Keisha Zollar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keisha Zollar
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Zollar in 2013
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | The New School (MFA) |
| Occupation | Writer, comedian, actress |
| Known for | Astronomy Club |
| Spouse(s) | Andrew Kimler |
Keisha Zollar is an American writer, comedian, and actress. She helped create the first all-Black comedy team at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, called Astronomy Club. She was also a main writer for their Netflix show. Keisha has written for other TV shows like Busy Tonight and The Opposition with Jordan Klepper.
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Keisha Zollar's Career
Keisha Zollar started doing improv comedy when she was in college. After getting her master's degree in acting from The New School, she began taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB) in New York. She looks up to famous comedians like Lucille Ball, Moms Mabley, and Whoopi Goldberg for her comedy inspiration.
Forming Astronomy Club
In 2013, Keisha and other Black performers at UCB in Los Angeles formed a comedy group called the Astronomy Club. This group became known as the first all-Black house team at the theater. In 2019, Netflix decided to make a sketch comedy show about the Astronomy Club. The show came out on December 6, 2019. Keisha Zollar and another team member, Jonathan Braylock, were the main writers for the show.
Acting and Writing Roles
Keisha has acted in several TV shows. She played Grace in the HBO series Divorce. She also appeared in Orange Is the New Black and Human Kind Of. Besides acting, she worked as a staff writer for The Opposition with Jordan Klepper and Busy Tonight.
Keisha often includes discussions about race in her comedy and other work. In 2015, she used Kickstarter to get money to host a special talk called "An Uncomfortable Conversation About Race." She and her husband, Andrew Kimler, also performed an improv show about their marriage, which is between people of different races. They also have a podcast together called Applying it Liberally, where they talk about their political ideas.
Keisha teaches improv comedy at the Pack Theater in Los Angeles.
Working for Fairness in Comedy
Keisha Zollar has spoken about challenges for non-white performers in improv comedy, especially at UCB. She worked as a diversity coordinator at UCB in New York for four years, starting in 2010. This job was unpaid, but it did include the cost of two classes every six months. She left the theater for a short time because she felt isolated as one of the few women of color performing there.
In June 2020, during important talks about fairness in comedy, Keisha tweeted more about her experience as an unpaid diversity coordinator for UCB. The organization's official Twitter account replied, saying they would talk with her to fix the situation.
Keisha Zollar's Personal Life
Keisha Zollar is married to Andrew Kimler. They have appeared many times on The Skin Deep YouTube series since 2016. In these videos, they talk about their relationship. In an episode from August 2023, they shared that they adopted a baby girl.
