Giorgia Fumo: "I would give myself an excellent evaluation for everything related to enthusiasm" Interview with the comedian, in the midst of her theater tour that also arrives in Milan

The intelligence and sharpness of Giorgia Fumo shine on her face. Charming, quick, animated. She has a fearless way of speaking and no hesitation in saying what she thinks. The same quick wit she shows on TikTok and Instagram, where she became famous with short comedic sketches in close-up, also comes through on our green armchair. Her story, after all, is interesting even before it is very funny. An engineer, she worked for years with numbers, but always doing theater and improvisation. A great training ground that proved invaluable when she decided to leave everything behind and become a true content creator and performer. She did it with maturity, choosing to live in the province and travel when necessary, so as "not to get distracted." Her latest show, in Milan on December 5, 6, and 7 at Teatro Manzoni, is all about office work and is titled Out of Office.

Interview with Giorgia Fumo, in the midst of her theater tour

Let's start right there. "If my show were an email, it would start by saying I hope this email doesn’t find you. I hope you’re free. I hope you don’t read this," she begins, and it’s already hard to hold back laughter. In short, a relatable show, as young people would say, full of things that happen to everyone at the office. "I worked as an analyst for multinational beauty and fashion companies, so the pace was insane, and the problems I had to solve were crazy. But actually, the craziest thing happened recently. I worked as a creator for a brand I had analyzed when I first started, and I met a manager who used to scare me a lot," she confesses, laughing. "He greeted me warmly, complimented me. I compared that situation to how I felt when I was younger, when I felt I had to prove so much. This shows that when you put in the effort, people remember. You’re not invisible, and the satisfaction eventually comes."

In short, there’s plenty of material to draw inspiration from for a comedic (and slightly philosophical) show. "I immediately realized it was valuable material," she tells us. "With colleagues, you do trauma bonding, sharing the terrible things you’ve experienced, a way to stay united in the storm. Then, during a period of crazy deadlines, I started pinning cartoons on the office wall depicting what had happened, and anyone passing by would stop to read and laugh. It made us feel good; work became a show. Going on stage, it became clear to me: this mass of experiences I had lived was understandable to everyone and could also be lightened."

A reflection on contemporary work, always with a smile

Not just laughs, but also reflection. On burnout, trauma bonding, and the importance and time that work demands from us, and perhaps also takes away. It’s a matter of balance, both in the office and on stage. "Satire or personal story? Balancing these two elements is 70% of the work," she admits. "Stand-up comedy has the advantage of allowing you to tell even difficult stories with humor, letting you go beyond mother-in-law jokes. The difference lies in the goal. People come to the show to laugh, not to feel bad. So I focus only on events I’ve processed, that I can see from multiple angles, that no longer make me angry. Those make people laugh because I can treat them with detachment." Listening to her, it’s clear that Giorgia Fumo thinks deeply about things. About work, which, even if it has changed, remains work. "If work were a person, I’d be in a completely toxic relationship. I was the one saying enough, I’m done, sending the last email and then throwing the phone far away. I was the one saying if they didn’t promote me, it was because I was too valuable in my current role," she tells us. "Basically, I was a people pleaser, addicted to mechanisms that weren’t good for me and that I imposed on myself. Those were different times. We interns had our knives between our teeth. We wanted to be good, to show we had studied, even when jobs were few and we were many."

Social media experience and women in comedy in Italy today

Speaking of work today also means talking about LinkedIn, a social network both loved and hated. Giorgia loves it, but she loves it with anthropological interest. "I can’t resist. If I see a post I feel like responding to, I respond. If I can refute someone acting cool, why not? Or I make a post myself, in response. I use it as inspiration; it’s an ecosystem that feeds itself. There are three people doing interesting things, and the rest talk about their children, claiming little Michelangelo gave them a great lesson in negotiation. Perhaps the fake LinkedIn kids are my favorite," she concludes. Regarding social media, we’ve already mentioned that Giorgia Fumo’s new career started there. We asked how her creative process and writing change when moving from a 60-second video to a full theatrical show. "I start from theater, like Valeria Marini. Only after that did I go to social networks. I never really write, unless it’s branded content. I jot down notes with ideas, but then I go freestyle, both in video and on stage. Only recently did I start writing a bit more; I started doing some television, working with authors and a director," she explains. "But for me, writing is really the last piece; it’s more for others than for me. I write outlines; I use them as a memory tool. For me, things have to be created in the same way they will be experienced. For live shows, I first test the pieces in venues, test ideas, because audience reaction is important."

About the audience, it’s impossible not to touch on a thorny topic. What does it mean to do comedy as a woman? "I haven’t felt any particular pressure," she begins, "but maybe it’s because I come from engineering; I was used to acting and moving in a very male environment. Looking back at the first open mic photos and collective evenings, I realize I was the only woman; all the others were men. As a woman, I believe you shouldn’t justify yourself or ask permission; you just go there and perform your piece. Only one thing matters: whether people laugh or not." She continues: "At first, people would ask if the comedian was my husband, ignoring me. But then people laughed. Even more than with others. Also because I had done improvisation before open mics, so I already had all that experience. Sometimes girls tell me they signed up for an open mic thanks to my videos, and I’m happy; it means they felt empowered to do something they wanted to do and that there were no practical obstacles, though they might have thought they couldn’t do it. Sometimes, you have to create the right room yourself," almost echoing Virginia Woolf, who emphasized the importance for women writers to have a room of their own.

The final joke is about herself. We asked her to evaluate herself as an employee of the comedy company. "I’d give myself an excellent rating for everything related to enthusiasm," she answers quickly. "A terrible rating, instead, for handling documentation. PR needs improvement. I don’t have Botox; it’s immediately obvious if I don’t like someone, and that doesn’t help." And after the stage, what’s next? "I just finished the European tour; I’m continuing the Italian one. I’m writing a lot; I want to become consistent with my newsletter. I want to create things, act, put aside notes, do something on radio. In short, my door is open; if you want to call me, I’m here."