Women Who Kick Comedy Butt Press

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With help from her friends and family, local comedy figure Grace White faces cancer with both laughter and tears

By Marc Lutz
Lodi Living Editor Grace White is no stranger to adversity.
As a single mother, she raised her daughter, held down a full-time job as a paralegal and faced all of life's challenges as they came along. After divorce from "What's-his-name," when middle-age approached, she decided she wouldn't go through the typical crisis that most mid-lifers go through. She took a route that eventually made her quite familiar to many residents in Lockeford and Lodi. White became a stand-up comic. Through the ensuing years, White built her routine and reputation telling jokes as "that Old Hippie Chick," and began producing the successful "Women Who Kick Comedy Butt" all-female comedy show. The bookings picked up, including regular stints at Vino Piazza. She told jokes about growing older and her grandson's peeing habits. She was getting busier all the time, which wasn't a problem for a woman whose main priorities are family and work. But the 57-year-old White started having a hard time keeping up with her comic colleagues. Work was becoming more difficult. So she made a point of going to the doctor. Tests were run, and the waiting began. White was in the middle of the grocery store with her grandson when the doctor called her. The diagnosis was lung cancer. A steady climb It was an open mic night at a Nevada City upscale eatery called "Creekside" where White made her stand-up debut. "I went in with my 'jokes,' and I did pretty well considering I didn't know what I was doing," White said. White quickly got over the jitters and was booked for her first real show, though she admits she doesn't quite remember how it happened. She was soon doing regular Friday and Saturday comedy stints with a fellow comedian. From there, she starting bringing the talent together and booking the gigs. The comedy world was not particularly receptive to female comics eight years ago when White entered the business, especially female comics who performed only PG-13 material ("My daughter recently got a tattoo above her butt. She said she wanted it lower. I said, 'don't worry, it will be.'"), but that gave White even more incentive to create a venue that would give her fellow comediennes a steady job. It wasn't uncommon for producers to tell her that they already had a woman on the bill, even though they had five men. "It's hard for a woman to get stage time," White said, "It's especially hard for an older woman to get stage time." With a keen mind for the business-side of comedy, White created and expanded Women Who Kick Comedy Butt into a regularly sought-after show. In 2003, White connected with Karyn Lichtfield, who owns Vino Piazza and Olde Lockeford Winery with husband Don. The comedienne and the winemaker connected, became fast friends, and the show has been regularly sold out ever since. Even though she hails from Colfax — a small, quiet mountain community northeast of Auburn — White calls the wine plaza home for Women Who Kick Comedy Butt. Fans from Lodi, Lockeford and the surrounding areas have claimed White as their own funny girl. Comedian Grace White touches fingers with her granddaughter, Olivia Cook, 2, and they both make the noise "ding" Thursday at White's home in Colfax. White is the producer of "Women Who Kick Comedy Butt" and was recently diagnosed with cancer. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel) Her career accelerated with a recent show sponsored by Nike and an offer for a talk show. It seemed nothing less than a freight train could stop her ... or at least slow her down. 'I couldn't put my mind around it' As a young girl growing up on the beach in San Diego, Grace White would go surfing and skateboarding on boards that she made herself. Hanging out at her aunt and uncle's surf shop, she learned to make boards and she learned the skill of surfing. Years later, as a single mom, White raised her daughter, Alisa Cook, with the same strength and a love for life that Cook mirrors in her own personality. "She was always silly and I would laugh at everything," Cook said at their modestly decorated two-story home, nestled in the hills of Colfax. "Because of her, I was the kid that would laugh at every joke in the movies, even when no one else was laughing." The day White found out that she had cancer during the first week of November, the doctors also told her that she wouldn't be working. "I thought, 'OK, after these couple of shows, I won't work,'" White said. "They said, 'No. No more work.'" Tears began to fill her eyes. "I couldn't put my mind around it because that's the most important thing — my family, my work — in my life." Still, that didn't stop White from doing what she loved. During