SATURDAY, JUNE 18th @8PM
Tickets will ONLY be on sale at the Community House between 12-4pm on Saturday July 18th (day of the event). Limit 2 per person.
This is a fundraiser for The Okra Project and all monies from ticket sales go directly to The Okra Project.
"It’s been a dream of mine to perform in Fire Island, since the moment I realized such a place existed."
Through her work as a stand-up comedian and on TV, Yashere is subtly helping to change the landscape (and face) of television and perhaps even the American psyche of what defines family. The author of “Cack-handed” (that’s “left-handed” for us non-brits) has been going over details for the release of her book in paperback.
As a writer, executive producer and co-star of the CBS hit sitcom “Bob Hearts Abishola”, Yashere just found out the show has been renewed for a fourth season, which means she’s finding herself swept right back into the writing room with the likes of Chuck Lorre, to help create a show that speaks to love, diversity and growth.
While planning her return to the UK for a series of performances in 2022, Yashere is determined to keep June 18th blocked off the calendar for her show in Cherry Grove in celebration of the Juneteenth weekend, even though it means she has to get on a plane the next day to jet across the pond.
“Funny enough,” Yashere recalls, “when I was still living in England, before I came to America, I was watching a TV show and it was shot in Fire Island, and it looked like a mecca for gay people, and I couldn't wait to get to that place.” Taking a moment to smile, Yashere continues, “So yeah, it’s been a dream of mine to perform in Fire Island, since the moment I realized such a place existed.”
Admittedly Gina Yashere was making a name for herself in England before finding success performing for Americans, but she soon found that her comedy craftwork resonated with US audiences too. A great run-on Last Comic Standing, appearances on Def Comedy Jam, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Daily Show has helped solidify Yashere has a powerful comedic voice. Able to make you laugh, but learn at the same time.
Reflecting on this ability to click with American viewers, Yashere remarks, “My stories are basically about my life and what I’ve experienced and feelings I’ve had while experiencing those things. And yet it might be political, I might talk about racism, I might talk about misogyny, I might talk about homophobia- but - it is all wrapped in a pill of entertainment. When you want people to take medicine, you coat it in sugar so they don’t know they are taking medicine. They’ve been educated while having a laugh, and that’s always been my first port-of-call. Entertainment, and then everything else is just an extra cherry on top.”
This puts Yashere in a unique position of intersectionality, giving her an ability to transcend labels or stereotypes. When you’re of Nigerian heritage, growing up in England, forging a new life in the US, and doing it all as a proud lesbian, you’ve got a pretty wide perspective. “When I first started out in comedy, I never wanted to separate my audience. I wasn’t one of those comedians that only wanted to perform for black people or only perform for gay people. My mission was always to make as many people laugh as possible. For me, that was the recipe for success.” Yashere continues, “So my intersectionality definitely helps, in that I’m able to talk on a range of subjects, about a range of experiences and obviously different ranges of people will be able to relate to what I'm doing. But as I said, at the end of the day, I want to entertain you- and that's always been my job.”
When asked if she prefers a certain kind of audience over another, Yashere is quick to joke, “Literally people who can speak English, because my French is not great and I don’t speak Spanish. People who are facing the right direction, have a sense of humor and are ready to relax and have some fun. Leaving all their prejudices and doubts at the door. I don’t care whether you are black, white, gay, straight, old, young- doesn’t matter.”
This I’ll take any audience mentality is perhaps what makes Gina Yashere’s work so insightful and universally funny. Poking jokes at our differences, in a way that makes us understand how antiquated it is to separate ourselves based on bias, is a skill that Yashere works in any crowd.
Now that she is finally getting to perform in Fire Island on Saturday June 18th at the Cherry Grove Community House and Theater (which has been recognized by the National Register of Historic Places as the longest running LGBTQIA+ theater in the US), that dream of her youth is finally coming true.
Yashere bursts forth a memory, “What’s funny, is that I did actually get to Fire Island when I first came to America. I came over on vacation once to New York with a bunch of friends, around 2007, and we went straight to Fire Island. But we went during the week and there was nothing going on. We were so disappointed. When we arrived there was pretty much nobody there. BUT, the dream persisted, and I did get to come back, during the high season when everything was happening, and it was poppin’, and it WAS the gay center of the universe.”
This time, Yashere won’t just be visiting, she will be welcomed by a town that is unique and queer like nowhere else. “I’ve never performed in a place like Cherry Grove, a city full of LGBTQ peoples- so I’m excited about that,” Yashere explains with giddy excitement,
“I’ve done trips with Olivia, who do vacations for {gay} women, and that experience has always been fun, because you’re surrounded by lesbians, I’m performing for lesbians, so I can do specific material that I only do for my gay audiences. That’s fun, I get to experiment and talk about other stuff that I might not necessarily do if it wasn’t a 100% gay audience. So yeah, I’m looking forward to this show in Cherry Grove.”
This event is a fundraiser for the New York based grassroots organization The Okra Project, that provides support to black trans, non-binary and gender-non-conforming people.
The Arts Project of Cherry Grove and the DEI Committee can’t wait to welcome Gina to Fire Island as our special guest for this wonderful fundraiser. Don’t miss Gina Yashere in Cherry Grove Saturday June 18th, 2022 @ 8pm.
Visit www.cgdei.org for more details.