[S P OT LIGH T] C O M E D I A N
‘Funny for a Girl’
Stand-up Ruth Banks combines caring with comedy By Erin Ratigan
Helping Others Through Laughter
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Photos by Azul Sordo
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he is listed on the women-owned and -operated comedy showcase Claws Out’s website as its “resident bad bitch,” but Ruth Banks’ introduction to comedy didn’t start so fiercely. She’s been a reserved person since childhood, and it took effort to push herself onto the stage. But she says comedy allows her to overcome much and put herself out there — even if it’s just to “do it for the bit.” “That’s kind of what I always say. ‘Even if this goes poorly, I’ll probably find some joke here that I’m able to tell.’ And I think that’s a very powerful skill — even if it’s not a silver lining — to find something that’s so absurd you can’t help but laugh about it,” she says. She regularly performs in and around Fort Worth as part of Claws Out Comedy, and she’s recording her first comedy album this year. Comedy offered an escape from more than just shyness — Ruth has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a degenerative disorder that affects the connective tissue around the bones as well as blood vessels, skin and other organs. After having spinal surgery in 2015, Ruth was left bedridden with nothing to do but watch TV. She ended up binging stand-up specials and couldn’t get enough.
I promised myself I wanted to be that kind of escape for somebody else in the future. -RUTH BANKS
That ultimately led her to become a stand-up comic. She wanted to help others forget about their troubles the way she did — offer a laugh when they otherwise wouldn’t. “I promised myself I wanted to be that kind of escape for somebody else in the future,” she says. Ask anybody who’s met comedian Ruth about her set, and they’ll give you glowing reviews. Her colleagues in the Fort Worth standup scene describe her as kind, supportive and hard-working, with a “biting wit” and authentic stage presence. She hosts Claws Out’s Tipsy Tuesday open mic nights at Funky Picnic Brewery and Café and has been doing stand-up for four years.