the night, when everyone else in the house was asleep, she would get up and work, whether on writing or coordinating shows. White would work for hours at night and stay up all day. The lack of rest and a reaction to the narcotic painkillers — morphine and oxycodone — sent her to the emergency room three times throwing up blood. Cook became the disciplinarian and started making sure her mother gets her much-needed sleep. But she's not only the disciplinarian, Cook is also the caretaker, the scheduler, the correspondent. She's helped White in letting friends and family know that White is sick. She's taken her mother to various doctor appointments and she makes sure that she gets her medication. The most recent appointment was a biopsy that would let them know exactly what they were dealing with. The results were less than encouraging. White has stage four non-small cell adenocarcinoma lung cancer. The tumor has metastasized and attached to White's spine, damaging a vertebra. The cancer is inoperable, and White's doctor said the odds of her living longer than a year-and-a-half are not good. "I love my mom," Cook said. "Just the thought of living without her is very difficult." Yet White's irrepressible spirit still shines through. She has opted to go through the most aggressive chemotherapy available. The doctor will keep an eye on how the tumor reacts to the treatment and make sure the tumor doesn't move into other areas of the body. Though treatment won't come without its price. White will deal with sickness from the treatment that can leave cancer patients weak and nauseous among other things. The cost is another factor. White, being a working comic, had no health insurance. "Who knew cancer was so expensive," White joked. Saving Grace To say the stand-up comedy community is close-knit is an understatement. A more accurate term could be welded together. Women involved with White in one way or another, whether through Women Who Kick Comedy Butt, or through various shows are coming to the rescue. Benefit shows for Grace White Grace White's Women Who Kick Comedy Butt Special Benefit Showcase Where: Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Club, 157 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale When: Dec. 19 Information: (408) 739-0921 Vino Piazza Benefit for Grace White Where: Vino Piazza, 12470 Locke Road, Lockeford When: Jan. 19 Information: 727-9770 Pepper Bellys Benefit for Grace White Where: Pepper Bellys Comedy and Variety Theatre, 849 Texas St., Fairfield When: Jan. 24 Information: (707) 422-SHOW Donate online: Grace White MySpace Saving Grace Project Grace Fraga, a Los Angeles-based comedienne is producing benefit comedy shows, with all proceeds going to help pay for White's medical expenses. Fraga originally met White backstage after doing a gig at the Comedy Store in L.A. "She kept saying, 'my name is Grace,'" Fraga said. "And I was like, 'how do you know my name?' It was a classic blonde moment. We hit it off, and a week later she hired me for a gig in Reno." Fraga likens White to a sage, saying that she is always able to dispense the best advice on life, love and career. "One time, Grace (Fraga) asked me if she should work with someone who is a creep and undependable," White said. "I said that that's a hint of who that person is, and dependability is important in this business, so, no, don't work with the person. "Then she asked me about love," White continued. "You're asking me? My record speaks for itself!" Fraga noticed about a month ago that White was coughing, losing weight and not eating. Fraga was concerned, but didn't think it could be anything too serious. Since Fraga lost her father to lung cancer five years ago, she knew she had to do whatever she could and started putting together benefit shows. Gayla Johnson, another L.A.-based comic, says she owes a great deal of her inspiration to White. "She's always, 'can can can.' She's finding a way to realize her dreams," Johnson said. Johnson first met White when White contacted her to do a Women Who Kick Comedy Butt show in Lockeford. After researching the show and talking to other comics about it, she said she had to find out what "Vino Pizza" was first-hand. She agreed to do the show. When the two met, Johnson described White as being bountiful and full of energy, filled with mile-a-minute conversation. Johnson has made it a point to try and perform at as many benefits for White as she can. Web sites have been set up as well to accept donations for White. Though she faces a challenge like none she's faced before, Grace White is determined to fight it and beat it. "There is so much I want to do," White said looking out the window of her mountain home. "I want to go to Paris, sit in a cafe and watch the people there. I want more time with my grandchildren." Contact Marc Lutz at marcl@lodinews.com. ###

