Daily Inspiration: Meet Vivian Burgett

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Burgett.

Hi Vivian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve wanted to do standup since I was a teenager, but could never work up the courage. The way I see it, there were three factors in me finally trying out comedy for the first time when I was 29–1) I started hosting trivia (which is a pretty easy gateway to standup because you get used to talking in front of groups of strangers). 2) The pandemic hit and I started writing down funny thoughts more and more and then sending voice recordings to friends (since none of us had anything else going on ). And 3) I was 29 with a job I hated and no partner; I had literally nothing to lose.

I do think there is something especially motivating about having nothing to lose in life. Sure, it isn’t the ideal situation for anyone, but it empowers you to try new things in ways you’d otherwise be afraid to. I got hooked on comedy pretty early because I didn’t have too much else going on and all the practice I put in helped me move up relatively quickly.

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?
Ha, is it ever a smooth road? I’d hazard to say there are always obstacles when you’re a woman in male-dominated industry. And I don’t just mean the harassment–one thing a lot of people don’t think about is that most of the comedy bookers in Michigan comedy are men who may not get more female-oriented material or may have material that they think is just fine but most women recognize immediately as sexist and degrading or just generally off-putting for women. It makes it hard for women to excel.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a standup comedian. The accomplishment I’m most proud of was starting a comedy show for all female and trans performers to try to encourage more non cis men to try it out in a space that would appreciate material centered around female and/or trans experiences. I’m very proud of it personally too because I think it’s the first time in my life that I witnessed a social problem (women feeling discriminated against at mics) and actually took steps to improve the situation. And it worked! It’s proven to be a great opportunity for women to perform material that wouldn’t do well at predominantly male open mics but does work on normal audiences which are typically at least 50% female. It’s also a great networking opportunity for veteran femme and them comics to meet newer femme and them comics on the scene that they otherwise may not meet.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Oh, I was a huge nerd. I’m an only child so I grew up with lots of alone time which I filled with reading and watching TV, I think it took me a long time to get the hang of socializing with other kids. I was also one of those so-called “gifted kids” because I retained all those things I read with an almost encyclopedic memory. Growing up, I don’t think anyone ever expected that I would become a comedian, but then again, I wonder if that would be said for most female comedians because we so often associate standup comedy with men…

Either way, I knew I was funny–all that television at a young age hadn’t gone to waste and I had a pretty good understanding of what made something funny. I wrote a lot and there are things I wrote when I was in middle school and high school that stand up as hilarious to this day–I just never thought I’d have the courage to perform comedy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: vivianburgettcomedy
• Tiktok: vivianburgett

Image Credits
Libby O Photography. Julianna Loera Wiggins.