Diversity Rules Magazine

Sco - Con't from page 9 rough life on the road, and the complex process of reuni ng with her children, as comedy becomes the shared language of iden ty, healing, and joy. DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT I fell in love with Julia Sco one July night in 2015 a er seeing her explosively funny and moving com- edy set. Later, huddled in a noisy bar, I began to see around the edges of the private Julia--delicate, vul- nerable, and real. As we began to exchange histories an undeniable link emerged. A sisterhood. We are women of a certain age with a shared sensibility, and a willingness to say yes to truth, no ma er where it takes us. Julia's story deepens our understanding of not only the transgender experience, but of the hu- man experience of longing to be who we truly are, no ma er the price. And by that example, she invites us to be free. The Italian word corposo refers to a rich, full-bodied wine. Rich and full-bodied is also an appropriate de- scriptor for the life of comedian Julia Sco . Since 1980, Julia has been honing her cra in clubs and theaters throughout the United States and Can- ada, performing for the first 20 years as Rick Sco , and now, a er a life-changing hiatus, returning as Julia Sco . Her second act has been the very defini- on of Corposo. The new and improved Julia has been described by colleagues and press as, among other things, "a force of nature", and "a comedy chainsaw flying through the room". As Julia says, her comedy always has to be "fearless and honest", and America can feel both in her perfor- mances. Since coming back to comedy in 2011, she has been named one of the Top Five Transgender Co- medians in the Country by Advocate Magazine, and has performed at LGBTQ events across the country, and was one of the winners of the Laughlin Laugh Fes val in Nevada. But she wasn't done yet. Simon Cowell said that "you genuinely made me laugh" as she introduced herself to a na onal audi- ence on Season 11 of America's Got Talent. She was the first transgender comedian to appear on na onal television and was a quarter-finalist on the show. Not content to sit on her laurels, Julia went on to re- cord her first, best-selling comedy CD en tled, "Hel- lo Boys I'm Back!" and is gearing up to record her second one. This year, she is being featured on the Show me Television Network Special, "More Funny Women of a Certain Age." As "Julia Sco : Funny that Way" directed by Susan Sandler premiered at Nantucket Film Fes val, Julia suggested that the film have "Part I" added to the tle, because she's only just begun. If Julia were a wine, she'd be aged just right. And she'd definitely be molto Corposo. Susan Sandler's screenplays and teleplays include the Golden Globe nominated Crossing Delancey and Friends At Last, as well as projects for Sony Pictures, Twen eth Century Fox, Disney, TNT, and Columbia. Her work for the stage has been produced in New York, at ma- jor theatres across the country, and around the world. Her plays include Crossing Delancey (which she adapted for the screen), Un- der the Bed, The Renova on, The Moaner, If I Were A Train and The Find, and for NPR's "Playing on Air,"The Burial Society . San- dler's work is pub- lished by Smith and Kraus, Vintage Press, and Samuel French. She is on the faculty at NYU Tisch Film & Television. Julia Sco : Funny That Way won Audience Choice at the Paley Center for New Media Doc Pitch, and is her direc ng debut. 18 |Diversity Rules Magazine|June 2021 Susan Sandler Director/Producer

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