White Rock-based comedian and Hilarapy co-founder Lizzie Allan will be one of 12 speakers at a free Bear Creek TEDx event, online this Saturday, March 27, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
In her talk, pre-recorded at Surrey Arts Centre’s stage, Allan will speak on the topic Transform Your Shame into Comedy drawing on her own life experiences, which have included a number of things she felt have brought shame to her, and have subsequently formed raw material for her own comedy.
As she related in a recent blog on the topic on the Hilarapy website (hilarapy.com), among them were past experiences with “mental illness, internalized homophobia, drug addiction, and sex work.”
“It was liberating for several reasons,” she wrote.
“People accepted me. Then, unexpectedly, they shared what they were ashamed of with me. I wasn’t so different after all; we are all human.”
Hilarapy, which conducts courses and workshops for many others – following Allan’s lead by using the process of developing stand-up comedy as therapy for a wide range of traumatic experiences – was created by Allan and her life and business partner Elaine Cheung.
READ MORE: White Rock-based Addictive Comedy rebrands as ‘Hilarapy’
The independently-organized Bear Creek TEDx event will bring together speakers from the Surrey area who will give short talks on a wide range of topics, including science, medicine, law, human experience, education, creativity and the environment.
For more information about the event, visit https://tedxbearcreekpark.ca/event-info/
