Wisconsin Life

Comedy can be a risky business. God, I shudder to think.

laughs

Originally from Texas, Dina Nina Martinez, along with her dog Gertie, arrived in Madison via Los Angeles. Trailblazer, one might say. Wisconsin being more rural, as a whole, it's different.

affectionately

I love your nugget face! And Wisconsin has given Dina lots of fodder to be funny. Please make some noise for my friend Dina Nina Martinez!

audience cheers

I'm plus-size. I guess I'm normal-sized in Wisconsin, but..."

laughter

People are like, "I just hate it when you talk so badly about yourself." For me, it's taught me more about myself and taught me how to love myself more. And what I've found when I moved to Madison Wisconsin, was so much love, so much acceptance. And then it's taught me the power of humor, and lots of food. I tell people if you're moving to Wisconsin, forget the freshman 15, it's the Wisconsin 45. It's just a story.

Angela

Getting up on stage gave Dina confidence to lay her life story bare. To be judged, to be laughed at, and laughed with. I grew up in a small town in Texas and was always arty, never fit in. Storytelling for me is a space where you're able to be a lot more vulnerable and real. And still be funny, and I talk about my dad, his passing, and our relationship. We go through a heartache and tragedy, and then there's gotta be some levity at some point that changes it and gives you a different momentum. My cousins were all, "Dina you're purdy an' all, but even after the surgery, you're not gonna be a real woman."

Audience

Aww.

Dina

I know.

Angela

Comedy became therapy for what Dina has been through in life. When I first started it was scary. I almost didn't talk about the trans experience, because I had so many people be like, "What? I'm confused." As a trans person, it's important for me to be visible and open. I wasn't born in the wrong body, I was just born to become something greater, or something different or someone new.

audience laughs

Angela

I date a lot of millennials is what I'm saying.

audience laughs

Angela

Which makes me a cougar.

rawr, rawr, rawr!

Angela

You know, like, yeah! Nobody has anything to put on me, I've already put it out there, so it's power. That power propelled Dina to take her career and her life in a new direction. There was a point where I just realized that I wasn't a showgirl, and realized that I essentially, I want to be a soccer mom. And so, when I moved to the Midwest, I didn't know what to expect. And I live in Madison, so I'm composting. Being in Wisconsin is just so fun and weird, and I've experienced a warmth from the people that I didn't expect, and acceptance from the people that I didn't expect. And I found this camaraderie with women in the Midwest that I'd never experienced before. I know, you looked at me and you were like, "She looks like she... "...watches a lot of makeup tutorials,

audience laughs

Angela

and eats a lot of pizza."

audience laughs

Angela

Humor is what gets Dina noticed. Her message is what resonates with women. My issues with my body are just like any other woman, like, we tend to not like our inner thighs. I feel like my inner thighs are like two kids on a long road trip, you know?

laughter

Angela

"Mom, she's touching me",

laughter

Angela

"Stay on your side!" "She's touching me!"

laughter

Angela

Sometimes her humor is about motivating others. I am an entrepreneur. I am the founder of Lady Laughs Comedy and Artemis Bow Productions. Be powerful funny women in the world because it needs you to be that person. You're doing the right thing! Dina takes her voice seriously. To her, it's no joke. The times that we live in are so sensitive, and it's so important for me to be kind, loving, and accepting. There's a responsibility in what I do. There's that voice inside of you that's like, "You don't belong here. You don't know what you're doing." I want to be appropriate, and I want to be empowering of all women. Who hears that every day? Right?

Her underlying message

Never give up! Do you know how many people have told me, "I'm never gonna make it in the industry? "I'm too old, I'm too fat, I'm too trans, I'm not trans enough."

Angela

By not giving up, she's been named one of the hottest queer women in comedy, and Dina, the actress, has been cast in her first major motion picture. Oh, God, so I'm gonna be in a movie called "Two Men and a Pig." Gonna have Dermot Mulroney from "My Best Friend's Wedding."

in a sly voice

Angela

I get to make out with him! It's so exciting!

"Heh, ha"

Angela

That's all. In the spotlight, Dina has found her voice, in what she describes as an amazing journey. Just being a person is hard, being a queer person is even harder. Especially if anyone's struggling with gender identity, like, I want you to know that it's possible to have a complete and amazing full life. I like myself, I think, for the first time in......my life. Live your truth as best as you can, and as hard as you can, and as soon as you can. Thank you, guys, I'm Dina Nina Martinez.

audience cheers