About Saving Grace - A Benefit for Grace White Lockeford, CA. – Grace White, well-known comedienne and creator of the Women Who Kick Comedy Butt Tour was recently diagnosed with stage 4, inoperable lung cancer. And, as is the case with most full-time performing artists, she has no insurance to help her cover the astronomical costs of treatment. To help raise money to pay the overwhelming bills, a group of comedy artists from all over California are presenting Saving Grace, a benefit event, on Saturday January 19th at Vino Piazza, at 12470 Locke Rd in Lockeford at 8pm. The event’s headliner is award-winning comedienne, Jackie Kashian, who is known from her numerous appearances on Comedy Central and Last Comic Standing. Also performing will be Karen Rontowski (Comedy Central), Jen Slusser (Outlaugh Festival), Reannie Roads (Punchline), Aundre the Wonder Woman, and host Phil Johnson (Edinburgh Fringe, Improv). There will also be a raffle including great items for comedy fans. Show tickets are just $25 with 100% of the money going to help Grace White pay for her cancer treatments. GRACE WHITE, aka That Old Hippie Chick, is a classic bohemian with a mother who stalks her, a father to whom road rage is an art-form, and a stand-up comedy act like no other. White launched her comedy career at the onset of her "Middle Ages," and has gone on to open for such musical acts as 3 Doors Down, Starship, Edgar Winter, Leon Russell, and Jethro Tull, as well as comedians Kevin Pollack, Jack Mayberry, Rocky LaPorte, and Father Guido Sarducci. Her television credits include appearances on "Good Morning America" and the "Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon," she made her film debut in "The Independent," starring Jerry Stiller and Janeane Garofalo, and she's made thousands of fans laugh in Golden Gate Park from the stage of San Francisco's long-running annual "Comedy Day" celebration. For Immediate Release

Women Who Kick Comedy Butt (WWKCB) is an all-female stand-up comedy show featuring very different comics with very different acts. The brainchild of White, WWKCB was conceived to spotlight funny women. "This is not a girly girl show, Hot Mommies or Women Who Tell Jokes Who Have Bosoms. This is a show boasting talented female comics doing their own act," says White.

Each comic in her own unique way will show how now more than ever, women have come into their own onstage. No longer restricted to voicing vanilla views on love and marriage, these bright women offer more flavors than Baskin-Robbins, and represent all ages, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. They will be telling their tales for all to hear, guaranteeing a laugh-fest you really won't want to miss. This show welcomes everyone to enjoy a great night out with comedy that's power-packed, high-energy and hysterical.

Women Who Kick Comedy Butt has been touring California, Oregon and Nevada for the past year and a half. If a town as a zip code WWKC has been there. Everywhere WWKCB goes they are extremely well-received, consistently selling out shows, many times having to turn people away. The secret to the success of WWKCB is the PG-13 comedy suitable for audience members of all ages.

White states, “After our shows, people were hot for more. I have never seen people so excited after a show. The timing is right; people want to laugh, they want to hear what women are saying and they are tired of getting grossed out by humor that is just TOO much. I believe the audience wants to feel safe, so they won’t be embarrassed or made uncomfortable by the subject matter.”

Comedian and producer White dedicated to providing appropriate comedy for people who want to laugh without risking attack to their sensitivities. This is a show you can attend with your adult children, your mother, and your friends, and it makes for a great date night. No one is going to be shocked by the subject matter, but they will be highly amused.

“Funny is funny, it doesn’t need four-letter words or edgy subject matter to be good,” maintains White. This is not a nursery school show; it is rated like network television’s PG-13 guidelines.

GRACE WHITE, AKA That Old Hippie Chick, is a classic bohemian with a mother who stalks her, a father to whom road rage is an art-form, and a stand-up comedy act like no other. White launched her comedy career at the onset of her "Middle Ages," and has gone on to open for the Jefferson Starship, Edgar Winter, Leon Russell, Father Guido Sarducci, and Kevin Pollak. She made her film debut in "The Independent," starring Jerry Stiller and Janeane Garofalo, and has performed on "Good Morning America" and the "Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon."

