Q&A: Evelyn Mok

Bristol’s excellent all-female comedy night What the Frock! returns this Friday March 27, hosted once again by Bristol-raised Jayde Adams (Funny Women winner 2014, London Cabaret Awards winner 2014).

The lineup features stand-up comic, writer, actor, presenter and 2009 Funny Women award-winner London Hughes; character comedian and 2012 FW winner Gabby Best; and Evelyn Mok, a comedian of Swedish and Chinese descent who was named Time Out Comedy’s One to Watch last year.

What do you think your Swedish and Chinese genes have fed into your comedy?
Growing up with two very opposing cultural perspectives, I ended up questioning everything. I would hear one opinion from home and another from school, so in order to figure out what I thought of something, I would question it. That developed a critical thinking. I also never felt like I fitted in anywhere, a feeling often ascribed to comedians: outsiders observing their environment.

And what, in turn, is British life adding into your stand-up style?
I like the way British comedians approach stand-up: wanting to be more than just a club act, to tell a story with an emotional value. It’s a fun challenge to try and write jokes on emotional subjects.

Who and what have influenced you as a comic?
Tina Fey’s 30 Rock is one of my favourite comedy shows. Her take on femininity resonated with me, and has influenced the way I talk about it in my own comedy. Her portrayal of Liz Lemon was one of the first female characters I saw that disregarded the conventional female stereotypes and sitcom tropes.
Andy Kaufman is one of my favourite stand-ups. He had such an originality and commitment to his own comedic point of view, which is rare to see. He challenged audiences, playing with tension and silence, and taking a joke to its logical limit. 

And what sorts of things are feeding into your material currently?
Anything I read that I find peculiar, I will note down and leave it for a little while. If I still find it amusing after a few days, I will try and write it out and test it on stage. 
At the moment I am attempting to write jokes based on my personal emotions and opinions. It’s a challenge, as you need to have a certain distance from a subject to be able to joke about it. 
I find the portrayal of women in media fascinating, and often baffling. I am trying to find a way of speaking about it on stage without it being didactic.

What the Frock! has set out to promote female comedians. From your own experience, is there still much work to do here?
Sexism is an inequality that exists in our society – and the comedy industry, like most others, reflects that. It also reflects the different ways in which we try to deal with it – equal opportunity, open discussion, and at times tokenism. There is still a lot of work to do in this area, and I believe that it is directly linked to how we as a society view women in general. There are people who are working actively towards creating an environment of equal opportunities and respect, but we still need everyone to get on board.

See Evelyn at What the Frock! Friday, March 27, Riproar Comedy, Bristol. For more info and to book tickets, visit http://www.whatthefrockcomedy.co.uk/#!whats-next/cb3i