You’ve seen her around town producing “Funny Arabs” and “Traumedy: A Dark Comedy Show” at the D.C. Improv, D.C. Comedy Loft, Miracle Theatre and Kennedy Center.
This Thursday, Rola Z hosts “Funny Arabs: The Traumedy Edition” at Busboys and Poets on 14th Street in Northwest D.C.
“I’m trying to create niche comedy shows where I perform with other comedians,” she told WTOP. “We do a lot of dark comedy or ‘traumedy’ or trauma comedy where it’s cerebral topics about issues that are kind of intense: attempted suicide, war, cancer, displacement, but make it funny. It’s a tall order, but I think we’re doing it well.”
Rola Z will perform alongside Eman Morgan, Mahmoud Jaber, Reem Edan, Zaid Fouzi and more. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the comedy show starts at 7:30 p.m., followed by live Arabic music by Sarney & Band.
“They’re a beautiful, young band with this Lebanese singer and her voice is mesmerizing,” Rola Z said. “The Arab comedians on the show are from different nationalities and different backgrounds, some are Muslim, some are Christian … I have a lot of Jewish friends who come to my shows and support me, so it’s wonderful. … What I’ve tried to do is tell our varying stories just as a way to build bridges and showcase different talent.”
The Lebanese native fled the Lebanon War in 1982 and grew up in Greece before moving to Montreal and eventually D.C. She said she entered comedy to grapple with the collapse of both her marriage and her finances.
“It’s catharsis,” Rola Z said. “We all need to let it all out and scream. At the beginning of every one of my ‘Traumedy’ shows, I say, ‘Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, I’m sure you’ve been through pain, let’s inhale and scream together.’ … Laughter is not only the best medicine, but it’s actually necessary to moving on and processing pain. There’s so much you cannot change, but if you can find light and levity in a horrible situation, you’re winning.”
She said the audience response has been one of gratitude.
“It really elicits intense responses,” Rola Z said. “This woman came up to me after the show and she said, ‘I lost members of my family in the explosion in Beirut and I haven’t laughed in two years. Thank you so much.’ … One woman said she lost both her parents during COVID; we kind of spun it and found some kind of humor. … One lady came up to me and said, ‘My husband beat cancer during COVID and your show is where we laughed about it.'”
A portion of the proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders.
Listen to our full conversation here.
