On Nov. 15, University of Missouri alumna and comedian Katie Novotny filmed her first special at the Flyover Comedy Festival in St. Louis. Titled “Son of Your Dreams,” the half-hour act covers her very Catholic and Midwestern upbringing. She unpacks everything from her relationship with her dad to the religious guilt she feels for no reason.
Novotny began her career at the Missouri School of Journalism, but soon switched to advertising and graduated in 2011. After moving to Denver to work at an advertising agency, she found her calling in improv classes. There, Novotny gained indispensable skills for her work life, like the ability to think on her feet and command a room. As her work and presentation skills improved immensely, her job even ended up paying for her classes
“I feel like I have such a stronger sense of self and what I will put up with and what I won’t because of stand-up,” Novotny said. “Improv helped me take my training wheels off and stand-up made me run, you know, because you’re forced to be yourself on stage from second one.”
A few years later, Novotny moved back to Chicago and continued doing improv and sketches at theatres like Second City and iO Theater. These famous improv stages fostered her self-confidence to stand firmly in her convictions.
Novotny is a self-described Midwest tomboy. Growing up in Illinois, her father raised her and her sister as boys, despite her also having a brother. Her father, a recurring presence in the comedy special material, taught her many things, like how to hang a photo and throw a football. Novotny joked that “a lot of men get me because I am half-man.”
Her father also raised her Catholic, which is another recurring theme of her special. St. Louis, much like Chicago, has a prominent Catholic population, so many people in the audience may relate to her special. Catholic guilt is a constant theme in Novotny’s acts. Catholicism emphasises the importance of repentance and morality because of original sin, and that humanity must all work to receive salvation. These notions may lead some people, like Novotny, to have anxiety around their daily lives and things that might be seen as sinful — especially with romantic relationships.
“You’re not allowed to do this and it kind of feeds itself and the whole 30 minutes (of the special) is kind of like the real reason I’m single,” Novotny said.
Novotny uses this shame and guilt to connect with her audience and make it something to laugh about. Her 2015 web series, “Guilty,” explores what it is like to be a young Catholic Midwestern woman. The constant feeling of embarrassment and shame among young Catholics, especially women, is central to the show. However, it is also obvious she loves the Midwest.
After moving to Los Angeles from Chicago, Novotny struggled with the bubble that the city created.
“It kind of stunts your growth a bit sometimes because when you grow up in a place where people are going to have different opinions, you learn how to talk to them,” Novotny said.
In the Midwest, there are people from all walks of life. Listening and understanding that everyone has wrong opinions is something Novotny emphasises. She jokes that her father gets his information from Fox News, but she gets hers from Instagram. Novotny knows how to strike the right balance of humor and relatability through her work.
Journalism students know this all too well, but Novotny also mentions how having a job that funds your creative endeavors is crucial to a thriving career. She mentions how students at Mizzou are always project managing. They’re juggling classes, clubs, jobs and more. If you want to be a writer, comedian or musician, it’s never too late.
“You could just use your day job to fund the things that make you the happiest, whether it’s putting on your own community theatre play or making a short film, or paying for open mics and paying for getting on the road to gigs that pay you,” Novotny said.
The idea of the starving artist is unsustainable. Novotny has lived all over the country, but she still came back to the Midwest. This is where her comedy is rooted and where she has cultivated an audience.
“Five years ago, I didn’t think I’d be filming a special,” Novotny said. “I didn’t have an agent, I had never auditioned for a commercial. I have now booked six national commercials. I have two agents. I never thought that was possible.”
Novotny’s “Son Of Your Dreams” at the Flyover Comedy Festival sold out, but you can still watch her special on Rhizome Comedy’s YouTube channel.
