Anna Seregina & Mitra Jouhari

Anna Seregina’s show: A TOUR OF ANNA directed by Mitra Jouhari is performing at the Elysian Theater in LA on Sept 25 & Oct 18, and in NYC at Union Hall on Nov 11 as part of NY Comedy Festival.

Follow Anna at @cashmoneygrandpa on instagram for updates & tickets.

Anna Seregina is a Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, and writer originally from Russia. She was chosen as one JFL's 2023 New Faces, Time Out LA’s 2020 Comics to Watch and Vulture’s 2019 Comics to Watch. Anna has appeared on Adult Swim, Comedy Central, and (unbelievably) Vanderpump Rules. She has performed at comedy festivals and notable venues across the country, including SXSW, SF Sketchfest, and -perhaps most importantly- the Viper Room.

Mitra Jouhari is a writer/comedian based in LA. You can see her work on Big Mouth, Three Busy Debras, and more.

How did you meet and what made you want to work together? What is something you appreciate or love about each other, as creatives?

MITRA: We met a few years ago through live comedy. I have always loved Anna’s work. She’s physical, inventive, silly, and so smart and artsy without taking herself too seriously. She is always exploring and trying new things and pushing herself into visually interesting, conceptual, and strange territory. I’ve been watching her for years, feeling inspired by her and always entertained by her, and when I saw an earlier version of this show/Anna and I had conversations about it, I felt like I potentially had something to offer as a true fan of Anna’s work. Sometimes it's hard to shake things up from deep inside of something as a performer/writer, even someone as talented and singular as Anna. So I emailed and asked if I could direct the show! After I venmo-ed her six thousand dollars, she agreed to work with me. I feel very grateful.

ANNA: I’m such a fan of Mitra’s! She’s just such a funny, talented, frankly impressive person. It’s seldom you meet someone who so seamlessly oscillates between being so silly and so smart. I feel like she’s got, like, laser vision - she seems to instantly see the structural holes in a narrative, and then is somehow able to immediately plug those up with something SO funny. There’s kind of no, “this would work better if, bad pitch: …” because there’s truly no bad pitch. The pitch is always good. I had asked her to come see a very, very early iteration of the show to give me notes, and she unknowingly addressed something very specific that I had been really struggling with, giving me a suggestion that was at once so simple, stupid, and fundamentally improved the show. I was instantly like, “yes, this is the person I want to work with.” I feel very, very lucky.

I am acutely aware I said “plug those holes up,” literally do not cancel me.

What does "A Tour of Anna" show us as an audience? What is it about? If the show had a "thesis statement" what would it be? What are you inviting us to witness, question or consider?

ANNA: I’ve tried to write an answer to this, like, thirty different times. An at-arms-length guide to Anna which pretends to be be hyper-vulnerable? So self-referential that it loses meaning, then hopefully gains it back again at some point toward the end? Stepping out of the frame to critique the frame, then stepping outside of that frame to talk about how I wish I had been wearing a hat the whole time. Something like that.

MITRA: Anna is asking the audience to consider Anna Seregina.

As comedians, writers and performers, how do you decide on "what works" or what doesn't, when you're developing material? In your experience, what does it take to truly refine a joke or theatrical moment?

MITRA: With Anna’s show, I think my job is to balance all the things that make Anna special and funny while also providing an "outside" perspective of someone who is watching the show through an adoring but analytical lens. So like, if someone who loves you is watching from that engaged viewpoint and is still feeling a little confused by something - it might be worth refining that joke or discussing that piece further in order to hone it in. And on the other side of that, there are things that I have seen soooooo many times that make me laugh every time - and I think that’s always a good sign that something should stay in the show! The easiest gauge is always laughter, but there are also moments in the show that make people react audibly in other ways, and that engagement is a good, clear indication that something is striking the appropriate chord.

ANNA: It’s been such a funny, rewarding process to work on this show with Mitra, because I’ll be like, “Ok, I have this idea where a hat floats, and the mood is really tense, and we could do the lights cool, and there’s jazz.” And Mitra will be like, “and that is awesome, and we will honor that, but what are you trying to say?” I think my creative shortcoming is really that: I’m quick to imagine wearing a ballgown and renting a horse, and not so interested in actually sitting down and thinking about what that means for the show, figuring it’ll just "work itself out" on stage. And folks.. it doesn’t!! Not to be redundant, but Mitra is so good at both reigning in structure and dreaming limitlessly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone else do both so seamlessly.

Do you think AI actually poses any threats to creatives, or do you see it as a tool? If you had to guess, what do you think the entertainment industry will look like in 20 years?

ANNA: I think AI is ultimately as interesting as the person feeding the prompts. The way we’ve talked about the “existential threat” is as though Bjork is whisper-generating watercolor paintings in 4D, when in reality, we’re seeing “art” rendered by bros who are being like, “what if the Mona Lisa… wore bootcut jeans...?!” So, no, I don’t think it actively poses a threat to those who are not in the business of painting Mona Lisa in bootcut jeans.

Are there any upcoming shows or events you're really looking forward to seeing or performing in?

MITRA: I’m looking forward to Anna’s show of course. I’m also looking forward to upcoming shows at LA Dance Project, Max Knight @ A Blank White Box, and Stephanie Shih @ Harkawik. Playhouse Masterpieces @ the Elysian - always a silly delight.

ANNA: I don’t know if she will, but if Mitra does her solo show again, I will be there. It’s so special and imaginative, I found it so inspiring! I’m really looking forward to Kyle Mizono’s solo show, which will be a part of the Spaghetti Fest at the Elysian. It’s a whole festival dedicated to developing and showcasing new work, and I can’t wait to see what comes out of it. Also me and Chris Thayer are booking a few one-off shows at PDA in Altadena to do longer stand-up sets, which I’m really looking forward to! The next one is on 10/11 at 5pm.