already. But with an audience of that size, at that distance from the stage, it began to feel less like comedy and more like… singing an opera.
In order to perform a role at the peak level, singers must live with it for over a year. This means translation, pronunciation, coaching, rehearsal, humming it while doing laundry, performing it in low-stakes settings, and getting it into the bones. There is this fascinating thing that takes place when I’m singing an aria I’ve worked to its fullness: I can think “behind” what I’m doing. I can let my body move through the motions of the phrasing and support without having to consciously decide to do it, because it’s become habitual. I imagine this is similar for most actors and athletes, to some degree. When you have prepared enough, the auto-pilot allows for second sight.
This is what happened last Saturday: I was so locked in on doing my jokes the way I have done them for years that I was able to move “behind” my own brain, making space to add gesticulations or lean into certain words, anticipating my next phrase so clearly that I could land the one before it without nerves.
Put another way, there was not a single moment when I was on stage when I did not know exactly what I was doing. This is the result of years of putting in the work. (It’s also indicative of the necessity of doing smaller mics as a comedian of any renown — you have to put yourself in a volatile space to be able to “play” and discover and develop new jokes — which is not what you want to be doing in a showcase.)
The set went well. The audience was lovely. Michelle knocked it out of the park. She sat backstage with me after the show for a bit. Throughout the process she was kind, open, gracious, and had zero ego. A consummate model for this career.
The best part about it – and I say this with full honesty – was the fact that friends and colleagues from Berlin were thrilled for me. Comedians texted me to say good luck, to ask how it went, and to congratulate me. Kat Nip, one of the funniest people in Berlin, invited me over for a drink (sparkling water bitte) before the show and the crowd she gathered there hyped me up considerably. After the show, I went to dinner with my dear friends Maureen and Elle. Every comedian I’ve run into since has asked how it went. In a realm so susceptible to scarcity and competition, I’ve only felt support.
I say it all the time: Berlin’s scene is the place to be. With vibes like this, we’re going up. People are welcome to be skeptics, and we do need the skeptics. But I am not one of them! I am incapable of doom and gloom! I believe so hard in what this scene is doing!
Would you like to see the set? I’ve uploaded it to an unlisted link on YouTube. You can share it, but it isn’t searchable. God bless Maureen, who filmed the whole thing from her seat. My big plans to film it offstage fell apart when I learned there was no offstage — no wings at all. I’m grateful to have this recording!
This weekend I am taking a wee vacation to visit friends in Oslo. My friend Ben was in my brother Danny’s class in high school, and he and his wife Haley hosted me in Edinburgh this past August. They’ve since moved to Oslo, and I will be their first guest! Any recommendations? I’d love to hear them.
I’m opening for Kyla Cobbler, the woman the myth the absolute legend, on March 4th at Latter. Kyla is the real deal in so many ways. I adore her. If you know anyone in Oslo, a distant cousin or an estranged lover, please tell them to come to the show. I’m so excited to see it.
What’s on this week (and next!)
Wednesday, February 26th
CHAOS / The Wall
Tuesday, March 4th
Kyla Cobbler / Latter Oslo (Support)
Saturday, March 8th
Saturday Night Live / The Wall (Host)
Don’t Tell Comedy / TBD ;)
About Me: I’m Steph, an award-winning writer and performer. You can read my full bio at www.stephaniedeprez.com.
This is all so amazing! And ugh if only the show in Oslo next week wasn’t on a Tuesday I’d love to come—Emma and I LOVE Kyla Cobbler (and you too!). Her Irish wink is the most perfect thing ever.
As for Oslo, I highly recommend the Munch museum. I wasn’t even a fan of him before I went, but I was really blown away. One thing I learned is that he made many copies/attempts at all his art, and so there are actually multiple “original” versions of paintings such as the Scream. And he kept them all. I think it’s a beautiful metaphor for growth and development and loving every stage of the artistic process, so there is no “perfect” final product.
Norway is at its best in nature. So anything you can do to be outside (ice skating, cross-country skiing if there’s snow, even just walking), do it! Holmenkollen is a cool ski jump up on the mountain and there are great views of the whole city and fjord.
a unique thing to do in Norway is a fjord rafting. not sure if they offer it in oslo, but if you get the opportunity to do so, it's a lot of fun.