Miami’s Aida Rodriguez headlines The Comedy Club of Kansas City this weekend

Photo by Cate Hellman

On Feb. 23-25, comedy-lovers can head to The Comedy Club of Kansas City to see comedian, writer, and actor Aida Rodriguez as she makes rounds on her Don’t @ Me Tour. Writer of her critically acclaimed hourlong stand-up special and director of HBO Max’s current batch of Entre Nos specials, the Miami native is no stranger to the spotlight.

Known for turning the hardships of life into laughs on stage, Rodriguez tackles topics that range from personal problems like childhood trauma to societal issues such as misogyny and racism, attempting to make listeners feel a little less alone all while giving a voice to the Latinx community.

We spoke to the stand-up ahead of her weekend of shows here in KC.

The Pitch: How did you get started in the world of comedy?

I started doing comedy as a hobby. I actually did a roast for a friend’s birthday, and another comedian told me that I should try and do an open mic because he thought that I had a naturally comedic vibe. So, I did the open mic and I’ve been doing it ever since.

You’re known for using comedy to “turn pain into progress”. Tell me about your approach.

We tend to be very hyper-focused on the bad things that happen to us. One thing I learned as a child through my grandmother is that the circumstances are going to be what they are, but it’s how you show up that’s going to determine where you go. So I’ve learned to process trauma and the bad things that happen it takes work and development. For me, finding the funny in dealing with traumatic circumstances has been a big component in helping me heal from them. I use it as a tool and I try to use it to help other people. I talk about things that we all have in common through observational humor. I think comedy is very healing and some things are best heard through a joke. I really like to experiment and talk about the things other people might not want to have conversations about.

How is your approach to comedy different from other comedians?

Well, I don’t know how a lot of other people do what they do, but I know I can focus on myself. To me, it’s important to connect with people and to connect people. When I sit down and I start deconstructing my jokes, I really focus on what the intention is and I ask myself what I’m wanting to do with it. Being honest, vulnerable, and real is imperative for me. I focus on being able to be honorable in the intention of the joke. It’s important that I’m saying something rather than just tap-dancing for laughs.

You’re a guest writer for BuzzFeed, you just directed Entre Nos, how do you manage to tackle it all?

I focus on one thing at a time. When I was directing the special for HBO Max I was not touring. I was sitting down with other people and working with them. I focus on time management and honoring what I’m doing at the moment and giving it the attention it deserves. I try not to disrespect what I’m doing by thinking about other things, which has been very helpful. As an artist, you’re expressing yourself through that medium and it deserves everything you’ve got.

Who do you look up to?

Donald Glover is a big inspiration to me. Tina Fey also; she’s a writer, she’s a creator, she’s an artist who encourages other artists. People like that really inspire me.

What’s it been like on the road?

This tour has been great. People have really been coming out and there are a lot of people who are excited about laughing. We’ve experienced this collective trauma through the pandemic and laughs are much needed. People have been very supportive and showing up, so this tour has been very good for me.

How has touring been different than doing one-off live shows?

You get to meet all the different people that make up the world and understand how different people live in different parts of the world.

What is the best part about what you do?

The results are the best part. Standing on a stage and seeing people coming from different walks of life connecting is very rewarding. There’s nothing like someone coming up to you after a show. It happened last night where I had a blind woman come to my showand  I had a joke about blind people. She told me she felt included and thanked me. There’s nothing better than that.