White is a symphony of contradictions, a blur of reluctant energy and a compulsive workaholic entrepreneur who stubbornly maintains her title of World's Laziest Woman. She's also a successful single parent (her daughter's never been to jail), and has earned a solid reputation for herding aspiring comedians through their performing puberty. That Old Hippie Chick may not be the last of her tribe, but she is surely one of the most entertaining.

Promotional headshots and bios available by request.

LODI NEWS SENTINEL
SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW
STOCKTON RECORD
SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW, AGAIN
FUNNY BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Woman Who Kicks Comedy Butt
Funny Business Magazine
Pat Katzmann
June 2006 Issue

She may bill herself as That Old Hippie Chick, but she looks more country club than commune. Classy, blonde, and caffeinated, Grace White is in constant movement. A perpetual motion machine, she blazes through North Beach and takes some cell phone calls while giving a walking tour of local landmarks on her way to her favorite spot, Caffe Trieste, for a cappuccino. Even when she’s walking, she’s on the road. It’s no wonder she calls herself “a transient with an act.” She’s no slacker, that’s for sure.

For someone who only started performing stand-up seven years ago at age 49, when she became an empty-nester, White has come a very long way in a short time. She’s opened concerts for 3 Doors Down, Jefferson Starship, and Jethro Tull. She’s shared the stage with Father Guido Sarducci, Kevin Pollak, and Will Durst. She’s performed at Comedy Celebration Day before thousands of Bay Area fans, appeared on The Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon and ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and played a role in “The Independent,” a film starring Jerry Stiller and Janeane Garofalo. Last year, she created a revue called Women Who Kick Comedy Butt (WWKCB), featuring funny females from all over the Bay Area. WWKCB’s proliferation and popularity means White spends more and more time producing the show in comedy clubs, casinos, and wineries all over northern California.

Responding to what she and fellow women comics saw as a need to generate more gigs, since women still aren’t perceived to be as funny as men, White thought a PG-13 showcase with a revolving lineup would be welcome at variety of venues seeking an alternative to lounge singers. She was right. “Because the discrimination that all women experience also predominates in comedy, I find myself even more committed to proactive change rather than just getting pissed off,” says White. “Simply, I am a comedian that wants to perform. Being very scrappy, I have found ways to do just that by working outside the ‘comedy box.’” That’s how her WWKCB brainchild was born, and her persistence is why it’s become a favorite of comedy fans from Larkspur’s Café Theatre to Lockeford’s Vino Piazza.

“I don’t see myself as a female comedy leader, or a prophet, or a smarty pants purporting that I know everything on or off stage. I am old enough to be smarter than that. I see WWKCB as a win, win, win, win, win for myself and other females, no matter what direction it takes. More good female comics (which more stage time produces) means more good comedy shows, which means more for all female comics and more for comedy as a whole. My dream is to have a full-blown concert tour where comics can have their own careers while also participating in WWKCB shows when convenient to them.” Can a network show based on this boomer’s life be far behind?

Life may be a continuous café crawl interrupted by periodic stand-up sets, but always punctuated by punch lines. After a quick breakfast and latte at Oakland’s Coffee Mill, White spies a bookstore across the street that she has to hit. Walking into Walden Pond, she notices a remaindered Ed Rosenthal calendar featuring some pricey California flora. Upon hearing that the marijuana maven was angling to appear on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” she flatly states: “Oprah would never allow that.” Because she’s anti-drug, of course. “No, she’d be afraid of getting the munchies.” And without breaking stride, as the booksellers behind the counter crack up, she hurries to the children’s section, finds a copy of “Curious George and the Dinosaur” for her 4-year-old grandson Brandon, and heads back to the counter where the booksellers are still chuckling. Always leave em laughing.

VALLEJO TIMES HERALD ARTICLE
By Richard Freedman

Photo Stephen Jacobson