The all-women comic group Eyes Up Here will host a Galentine's Day showcase, highlighting female comic talent across the Triangle area on Feb. 13th.
The diverse group of women ranges greatly in age and identities. Eyes Up Here is prepared to introduce the audience to the diverse experiences of women often overlooked in the comedy industry.
The goal of the group is to create a space that gives women and gender non-binary people an opportunity to explore their own comedic art. Created by Erin Terry, the group works to give quality stage time to people often excluded by the male-dominated comedy scene.
Galentine's Day is the pseudo-holiday popularized by Amy Poehler's character, Leslie Knope, in the hit sitcom "Parks and Recreation." In the show, Knope creates the holiday to celebrate and emphasize the importance of bonds between women.
"If there's one thing Eyes Up Here is trying to do, it's create ladies that celebrate other ladies in a comedic way," Terry said. "It's just become such a positive place for marginalized voices. Whether they're women or not, we make room."
She emphasized that men are encouraged to come to shows and that the group's intention is to create a space where women can shine, especially because the majority of other comedy clubs in the Triangle scene are dominated by male lineups.
Featuring 10 comics, the showcase is one of Eyes Up Here's biggest endeavors.
"I wanted to give a special lineup which was more ladies," Terry said about the show falling on Galentine's Day. By including more women, the show should be even more engaging to a diverse audience. "(The show is) rapid fire, just a stacked lineup with all different voices and different perspectives."
Virginia Wallace, a comic in the show, said her fellow performers are an all-star group of a lot of funny women.
