comedy saved my life
Gill Sherry
Plenty of comedians have made a living from dark humour but few, I suspect, have experienced the darkness for themselves. Unlike Jojo Sutherland who has dealt with more than her fair share of tragedy and grief.
If you’ve listened to Riches to Rags on BBC Radio 4, you’ll be familiar with Jojo’s story. However, if you’re not yet familiar with the show…
“You have to listen to it to hear the mouth-drop moment, but my son got into a situation. Also, my life growing up was very different. I grew up in a castle in Dunkeld in the aristocracy, but my dad got cut out of the will and we literally moved overnight from a castle to a caravan. Then I got divorced… he was an alcoholic, and he beat the st out of me.” To be honest, I can’t imagine laughing about any of those things, but Jojo insists that the only way to deal with it, is to laugh about it. “That’s what people don’t appreciate about comedy. It you think about it, you’ve got to have some relief, because sometimes life is st. I make really dark jokes, but they make me feel better. That’s exactly the case in point, and how I processed what was a terrible time in my life. It was just so ridiculous, so I decided to write about it. It was cathartic but it was also a bombshell story.”
She uses her mother’s funeral as another example of the power of comedy and the relief it provides.
“At my mum’s funeral, I was sobbing and desperately sad that she’d died, but I was also surrounded by all the people who loved her. They were reminiscing and telling funny stories. That’s essentially what we’re doing with stand-up comedy. It’s the same, we’re just doing it with strangers. And we all need that release.”
So, at what point in her life did Jojo discover the healing qualities of comedy?
“Well, I had a brain haemorrhage.”
I’m stunned into silence by this declaration. Jojo, on the other hand, is laughing. Proof, should we need it, that laughter is indeed the best medicine.
“I trained to be an actor when I came out of school,” she continues, “and did a few jobs here and there.
But then my mum got ill so I gave up acting to help look after her, and life just got in the way. I got married and had kids and the opportunity to pursue acting didn’t continue, so I worked in pubs and restaurants and did a bit of taxi driving. I was 34 when I had a brain haemorrhage.”
She’d recently made a tentative return to acting by taking part in an amateur dramatics production when tragedy struck.
“I had a brain haemorrhage when I was on stage. We had to stop the show and everything!”
Even this is said with a hint of humour, although, she does acknowledge she was incredibly lucky to survive and recover.
“You realise what’s important. Essentially, you reprioritise and don’t sweat the small stuff. At the time, I’d split up from my first husband, I was a single parent, and I was on income support. It was a bit Groundhog Day!”
Having had a small taste of what it felt like to be back on stage, she was determined to get back into acting and applied for a comedy course at Strathclyde University.
“Comedy is really revered by actors as an art form because most people think they can’t do it – and most people can’t as it turns out! So I did the comedy course and at the end of it you get this five minute spot… and I just fell in love with it. I did it solely because I thought it would look good on my acting CV. It was a means to an end, and it’s never ended!”
Now respected as an actor, writer and comedian, it’s the comedy aspect that she enjoys the most.
“Acting is a team thing. You’ve got directors, other actors… but on stage, you’re completely responsible for yourself. You go on stage on your own, just you and a microphone in the spotlight in a room full of strangers, and it’s an absolute buzz. And you’ve written it, it’s your own material… it’s the most thrilling feeling.”
Unfortunately, whilst comedy is revered by others an art form, it’s still not officially recognised as such.
“It’s never had any of the funding opportunities and government support that all other creative art forms are given, which is a shame.”
In spite of that, 25 years after her very first stand-up performance, she’s still making people laugh, and she’ll be doing just that at The Gaiety Theatre in Ayr on 6th September as part of A Scottish Comedy Collective with Mark Nelson, Cubby, and Graham Mackie.
“It’s basically Scottish comedians on tour, which is a brilliant idea. We’re all mates and we’ve known each other a long time… and we complement each other. It’s a very varied and fun night out. And everyone needs a laugh!”
Including Jojo herself, apparently.
“It’s where I go to relax. It sounds a bit dramatic, but comedy saved my life, it really did. On stage is where I make people laugh, which makes me feel better and makes other people feel better.”
To further demonstrate the point, she’s taking part in COMEdians vs HOMElessness, the world’s first comedy-on-prescription global event which harnesses the power of comedy to tackle homelessness.
Taking place on 8th October in various cities around the world, it aims to empower people through joy, shared experience, and positive interaction. I can’t think of anyone better placed to do just that.
Tickets for A Scottish Comedy Collective are available from www.thegaiety.co.uk/events/a-scottish-comedy-collective/
“Just forget all your troubles for a night,” urges Jojo, “and come and have a laugh!”
Sounds like a plan!
