Jiavani on improv comedy: 'I don’t know how I would find my people without it'
As a headline act at this year’s Edinburgh International Improvisers Festival, Jiavani is an experienced adlibber who trusts in the process and lives in the moment. She tells Rachel Morrell that at events such as these, gravitating towards fellow weirdos is a major part of the fun
A regular in the cobbled streets of Edinburgh’s comedy scene, Jiavani has a sparkling resumé to match her personality. Appearing in hits such as TV’s Dead To Me and Between Two Ferns: The Movie, this LA-based comic and drag king has never been confined to the camera lens, describing a formative love of stage performance. ‘I did my first play when I was ten. It was a really big production of a Jesus Of Nazareth play in this 2000-seat amphitheatre in the Pacific Northwest. I was one of the kids that ran behind the flock of sheep and I thought that was the most special, amazing thing. I always wanted to act after that. It was fun to find improv in junior high, and then to keep doing it in high school and as an adult; it’s the thing that I never wanted to stop doing.’
Jiavani is a dab hand at making quick wit look easy in streaming shows such as Very Important People and Make Some Noise, capturing moments that tap into the current comedy and social climate. ‘I went into my first drag king appearance with an idea of my aesthetic, which was going to be Motown suave, old-fashioned, smooth. When I stepped on stage, something came over me. As a woman, I often feel kind of imprisoned by making other people feel comfortable. But as a drag king, that requirement was lifted. It felt like I was allowed to be angry. I did throw an octopus at the judges and people freaked out. But I was like, yeah, good. It gave me an opportunity to channel an emotion I really need to access.’
Jiavani believes that this ability to use intuitive reactions is a key ingredient in good improvisation. With more experienced improvisers, she feels it’s about being in the moment and trusting that it will still be funny. ‘There’s even more gravitas to the comedy because you’re allowing truth to exist in it. I did a show in San Francisco where my scene partner, who I’ve performed with for maybe ten years, came on and was like “hey, this is my girlfriend” and I went “we don’t have labels!” just because I didn’t feel a romantic connection between our characters. Now, if you’re starting improv, there are rules like “don’t deny” and “say yes”. But at this point, I can make choices that break those rules. I can shut it down and then razz him a little about how we’re homies, how he’s blowing it out of proportion and get a big laugh from the audience. I wasn’t trying to get a laugh, I was only behaving authentically.’
Taking the stage at Edinburgh International Improvisers Festival this year, after sold-out runs of Fringe favourites Baby Wants Candy and Shamilton, it seems that this genuine connection is something Jiavani will continue to find on and off stage.
‘I love Edinburgh; it’s just such an enchanting and welcoming city. There were times where I would improvise a song and then later I would hear people singing the chorus on the sidewalk with their friends. That blew me away. I never thought that was something I would experience because when you’re caught in the moment you don’t remember the songs you’re making up on the spot.’
Appearing as a headliner as well as in workshops at Monkey Barrel across the course of the festival, Jiavani hopes to find connection through laughter. ‘It’s a time of friendship and different types of comedy. I am a very community-minded person, so I love the collaboration. It’s a way to express myself but also to find fellow weirdos through people’s art. I get to experience their humour and see how it mixes with mine. I don’t know how I would find my people without it.’
Jiavani appears at Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, in Tongue & Groove on Saturday 7 March and in The Final Beat on Sunday 8 March; both events are part of Edinburgh International Improvisers Festival which runs from Thursday 5–Sunday 8 March.