The science of humor – it’s Childs’ play
It doesn’t take a genius to see that there’s something funny going on in Philadelphia, but it took Jen Childs to turn it into a science. The co-founder of 1812 Productions—the city’s only all-comedy theater troupe—is a writer, producer, director, performer, mom, and wiseacre.
One of her prouder moments came when she ran into comedy historian Eddy Friedfeld at the Friar’s Club and he quipped, “I keep forgetting, for a girl who’s so Jewish, you’re Lutheran.”
Childs and 1812 annually produce “This is the Week That Is,” a full-length theatrical show about current events ripped from the day’s headlines. The script changes daily. One of the recurring characters is Patsy, a fiercely opinionated denizen of South Philadelphia who holds court from her stoop at 7th and Shunk.
We asked Patsy to venture outside her comfort zone (anything above Snyder Avenue is foreign territory to Pats) to investigate what it means to be a Creative Connector.
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