- November 21, 2024
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Internationally touring stand-up comedian Amber Autry is making her debut in Ocoee Thursday, May 30, at Island Touch Cafe.
The headliner from Nashville, Tennessee has worked with well-known comedians such as Dave Attell, Tim Meadows and Fortune Feimster. In addition, her “Don’t Tell Comedy” special has garnered more than 270,000 views on YouTube, and she is the co-host of the hit podcast “I’m Fine, It’s Fine.”
The Ocoee show will be about 90 minutes long and feature mature content, including explicit language, similar to an R-rated movie.
The show’s lineup also will include Ritu Tirthani, Apollo Comedy Club and Zanies Comedy Night Club, and Shaw Smith, Don’t Tell Comedy and Orlando Improv.
Autry said the Ocoee show will showcase her true talents and sense of humor.
“Usually, when I come to the Orlando area, I’m performing as a person who isn’t afraid of the ocean or Disney adults, but May 30 will be my first time performing my hour in Ocoee,” Autry said. “Truth is, I absolutely love Florida, and I’ve figured out that it’s a gem that the locals are trying to keep a secret. I have been hanging out in the Ocoee Facebook groups, and anytime someone posts that they might move to Ocoee, people respond with, ‘Try Winter Garden instead,’ which gets a ton of laughing reactions. It shows that Ocoee residents have a sense of humor and pride in their town, which lets me know they’ll be a great audience.”
OCOEE OPPORTUNITY
Although Autry loves living in Nashville, she has been to Florida several times for comedy and said locals from the area have been some of her favorite audience members.
“Everyone seems to be a bit happier and laid-back in Florida,” she said. “The venues have a unique island touch to them, and the audiences are genuinely happy to see you there. I love my audiences across the country, but I will say some areas are so saturated with comedy that they aren’t as jazzed about a comedy show as areas that don’t have as much comedy. That’s why I am so excited to perform in Ocoee. I know it is going to be a fun show.”
Autry said every time she has performed in Florida has been a memorable experience, but perhaps one of her favorite comedy memories stems from a show she did a few years ago in Miami.
“I’d say my favorite is hearing stories about the wild Miami audiences prior to performing there and having that reputation in mind when I first hit a mic in Miami,” she said. “I had this idea that they were going to cart me off stage as a group if they didn’t like my set. So, I was amping myself up before hitting the stage. However, they were one of the best audiences I had ever performed for. They were engaged and loud laughers — they loved me. I also loved performing at the beautiful Tampa Funny Bone. It’s like a theater marketed as a club. My top experience would have to be the week I spent doing shows in St. Pete — such a cool town and kind people. I’m looking forward to my time in Ocoee; blowing all these past shows out of the water, of course.”
Surprisingly, one of the things Autry most is looking forward to upon her travels to Ocoee is the health care scene.
“When I Googled, ‘What is Ocoee known for,’ one of the first bullet points was health care,” she said. “As a full-time artist, that is exciting news. So, while I’m in Ocoee, I’ll definitely have to schedule a few doctor’s appointments and see what this stellar health care is all about. I’m also really excited to have the show at a local business like Island Touch Cafe. Having the show at a local spot enriches the experience, because it’s more intimate and supports local business at the same time. And, of course, I may slide over to Winter Garden to settle the Ocoee vs. Winter Garden beef for myself.”
REACHING FOR THE STARS
Autry derives inspiration in her comedy from Jim Carrey and Raven Simone, two comedians she grew up watching. She describes her comedy style as physical, vibrant and joyful.
“I love hearing how the audience describes my comedy after the show,” she said. “I’m always getting, ‘You remind me of my best friend. I have to tell her to come see you.’ Or they will gush about my physical comedy and facial expressions saying they don’t see comedy like mine anymore. I’ve also been getting, ‘Where is your Netflix special?’ It may sound like I’m boasting, but it’s true. I’m a big proponent of not only accepting praise from others but believing those things about yourself, because if you don’t believe in yourself, why do it? In my comedy, I share stories from my own life in a way that makes you feel you’re hanging with your best friend.”
Come August, Autry will headline for the first time in Los Angeles at The Hollywood Improv. Despite her vast experience, she still gets nervous for shows like this.
“This may sound cheesy, but living my dream as a full-time comedian means every day and every show is a major event,” she said. “My lovely boyfriend will tell you that I still get nervous before every show, even if it’s at a local bar, because I care so much about what I do. Of course, I am super excited about headlining in L.A. L.A. is a huge city for comedy. So, this is a major accomplishment.”
This year, Autry has set a goal to get back into acting. She said she still has the same passion for acting as she did when she was in college.
“When I was a kid, that was my dream,” she said. “Actors like Jim Carrey, Raven Simone and shows like ‘All That’ … kept me glued to the TV after school, imagining the day I could make an audience laugh like they did. So, this year I will definitely be acting more. I also have just begun headlining my own shows, and because of this I am gone every weekend. I plan to continue headlining in more cities and building a following. One day, I will be selling out theaters for stand-up. So, this is just the beginning.”
Autry also hopes to one day be in a writer’s room for a show she loves.
“I know those things are happening for me, because I’m meeting the right people who believe in me like I believe in me, and if I desire something I know it desires me back,” she said. “So, there’s nothing stopping it from arriving in my life. I’m truly looking forward to what this year has in store for me.”
