ANDERSONVILLE — There's no denying the prominence of funny women in popular culture right now.
There's Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, who parlayed their popular web series into the Comedy Central TV show "Broad City." A charmingly naive Ellie Kemper plays the lead in the Netflix-original show "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." Comedian Amy Schumer puts her subversive humor on display in her Comedy Central show, "Inside Amy Schumer."
Not to mention, Second City natives Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's biographies were both hugely popular. The list goes on and on.
In Chicago, which has a long and storied comedy tradition, funny women even have their own festival: The 4th Annual Chicago Women's Funny Festival kicks off Thursday and runs through June 21 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.
Mina Blooms discusses the evolving nature of women in comedy:
Kris Simmons and Mary Runkle are newcomers to the festival, which will feature 500 female comedians in 83 shows over the course of four days performing everything from stand-up and sketch to burlesque and improv. The festival was founded in 2012.
Both women said they lived a full life before they even considered doing comedy, but now they can't imagine their lives without it.
Simmons, 47, has worked in publishing for 20 years. It wasn't until she took a women-only comedy class about four years ago that she discovered her love of telling jokes on stage.
"I was feeling a giant hole in creative pursuits, just searching for something to do that would liven up my regular normal existence. When I found it, I immediately regretted it that I hadn't been doing it since I was born. It's obviously how I want to spend my time."
While Runkle's origin story is different, the 34-year-old came to the same conclusion.
She "sat on her hands for a long time," thinking about doing stand-up but never taking the stage. But that changed when she briefly thought she was pregnant.
"I've been married since 2009. A baby would have been fine, but I've never wanted a baby. Those three days I was like holy s---, there's a baby coming and now my life is over. I thought: 'I never got to try stand-up!' That's when I got serious."
Runkle, like Simmons, has become very attached to comedy.
"If I would have known that this was something I would be so driven to do I would've started much younger," said Runkle, who recently quit her day job as an office manager for an architectural firm that she held for nine years.
Now both ladies are a part of the Chicago comedy scene, performing at venues across the city a few times a week.
Both said they haven't felt much gender discrimination as female comics in the city.
"I don't think my womanhood affects any part of my comedy other than perhaps my perspective. If you're funny and killing it, you'll get a show. It's never going to be that you'll [get denied] if you're a woman," said Runkle, who lives in Uptown.
Simmons agreed, saying, "My experience has been wonderful as a woman. I can't know what my experience would be as a man, not having the option to try it. I have never felt held back or discriminated against or overlooked or minimized."
"I've done all-women shows, I've done shows where I've been the only woman in the lineup. I truly feel I've been judged by my materials and manners. It helps to be nice. It helps to support other comedians and go to their shows," Simmons added.
Of course, funny women becoming famous helps to inspire other women to take the stage, and opportunities for female comics seem to be expanding.
Both women took classes through Feminine Comique, a women-only comedy class founded by Cameron Esposito, a Chicago native who has seen a lot of success in the comedy world, including a big compliment from Jay Leno on national TV. The stand-up class is now run by Kelsie Huff.
Simmons said she was so terrified to take the stage at the end of her first class that she was ready to quit before the performance.
Runkle said it took performing for six months to get real laughs, not giggles.
Simmons chimed in: "I hate polite giggles."
But they pushed through the nerves, and, with opportunities like Huff's class and the upcoming festival, it seems others will too.
"When Amy [Poehler] and Tina [Fey] would be in woman-only roles ... that still happens. And there are still many more men pursuing comedy than women. However, more women are trying and more women are feeling encouraged," Simmons said.
Kris Simmons will be performing as a host and Mary Runkle will do an 8-minute stand-up routine at the festival.
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