Photo by Marlene Sharp On Sept. 11, Rob Kutner and Mike Rotman co-produced a neurodivergent-friendly stand-up comedy night at The Laugh Factory in Hollywood. “The cool thing was also that, when they turned the lights down, you forgot that anybody was neuro anything,” comedy writer and author Kutner told The Journal. “It was just a room full of people just having a good time laughing at comedians.”
More than 80 neurodivergent and neurotypical comedy fans came together in an accessible environment. The show featured comics Willie Hunter, Kruger Dunn, Josh Meyrowitz, Laurie Kilmartin, Jeremiah Watkins and Erik Griffin.
“The stereotype is that autistic folks are loners or distant and remote, but they like to connect just as much as anyone, if not more,” Tom Fields-Meyer, coauthor of “Uniquely Human,” one of the best-selling books on autism, told The Journal. “They also have unique ways of perceiving the world, which is exactly what makes for good comedy.”
“The stereotype is that autistic folks are loners or distant and remote, but they like to connect just as much as anyone, if not more. They also have unique ways of perceiving the world, which is exactly what makes for good comedy.” –Tom Fields-Meyer
Fields-Meyer’s adult son is on the autism spectrum. ”My son Ezra loves to laugh and loves to make people laugh, but I had never been to a comedy club with him,” he said. “Seeing the smile on his face, and looking around the room and seeing the joy of folks listening and laughing was a treat.”
The show’s title, “Let It Out” is a reference to an atmosphere that “accepts outbursts, physical motions and other behaviors that neurodivergent people sometimes engage in, but can be sources of embarrassment in intolerant settings,” Kutner said. “More generally, it signals the overall vibe of ‘just let your hair down, don’t worry and have a good time.’”
Rotman has a neurodivergent relative and also knows others who love going to comedy shows, but never quite feel comfortable in a large crowd or with loud sounds “I thought, “‘Why isn’t there a comedy show for a neurodivergent audience?’” Rotman, a comedy writer and director of special events at Big Bear Theater Project, told The Journal. “I started asking around and nobody knew of any, so I thought, ‘Let’s put one together.’”
Rotman, who is a big animal rights advocate, said in that community they talk about speaking for those who have no voice. “I always believe in living my life by that philosophy: doing right for others, treating those as I would want to be treated,” he said. “All of that seems to be in line with the moral teachings of Judaism.”
Done in partnership with The Miracle Project and Autism in Entertainment, “Let It Out” was a follow-up to Kutner and Rotman’s “A Comedy Hug for Healing,” at The Laugh Factory in February, a stand-up show to benefit the Koby Mandell Foundation and Sheba Medical Center in Israel.
“[Owner of The Laugh Factory] Jamie Masada had been super welcoming, lovely to work with, and his staff is really great,” Kutner said. “So, when we had this idea, we thought, ‘Let’s go back to them,’ because they are like the menschiest comedy club.”
Kutner and Rotman call their neurodivergent comedy night an easy-to-replicate model that they not only hope to continue doing, but want to encourage others to do, as well. “We were just trying to slightly retrofit a regular comedy show with standard mainline comics, giving them a bit of mindfulness about how to deal with the audience,” Kutner said. Their other guidance: “Don’t have crazy changes in lights and music, which some comedy clubs don’t necessarily do anyway,” he said. These are all very easy things to adjust.
The producers prepared the comics, letting them know that an audience member may yell something or get up and walk away, which is typical for a normal comedy show anyway. “We simply asked the comedian not to target or mock anyone who might be doing that,” Rotman said.
The results were even better.
“It felt like any night at a comedy club: waiters taking drink orders, comics delivering some of their best material, and a good share of groaners, an emcee holding it all together,” Fields-Meyer said. “Only this time, one of the audience members called out, ‘When are you going to talk about trains?’”
Instead of turning on him, the comedian paused, smiled and said, ‘Okay. Let’s talk about trains!’
“He did,” Fields-Meyer said. “And it was very funny.”
Another addition to the show was a chill-out space, Kutner explained. “We cordoned off the lobby of The Laugh Factory, so that if someone’s getting overstimulated, they could just retreat back there and just cool their jets, which a few people did,” he said.
When asked what he wanted people to get from the experience, Rotman said “I hope everyone who attended felt like they were included and did not feel nervous or worried about going to the show,” he said. “The goal is to treat this like any other show … and enjoy an evening out.”
Added Fields-Meyers, ”I’ve heard lots of comedy, but rarely in a comedy club do you feel a sense of love and caring and connection the way I did that night.”
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.