XFest Celebrates Gender Minorities in Comedy

By Sheilah Kast,

Published May 31, 2018 at 11:09 AM EDT

The Baltimore Improv Group is trying to change the face of comedy. Literally. Which faces are not seen? Who is not heard? Queer, trans, non-binary, even women often struggle for a place in comedy. BIG’s response is XFest -- four days of performances and workshops that celebrate gender minorities in comedy. We meet festival organizers Julia Hall and Hallie Herz and transgender standup comedian Violet Gray, who talks about how comedy can combat prejudice.

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Sheilah Kast

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.

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Melissa Gerr

Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'

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