What would compel an economist to change tack and become a stand-up comedian?
Cassie Cao has the answer because she made this unexpected shift. And her answer begins with reassurance that the change was more organic that most of us would assume.
People tend to be surprised that she used to be an economist, but Cao sees the two professions as “very natural extensions” of each other: “In economics, as in comedy, I am primarily an observer of interesting human experiences, and my job is to communicate the ways in which people behave, in order to (hopefully!) give others an appreciation of human experiences beyond their immediate daily spheres.”
Radical though it seems, Cao’s decision to change careers didn’t happen overnight. She had been performing and studying comedy in Toronto for years before the opportunity to do comedy full-time presented itself. So deep was her after-work immersion in comedy that her friends and family were not shocked when she left her day job to pursue comedy full time. “Most people were really impressed that I made the difficult decision to leave behind a stable ‘normal’ job to pursue something that I was passionate about, though it was still a very scary decision (still is now!)” As for Cao’s parents, they are very supportive of her now . . . even though they still do not understand her line of work. Instead, she smiles, “they love to recommend that I become a motivational speaker instead.”
In conversation, Cao’s economics background is undetectable, but her warmth and sense of humour are inescapable. When they spark a compliment, she is winningly gracious – “Oh wow, thank you for saying I am naturally funny!” – but also reflective. She did not consider herself funny “at all” most of her life, nor did others. Shy and anxious as a child, her initial goals for pursuing comedy were simply to gain more confidence and to make friends with funny people she admired. So a small voice continues to wonder whether she has everything she “needs” to be a professional comedian. This fuels ongoing study of her field. While Cao enjoys a lot of female comedians, she tries not to “model” herself after anyone, working hard to try to be as authentic to herself as she can. “The people who inspire me the most are the people creating new and interesting work that has never been done before. That’s what I look up to the most!”
These days, she is giving a lot more thought to the practicalities of building a sustainable freelance business – and trusting herself that she will figure it out. This means reading a lot of books and learning directly from others in the industry. What’s abundantly clear to Cao is that “knowing how to build a business is in many ways much more important than having talent.”
Cao was in the cast of the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival hit Clotheswap, and was readying her own show for this year’s Fringe when it was cancelled due to the COVID – 19 lockdown. The ongoing restrictions of physical distancing mean that any live event or performance is on an indefinite pause . . . so that iconic image of a stand-up comedian performing on stage for an audience seated at cafe tables is for now just a memory or a premonition. Undaunted, Cao has adapted her comedy by performing on several “Zoom comedy shows”. She’s been “really impressed by comedy producers’ ability to adapt and learn so quickly, in light of everything going on in the world.” That said, she doubts that streaming shows will ever replace live stand-up, and “I don’t think this is a bad thing! I just think the two will be different, and art has to be adapted to the format in which it is presented.”
For her, that adaptation is proving both challenging and rewarding. As a performer fuelled by audience reaction, she has found it “really difficult” to continue creating stand-up during the pandemic. So for the time being, she has stopped working on stand-up to focus on creating comedy through social media. “I write jokes on Twitter and create Instagram and YouTube videos. I am experimenting with creating visual comedy in the form of Instagram cartoons and photos. The learning curve of how to adapt my comedy to these online platforms has been steep, but very fun and insightful!”
And what else has been keeping Cao busy in this time of physical distancing? “I am proud to say I have learned no new skills!” she deadpans. “I have not baked a single loaf of bread! I am a big proponent of working hard and hustle culture, but I think this kind of mentality can be harmful during these times.” While she is “very impressed and happy” for those who have been able to find relief in their work and have been inspired to create more than ever, she is just not one of those people. “And I have to say I think that’s just as good. I have spent a lot of time sleeping. I have been doing yoga. I have been moisturizing. I have been cooking healthy breakfasts for myself. I have been calling my mom and kissing my cat a lot.”
In this difficult time, she is grateful for this rest, and (with both dead seriousness and a wink of the eye) sees it as a key part of her process. Like her old economist self discussing fundamentals pointing to an as-yet unseen economic recovery, she explains, “I am really confident that I am cooking up something really good, really fun in my subconscious right now . . . even though I don’t know what it is.”
For those who don’t yet know what the comedy of Cassie Cao (often political, usually caustic, and sometimes with her cat Penny) is, I encourage you to find her on any of her social-media platforms @thecassiecao, and treat yourself.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2020
