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Marga Gomez2013 Q-Pid Comedian Draws from Life Experience to Fuel PerformancesBy Anthony Wiggins, ¿Qué Pasa OSU? Staff Writer and Junior, Center for Life Sciences EducationThe Ohio State University was treatedto an energetic performance by comedianMarga Gomez for this year’s Student LifeMulticultural Center Q-Pid Comedy & DanceExtravaganza on February 15 th . The SanFrancisco based Gomez delivered materialon politics, current events, LGBT issues,and her childhood, during her show inthe Ohio Union Performance Hall. In aninterview earlier that day, Gomez sharedinsights into what inspires her, where shedraws her material, and how she has foundher niche as a successful Latina and lesbianentertainer.Gomez found herself drawn to theentertainment industry by witnessing herparents perform in New York. “My dad wasa comedian, and my mother was a dancer,and they were both entertainers in the Latincommunity. They worked with people likeTito Puente and Celia Cruz in their shows,”says Gomez. With a Puerto Rican mother andCuban father, Gomez observed a diverseaudience that was very much drawn to theshows of her parents. She recalls, “My fathercould always make people laugh, and hemade them happy. Times were tough thenand people were working really hard, somehad even just come to the United States.The one thing they had to live for was togo to those shows that my father producedand performed in every week.”It was a move to California that wouldultimately establish Gomez as a prominentLatina comedian. In San Francisco, shefound a diverse audience that appreciatedthe high flying comedy Gomez delivers:“When I was twenty, I ended up moving toSan Francisco and found myself performingin comedy and theatre for an audiencethat’s gay and straight…diverse and unconventional,”Gomez recalls. “I discovered thatI could be an artist and that there was anaudience that could support me. I’m fortunateand lucky enough to be doing this foralmost 30 years.”Gomez draws on her life experiencesand current events to fuel her currentroutines. With two areas of focus (solo showplays and stand-up routines) she can utilizethe two mediums differently to achieveher desired dramatic effect. Her solo showstend to showcase more material from herpersonal life. She explains, “A lot of thosetend to deal with my childhood and myfamily, so they are usually comic, but alsomore storytelling drawn from my life. In aplay you can really go into deep stuff aboutyourself, which is different than my comedyperformances.” With her stand-up routines,Gomez tries to identify a common groundwith the audience to create a connection:“Stand-up routines could be my life, but it’smostly events. The best way to go aboutcomedy is to be as relatable to the audienceas possible.”As an up and coming entertainer,Gomez overcame different obstacles thatchallenged her sexuality and ethnicity. “Thehardest one was to come out as a lesbian,”she recalls, “When I started in the 80s I wenta year where I never said I was gay. But soonI just started to be honest and mentioningit aloud, but that was still probably themost frustrating thing for me.” Even thoughGomez has become a prominent Latina performer,she continues to see the unequalopportunities that Latinos are afforded,especially in show business. “It’s still verymarginal and unequal, the opportunitiesthat Latino people get say, in Hollywood.There just aren’t a lot of parts written for us.There are a lot of Latinos who could and arebeing cast into roles, but we are always thedark, sinister, or even nanny roles. ”Gomez does offer advice to Latinos whomay face similar experiences: “Anyone whowants to pursue the work that I’ve done—the acting in films, acting in theatre, andacting in comedy clubs—should really focuson one aspect first. And first and foremost,you have to love it. If you don’t love it withone hundred percent of your heart andmind, there’s really no point in doing it.”Gomez points out that one must be passionateabout their discipline, because it canbe difficult to make a living in the entertainmentindustry. “More than likely, you aren’tgoing to get rich and famous, but you couldmaking a living at this! It takes a lot of dedication,and sometimes it’s very hard to putso much focus and energy into becoming aperforming artist and still having a life, andit’s important to have both. It’s importantto remember that you’re a human being,because if you’re not a complete humanbeing then you’re going to be a boring performeror writer. The more you have in yourown bank of experiences and joy and pain,the better an artist you will be.”The Q-Pid Comedy and Dance Extravaganzawas presented by The Student LifeMulticultural Center in partnership withLASER and DISCO.www.quepasa.osu.edu Spring Semester 2013 23