Four Funny Females thrive in downtown McKinney venue

by Chris Beattie of Star Local News

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A Four Funny Females set steers clear of your typical comedy club chaos.

Politics, weed, cancer, and adoption -- that's what she said. That's what they say, actually, to grins and giggles.

They are McKinney's own comedy troupe, Four Funny Females, and their rare comic relief laughs at the male-only trend.

"It's an anomaly in itself to see this many female comics on one stage, much less in the business," said Laura Bartlett, the group's producer and third act. "It was just a recipe for success having something this unique."

Bartlett and her fellow funny females -- Sherry Belle, Jodi Hadsell, and Linda Stogner -- began brewing the recipe in 2005. Despite corporate guises, each lady spent after-hours lighting up Dallas-area stages with laughter.

Stogner, the troupe's headliner, owns Backdoor Comedy Club, the starting grounds for most local comedians. Belle and Hadsell are former finalists in Improv's "Funniest Comic in Dallas" contest, and Bartlett staked her comedy claim in McKinney while opening for and producing headlining acts.

They bumped into one another in comedy club doorways, over and over again, a clever yet brave idea ricocheting between them. Redneck men weren't the only ones funny enough for a multi-comic set.

"They're Blue Collar Comedy, and we're all white-collar, corporate professionals," Bartlett said, referring to the famous trio -- Ron White, Jeff Foxworthy, and Larry the Cable Guy. "We're not like them because we all talk about something different."

Filmmaker, banker, IT professional, and marketing exec by day, comedians by night -- not a familiar foundation for hilarious entertainment, but the quirky quartet knew it could work. They found their arena at the McKinney Performing Arts Center (MPAC), practically in Bartlett's backyard.

"I knew it'd be a safe place to do it because (the center) put out a survey among the community, asking what they wanted here, and they said comedy," Bartlett said. "So I jumped in and was one of the first producers here doing something."

A list of guy headliners and frequent shows at a coffee shop, also in downtown McKinney, in 2006 made way for Four Funny Females. Always in order, Hadsell, Belle, Bartlett, and Stogner joined jokes for a new set in MPAC's 420-seat Courtroom Theater.

Each with family and professional lives spread around Dallas, the foursome reunites several times a year for a family friendly show. Sarcasm, innuendo, and questionable topics remain, just not an in-your-face pandering on which other comics thrive.

"We're the comedians with a heart," Bartlett said. "We don't try to shame our audience or stick it to them. Our goal is for people to feel better when they leave, not worse than when they walked in."

Material that would "pass the network censors if it were on TV" still includes the aforementioned themes. Stogner talks about being adopted; Belle mixes in her Louisiana childhood with a pot-smoking, Harley-riding daddy; and Hadsell counters her conservative upbringing with her current liberal standing.

Bartlett, a tongue cancer survivor, incorporates the otherwise touchy rarity into her act.

"It's the most obscure, unpopular kind of cancer you could ever get," she said. "It's so unpopular that we didn't even get our own awareness campaign. Where's my ribbon or my bracelet or my 5K Tongue Run?"

Their humor stems from real-life connections, so they aren't afraid to use it. But their audience needn't fear going to shows, anxious for a front-row roasting. The troupe engages their listeners, each in her own way, but keeps the feel-good in comedy.

"If they choose to spend an evening with us, they should feel like they were entertained to the hilt," Bartlett said. "They get an experience, not just jokes."

And word is quickly spreading that it's a worthwhile experience. Area media and news channels have labeled them "she-larious," "best of the weekend," and "four of the funniest women in North Texas."

They grace the MPAC stage every fall and spring season, each time packing the theater. Many in the audience attend three or four of their shows every year, some driving in from Bedford, Waxahachie, and Oak Cliff.

A Four Funny Females set steers clear of your typical comedy club chaos. The ladies entertain, drunkards- and hecklers-free. Pre-show downtown wanderings and after parties at Spoons Garage wrap fun around their 90-minute set.

Their next show is 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 at MPAC, followed by two more shows, same time and place, Jan. 21 and Feb. 18.

The troupe dreams of taking their womanly routine on the road to cities like Los Angeles and New York. Finances and family are their only hindrances.

Wherever their jokes take them, though, they'll always cherish their McKinney roots -- cancer, weed, adoption, politics, and all.

"This will be our comedy home in the Dallas area," Bartlett said. "It's become kind of a tradition, and I don't see that changing."

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