SANTA CRUZ — For 45 years, Paula Poundstone has done it all, from voice acting to National Public Radio appearances to hosting her own podcast. However, her main calling has long been in stand-up comedy, and she is currently on tour throughout the country with a stop at the Rio Theatre on June 15. Poundstone is thrilled to be back on the road after live performances were canceled during the COVID-19 shutdowns.
“I’m open to the suggestion that I may have whined about travel before COVID,” she said. “(After that) I wasn’t able to work for 15 months. Man, you could put me in the overhead compartment now! I don’t care.
Travel is a slight inconvenience as opposed to not being able to be with audiences.” In fact, Poundstone learned how much the experience of seeing something live — whether a stand-up comedy set, movie, stage show or concert — is a communal experience. “Your reaction to what you’re seeing is both influenced and reinforced by the people around you,” she said.
“I think it makes us feel more human to know ‘Oh, I’m not the only one that feels that way! I’m not the only one who reacts that way!'” Poundstone began her career doing open-mic nights at various venues throughout America starting in 1979. One of the fans in attendance during one of her shows in San Francisco was Robin Williams who invited her to perform when he hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 1984, one of the few times a non-host has delivered a stand-up comedy set on th.
