Here at Comedy Wham, we’ve told many iterations of the same shared tale: A lost and wandering soul discovers comedy and, like Rapunzel croons in Tangled, “At last [they] see the light / And it’s like a fog has lifted.” Or, if Disney’s not your thing, the soul escapes the allegorical cave of unfunniness and becomes enlightened, à la Plato. After that, they pour their everything into stand-up and never look back. This is not one of those stories. See, when you’re as multitalented as Roxy Castillo, comedy in itself just ain’t enough to hold all your interest or your shine.
Don’t get me wrong, Castillo’s story starts out pretty similar to that comedy origin story we all know and love. As a wee lass growing up in Denver, Castillo recalls being a class clown of sorts: “… [I]t wasn’t like I was making jokes, but I was always fearless in being outrageous. … I never cared what I wore. Everything was always mismatched … But I dance to the beat of my own drum.” Then, y’know, middle school happened (as it does, to the best of us) amidst a move to the suburbs and dampened her spirit a bit, followed by a “Stoned Age,” if you will, during high school. It wasn’t until college that she got a real taste of comedy, in the form of a comedy class that taught improv, sketch, and stand-up.
It wasn't like I was making jokes, but I was always fearless in being outrageous.
Roxy Castillo
Comedy — especially the improv and sketch varieties — felt like just the community that Castillo had been craving. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Castillo auditioned and landed a coveted spot in the class’s end-of-semester showcase Scared Scriptless. That left a pretty pleasant taste in her mouth too. Venturing into real world mics as part of her homework, Castillo felt giddy; she had found something she was good at. And good at it she was: She seamlessly glided into the scene, even opening for Jo Koy at the Denver Improv.
Sounds pretty peachy, yeah? Are you waiting for the proverbial shoe (or mic) to drop? You’d be right. When Castillo moved to Austin, she didn’t slip into the comedy scene quite as easily. It was requiring a lot more elbow grease. She had resolved not to date or shack up with any comedians, but her resultant standoffishness was hurting her chances of getting booked. Fortunately, Castillo quickly befriended several ladies in the scene who helped facilitate her integration — including Lashonda Lester and Maggie Maye, who became her comedy big sisters. “I was kind of their, like, little tag along … I always saw myself like junior varsity to everybody’s varsity,” Castillo remarks.
For better or worse, this junior varsity mentality created a humbling feedback loop. She avoided asking to do shows because she felt intimidated by these older “varsity” comedians. But then when she didn’t get opportunities, she felt less than. “For so long, I was like, ‘I’m not worthy because I’ve never been a finalist. I’m not worthy because I’ve never done this show,’” Castillo explains. Amidst all of that, she was also juggling a jam-packed calendar filled with all her other creative outlets. Guiltily, she wondered if she’d see more success if she funneled all her efforts into just one thing.
The thing that I want isn't an audience clapping, it's just, I like shining my light.
Roxy Castillo
But, you see, Roxy Castillo was not just one thing. In addition to stand-up, she was a burlesque dancer — an art form she stumbled upon rather incidentally but that had a powerful pull on her time. (After all, beautiful, supportive women are much better company than competitive male comics.) On top of that, she was part of a weekly sketch show called Bad Example. Then, just for good measure, she threw wrestling into the mix. “I lived and died by my calendar,” Castillo recalls of this whirlwind time. She just couldn’t say no to an opportunity. She wanted to do it all.
With the onset of the pandemic, Castillo finally had time to sit and reflect. She realized how tired she was, how her personal life and health had been suffering. Don’t get her wrong, she’d had a blast, but it was time to start saying no and to put hard boundaries on her time. “I’m not just a performer,” Castillo asserts. “… I need to fill my personal cup up before I can pour into all of these different things that I enjoy.” Besides, she’s come to find that she doesn’t need to stand-up or burlesque all the time to validate her creativity or funniness. “I’m always gonna find a way to perform at work,” she reasons. “Like I can do training at work. I can be in front of people. I can teach … [T]he thing that I want isn’t an audience clapping, it’s just, I like shining my light.”
So, as it turns out, Roxy Castillo’s “At last I see the light” moment — whether you see her as Rapunzel or Plato’s enlightened cave dweller — wasn’t from discovering comedy. Instead, it was discovering that the light was within her all along. (Aww.) We hope to see Castillo continue to shine her light in whatever pursuits she fancies (even if her new calendar boundaries mean that we’ll see her a little less frequently).
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