Cinzia Cattaneo, who studied medicine and literature, began her career as a comedian in 2017.
Marine Bouteiller
Fresh from winning the Emerging Humor Award from the Swiss Society of Authors, Cinzia Cattaneo, known from Couleur 3, the Montreux Comedy Festival and Morges-sous-Rire, is part of the next generation of Romand humor and stand-up. The 28-year-old from Geneva is going on tour with her show entitled “Avec des gens” across French-speaking Switzerland, France and Belgium.
What is your show about?
I am someone who is quite socially stressed. The starting point of this show is to note that in life, people do things with other people to be happy. But for me, it stresses me out. So, through anecdotes, I tell lots of everyday episodes that evoke my social stress. And I also explain how we gain self-confidence, how to detach ourselves a little from the gaze of others and accept that we are not perfect.
Is it more difficult to make a living from your profession in Switzerland than in France?
No, really not. I think that as a young Swiss comedian who has never performed on stage, going to Paris to start your career is not a good strategy. In Switzerland, there are fewer comedians. Financially, we are doing much better than in France. The fees are not at all the same and there is room. So I am lucky to have been able to start here and now to export myself to Paris.
Do you also want to be known in France?
Yes, of course. I started my career in Switzerland, but I was able to perform in Belgium and France quite quickly. At the moment, I spend a lot of time in Paris. I play in comedy clubs and there I can say that I am at the heart of the difficulty because I find myself with the elite of French-speaking comedians and stand-up comedians. So it is really hard and you have to stand out. So I am only at the beginning, but it is a goal. I hope that one day I will be able to have a reputation in France.
Would you also like to become an actress?
Yes, it’s my first childhood dream. I should put myself forward a little in this environment, by going to castings. But it takes time and you have to make choices. For now, I’m really focusing on my career as a comedian and I hope that thanks to that, if one day I have a little notoriety, I’ll be offered to play in films. That would be great!
As a woman, is it easy to evolve in the stand-up world which is very masculine?
Today, things are changing. There are more and more of us on sets. Sometimes we’ll even be contacted just because we’re a woman. But that can be demeaning because we’d rather be called for the quality of our work. In relation to the spectators, I’ve also noticed that when a woman comes on stage, there are always preconceptions that remain. They’ll think that she’s going to talk about her periods, that a woman is less funny than a man. The audience is less tolerant of us. They think it won’t be as good. Despite everything, I still see an evolution. In Paris, there are a lot of brilliant female comedians.
What does this profession of comedian represent for you?
I feel fulfilled in what I do. I have no regrets, on the contrary. I only have one desire: to continue, to improve, to write even better texts. To see myself grow even more, because I am only at the beginning of my career. Even if there are nights that are harder than others, it is an extremely rewarding job. Each performance is unique. Every night is different and that is the magic of the stage professions.
