Tig Notaro started doing comedy about 25 years ago and says that, within a year, she knew stand-up could be a full-time career for her.
“I did many different things: working in restaurants, working in childcare, I worked in the music business. But stand-up was always my secret hope and desire. I kind of didn't think I would actually get lucky enough to do it,” says Notaro in an interview with Pittsburgh City Paper.
Now a bold voice on stage, in film, and on television, Notaro will bring her latest tour Hello Again to the Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall on Tue., Jan. 11.
Notaro says she’s excited to get back on the road and test out new material that she’s been working on since before the pandemic hit.
On top of having stand-up as an outlet, Notaro has also acted in and written a number of projects, some of which allow audiences into her personal life. Her show, One Mississippi, was a semi-autobiographical comedic television series that ran for two seasons starring Notaro and her wife, Stephanie Allynne. The intimate 2015 documentary Tig followed the comic's journey following a 2012 breast diagnosis, which resulted in her undergoing a double mastectomy.
Notaro and Allynne will soon see the premiere of their latest film Am I Ok? at the Sundance Film Festival.
“I feel so lucky to be able to do so many projects together. We write together, we create together, we produce together," says Notaro. "Some people think it would be hard or that they couldn't do that with their spouse, but Stephanie and I, we absolutely love it. Whenever we have the chance we choose to work together."
As far as this new tour goes, Notaro says many of the jokes were written pre-pandemic, and the coronavirus outbreak postponed her tour until this year. She says she’s only performed four or five times over the last two years, so getting to do a full tour is a welcome change.
If you’re expecting jokes about the pandemic, you may want to look elsewhere. Notaro says much of what she’s written about for this show has to do with personal things like marriage, having kids, and health issues.
“A lot of nonsense,” she says, adding, “I’m trying to get myself back out into the world. I think that it's really just a tour to get this new material out there, potentially film a new special, see old towns and cities, and friends, and family. Just that feeling of life hopefully returning to some version of something.”
If you want to hear more of Notaro’s work before or after the show, check out Tig and the comedy special Happy To Be Here on Netflix. Notaro also has two podcasts you can listen to: Don’t Ask Tig, a podcast that features Notaro and a new celebrity guest answering listener questions each week, and Tig and Cheryl: True Story, a comedic documentary podcast.
Tig Notaro Hello Again. 7 p.m. Tue., Jan. 11. Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall. 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. $35-49.50. tignation.com
Tig Notaro brings Hello Again tour to Pittsburgh, but don't expect pandemic jokes
