Today we’d like to introduce you to Lilliana Winkworth.
Hi Lilliana, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My friend and I, both born and raised in Los Angeles, have a joke that there are only two types of kids that grow up in LA: absurdly confident or incredibly insecure. I’m the latter. I’ve always loved performing – even did Into The Woods Jr. three times, thank you very much, but my insecurity and depression were super overwhelming. I needed some kind of outlet for my anxiety. Things clicked for me artistically when I started doing comedy in college. This led to 6 years in Chicago touring with The Second City and landed me back here, in my hometown, performing at UCB and hosting my own show in the basement of a wine bar. Through comedy, I share my deepest insecurities onstage and gain a sense of community. We’re all insecure weirdos. My show, Sad Funny, is a space for people to come and share their sadness through comedy and feel a little less alone in this big city.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not super smooth, but luckily I have therapy! Growing up, I struggled with validation, codependence, and overall just being present and chill. And I still very much struggle with these things. The humor isn’t lost on me that as a person that struggles with validation, I chose a career where my success is based on the approval of others. But every time I feel like giving up and moving to the mountains (or wherever cool kids are going these days), I experience a moment of connection that reminds me why I’m doing this. Someone shares with me how much they related to my story about anxiety or I get a chance to collaborate with someone who has struggled the same way I have. Comedy is the way I express myself to the world and to the people around me, and I wouldn’t be who I am without it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Currently, I perform on a Harold Team at UCB and host the monthly show “Sad Funny” at Oeno Vino Wine Bar. Me and my co-host, Maggie Cannan, curate a lineup of storytellers and comedians to share moments that once were sad they now see as funny. It’s been such a great safe space for both the performers and the audience to laugh, cry, and be human. I also created the web series “Kill Me” which follows an actor who specializes in playing dead bodies on TV procedurals and it’s my favorite creative and weirdest project to date.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was the weirdo kid doing ballet alone at the other end of the pool. What I lacked in real-life friends I made up for in imagination. The things me and my beanie babies would get up to would scandalize you. Just kidding, we mostly just recreated West Side Story over and over again. The poodle was Maria.
Pricing:
- Sad Funny Show: Tickets are free!
Contact Info:
- Website: lillianawinkworth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillwink/
Image Credits
Zack Arch
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