We’re doing an AMA on Reddit to answer questions about Funnies for Families and spread the word about our FunniesTV Kickstarter.

Check it out now and ask a question! We’ll update this post later with the questions and answers.

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Reddit AMA Questions & Answers

Q: I’m sure you folks see a lot of awful situations. Has there even been a time that no matter what you do you just couldn’t lift the spirits of someone. How did you handle it?

A: There have been many times that we couldn’t lift someone’s spirits or make them laugh… but in those times we remind ourselves we aren’t just a comedy show. We’re also a break for the whole family to stop thinking about treatment for a few minutes. I like to think that even if people aren’t laughing, they are still focusing on something else and getting some respite.

Also, sometimes we might just be a distraction that gives parents who are stressed beyond belief a minute to sit down. Most of the time parents are laughing along, but sometimes they are literally resting their eyes in the back.

Q: What has been one of the most rewarding moments of doing what you do? Do you have any heartwarming stories?

A: We are very lucky to experience heartwarming stories and rewarding moments every week!

There was a show recently at a palliative care hospice where we invited a kiddo to play a game with us – Pillars. In that game, the comedians do a scene and point to the audience volunteer to finish their sentences.

This young person had a delay due to their affliction, but played the game so well and got big laughs from their responses.

There was a really sweet moment where they weren’t ready for the next prompt because they were looking around taking in the laughs they were getting.

Q: Have any of you been changed, in any way, by this work? Either your comedy, or personally?

A: Yes, definitely. A big struggle is compassion or empathy fatigue. Basically that means ordinary things that we would normally need to care about – a deadline at our day job or a friend telling us about an argument with their roommate – become very difficult to care about when compared with the realities we face at our shows.

We have taken courses and met with professionals to combat that and we also share those resources with our comedian volunteers.

Q: I run a toddler group with lots of families. What advice would you give that could make someones day?

A: Compliments! Especially about ideas and efforts.

Compliments to kids about their ideas. Compliments to parents about their kid’s imagination or efforts that day.

Everyone has something they’re trying to be good at or recognized for. Parents and kids feel special when that someone notices that thing and calls it out.

Q: What inspired you to do what you do? Was there an event in your lives that made you want to do this?

A: We had a family member stay at Ronald McDonald House during a hospital stay. That stay drove us to want to volunteer there and use the skills we had learned at Second City to do something unique.

We reached out and started a monthly show at that location, which evolved into a twice-monthly show, then a weekly show, then expanded to other care centres and hospitals.

Q: How heartbreaking is it to see all those sick children?

A: It can be extremely heartbreaking, but we also get to share in some very powerful moments of happiness and laughter that seem impossible.

These circumstances can also bring out the best in people, and we see families deeply caring for each other. Parents to children, sibling to sibling, extended family. That’s encouraging and heartwarming.

I’ll add that we do our best to aid the mental health of our comedian volunteers. Every show begins in a brief where we talk about our day and our headspace, and ends with a debrief where we talk about the show, the audience and how we’re feeling.

9.9 times out of 10 its just an ordinary conversation, but sometimes its all tears.

Q: What is the most memorable feedback you’ve ever received from a sick kid or from a sick kid’s family?

A: I immediately think of one testimonial we got from a Mom.

“What you do for all the families is so important. You brighten up our darkest days. And even long after the family has gone, you remain in our memory, sometimes as the only happy one we can recall throughout the hard ones.”

And I think any time we see kids and families and they quote something from a past show from weeks before – that’s also the most memorable and wonderful feedback we could ask for.

Q: How big is this organization? And do you plan on expanding this internationally?

A: Right now it is small but we are trying our best to grow it! It’s our dream to expand to as many places as there are families going through these experiences.

Right now we have about 100 volunteer comedians. Everyone fills out their availability at the start of the month and does 1 or 2 shows!

Q: How do you come up with your material? Is it catered to the individual or is this group sessions you do?

