Actor and comedian Jana Bernard was serious about doing something a little funny—meaning out of the ordinary—for those dealing with breast cancer. Actually, make that something a lot funny. She wanted to organize a stand-up comedy show to raise more awareness of breast cancer and funds to help people stand up against the disease that one out of every 8 women in the United States will end up having.
And on October 6 that show became a reality in Brooklyn, New York City, with proceeds going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It featured a line-up of comedians who have appeared on shows you may have heard of like Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers and various Netflix offerings. That night demonstrated how humor can bring light to a very heavy and serious health topic in more ways than one.
The show was called “Bits for T—s,” with the last word being a four-letter word for breasts that rhymes with, well, “bits.” Obviously, such a word is not a serious official medical term that a doctor would typically use in a clinic visit, such as before the word “exam”, “scan” or “ogram.” But somehow calling the show “Bits for Mammary Glands” wouldn’t have had quite the same ring to it.
To anyone who may say that serious topics always need to be talked about seriously, Bernard responded, “ I totally disagree. Humor helps us heal, humor gives us hope and those with breast cancer will say they need humor.” She talked of how humor is often a survival tactic and can be a treatment that promotes the secretion of good neurotransmitters and hormones with “no negative side effects.” Well, except for perhaps falling out of your chair or peeing in your pants or both.
A lot of pants were at risk at The Second City New York comedy club that night. The audience was treated to a diverse line-up of comedians, who all volunteered their time for the cause: Sam Bloomstone, Vannessa Jackson, Jaye McBride, Kitty Reynolds, Michael Rowland, Usama Siddiquee, TJ and Jeff Wright. “I felt like I just gave birth to my comedy child,” Bernard remarked after the show. “And I didn’t need an epidural.” No anesthetics seemed necessary to keep people laughing as the jokes kept going and going.
Pulling together such a show was no joke, though. It took time, effort, motivation and several slices of chutzpah. “I have been wanting to do such a stand-up show for a while to raise awareness for an important cause with humor,” explained Bernard, who has been in the Netflix shows Girls5Eva and The Half of It, appeared as “Young Irene” in Poker Face and sang in the Paramount feature film Under the Boardwalk. “My goal is to be an advocate as well as a comedian. If I have a microphone, I also want to make a difference.”
Her high school teacher in New Jersey, Miss Dori, had inspired her to do stand-up comedy. “She had found out that I had done an impression of her and called me into her office,” recalled Bernard. But instead of a detention or expulsion, Bernard got another -ion from Miss Dori: motivation. Bernard continued, “Miss Dori told me ‘You know what, Jana, you could really do this’ meaning stand-up comedy.” Unfortunately, Miss Dori subsequently died from breast cancer. But her spirit has lived on in Bernard’s career and in the cause showcased by the show, where Bernard an empty seat for her former teacher.
Identifying the cause is one thing. Identifying the right charitable organization to work with is something else. That’s because, news flash, there are plenty of organization out there willing to take your money but not as many that will make it clear exactly where that money is going.
So, after doing a lot of her own research, Bernard identified the NBCF, which has received a 99% score and Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator. She then messaged the NBCF on LinkedIn as a cold call for this hot idea. Both Ashley Miller, the Director of Public Relations and National Spokesperson, and Kevin Hail, the President and Chief Operating Officer of the NBCF, recalled how the idea got a warm reception. “It’s an unconventional way of reaching younger people,” Miller explained. “If it can get one more person to get breast cancer screening then it’s worth it.”
Since its founding in 1991 by Hail’s mother Janelle Hail, a breast cancer survivor herself, NBCF has worked with health systems and communities around the country to determine how it can support the care that patients get and make an impact. Both Miller and Kevin Hail indicated that one of their most impactful programs has been providing financial support to health systems for patient navigators. Navigators are people, often nurses or social workers, who will help the patient get through the health system, which can be a bit like trying to figure out what was happening in The Matrix movie trilogy. Such navigation can include helping find the proper child care, translators and help for caregivers. “We help patients feel like they are not going through their breast cancer experience alone,” Kevin Hail explained.
Next, Bernard had to secure the venue. She had worked on SNL over the past six years. She’s also done standup in different venues around the NYC like the Comedy Cellar and Second City. During the show, she joked, “When I pitched [the idea] to Second City, they said, ‘Please stop sending us emails.’ Just kidding, they said ‘Yes and.’” Yes, and after the show, Bernard did mention that she told Second City, “‘I am going to have comedians from SNL. I will sell out the show.’ In order to be in this business, you have to have chutzpah.” Second City did believe in her. But she then had to find the comedians.
“I started DMing comedians on Instagram,” Bernard recalled. “People really resonated with this cause. They wanted to make jokes and make difference.” Once the line-up was set, all she had to do was organize whose voices to present when, plan, market and promote the show, get people to attend and make sure everything got executed without major hitches. Easy-peasy right?
Well, things seemed to go so well that Bernard mentioned the word “first” when referring to the show, implying that there will be more. The show showed that, in her words, “Everybody knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer. The best comedy is relatable. We laugh as a way of saying I agree. When you share your struggle with a comedic light, other people relate.” The first show was also a learning experience. For example, she did learn, “That you shouldn’t let your mother heckle the comics.” That’s not a serious problem, though, because next time she could always tell her mother that the show is sold out or at least seat her mother in the back row. What this show did seriously show, though, is how good humor can help deal with and beat breast cancer.