A: It’s short form improv like Who’s Line Is It Anyway, so the material is made up on the spot and different every time. Our 100+ comedian volunteers all have great improv training from comedy theatres like Second City and UCB.

We do go over the current situation with the staff at each facility before every show to know what’s going on and what we should avoid.

We also cater the shows to the facility. For example, at a homeless youth shelter we perform at, the shows are more “PG-13”, but we don’t call ourselves Funnies for Families because the word family might be a trigger.

Q: Do y’all ever incorporate the audience into the show?

A: Yes! Every show!

There are many great improv games that incorporate the audience. For example, a favorite of ours is “Sound Effects”, where we improvise a scene and an audience member does all the sound effects with a microphone. Always a hit.

We accommodate the audience participation based on the facility we’re at. We may adjust games to make sure we are not violating infection control with unnecessary contact, for instance.

Finally, improv is very audience-based by nature. We ask for a suggestion from the audience for every game we play to get us started – like “what’s an occupation” or “how do these two know each other” or “what’s something they could be celebrating”.

Q: Do you ever feel insecure about how funny you are? If so, how do you deal with insecurity?

A: I think anyone in a comedy profession has times of insecurity, especially after a show that doesn’t hit as hard.

In our experience, the only way to deal with that insecurity is to just keep doing it! Luckily we have enough Funnies shows every week that if we feel like a show wasn’t our best, we don’t have time to sit in that insecurity… we have to do the next show!

Q: Most unforgettable moment?

A: This isn’t as endearing or heartwarming as it could be, but in all 6 years of Funnies for Families, only one swear word has accidentally slipped through.

I have never forgot the look of sheer terror in that volunteer comedian’s face.

Q: I did some volunteer work for work at the hospital [and the] shocking part was how much we had to wash hands, change aprons, gloves, etc. have you experienced anything [like that]?

A: Yes. We wash our hands 1000x times a day. In fact, we started using heavy duty lotion to keep them from getting chapped!

Infection control is no joke, and it’s so easy to transfer germs to these vulnerable populations. We also have a very strict policy about doing shows when you’re feeling unwell. If our volunteers have a sniffle, they can’t come! Better to have fewer comedians on the show than spread an illness.

Q: What’s the secret to avoid being cringey?

A: Honestly, it is a little bit cringey. Cringey is subjective though, and we what or the other comedians volunteering find cringey isn’t necessarily what the kids will. As long as we’re fully committed and not doing anything halfway, it will work, despite how cringey it potentially be.

Also, we try to play to the whole family. There are lots of jokes that are just for kids, but then other references and winks that are just funny to parents (and the kids don’t get them anyway).

That helps keep it for everyone and not an overly sugary or cringe.

One time a kid gave us the suggestion “dabbing” when we asked for “an activity two people could be doing” for a game. In hindsight that scene was probably cringey.

Q: Have you guys ever accidentally triggered someone in a bad way? What might a performer try to do to help in this situation and still keep face for everyone else?

A: I can’t think of a time when we have triggered someone in a bad way. I can think of many times when a performer said something that they thought might trigger someone.

For example, someone might accidentally say “I wish I was dead” (not a real example) while improvising, and then suddenly realize what they’ve said.

Improv is about trusting your fellow performers, and in these cases it is up to everyone else to continue the scene and not draw attention to the freeze up. And most of the time the faux pas is only in the performers head.

Q: How can you remain cheerful in such sad environment? Do you try to distance yourselves from the kids emotionally or some particular coping mechanism?

A: We took several courses on boundaries. Some were required by the facilities we go to.

We try our best to keep a performer – audience distance. Frankly thought it’s almost impossible to be 100% disconnected, especially when we frequently return to the same facility and see the same audience members each week.

We have made great little friends and had our hearts broken. Something that keeps us grounded though is to remind ourselves that we are bearing witness to these tragedies, not being part of them. Our grief can’t possibly come close to what those siblings and parents feel. It’s our calling to try to give a bit of relief to them, not insert ourselves into their story.