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September 22, 2006
Inside With: Rachel Axler, Writer for The Daily Show
By: Ben Kharakh
When the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Music or Comedy Program was presented to the writers of The Daily Show, one might have noticed on stage a single golden dress in a sea of charcoal tuxedos. The woman in question is Rachel Axler, the series' sole female writer--a bonafide rarity in the writers' rooms of the city's premiere comedic television shows. Axler, who was once described by a high school pal as a "theatre herb," has made her way to The Daily Show by mixing herbs like some kind of zombie-blasting Resident Evil character.
Where did you grow up?
Queens. Which I never used to admit to people--I'd just say "New York," and hope they assumed Manhattan. But then I moved away for college, and even further for grad school, and discovered that saying "Queens" actually gave me some weird sort of street cred. It was like, "Ooh, that's actually New York CITY. Outer borough. Mean streets." Really, it was more of a no-man's-land between suburb and city.
What sort of role did comedy play in your life growing up?
My dad's the funniest guy I know, so there's that. He had a lot of books that I read, growing up--Woody Allen, primarily--Without Feathers, Getting Even, that third one--I'm forgetting the name. When I left for college, I took two books with me: my mom's copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare, and my own copy of the unabridged writing of Woody Allen. My dad also had a book of Marx Brothers scripts, which I memorized a bit early. I remember suggesting that a guy in my elementary school class use "if I held you any closer, I'd be behind you" as an audition joke for some sort of school function. I think he didn't.
Oh, and my dad had the National Lampoon yearbook--that was awesome. And scandalous. I think he finally let me see that when I was about ten.
But for someone who wanted to act--and I did, for a long time--I was really pretty shy, or quiet. I was very funny on paper, but I'm not sure you could tell by talking with me. I think I'm still a little that way.
What sort of creative outlets did you have growing up? Were you in clubs in school?
A guy in high school once described me--I'd like to think lovingly--as a "theatre herb." I wanted to perform onstage long before my shyness in general wore off.... I was just more confident in a character, in front of an entire auditorium, than I was in a small group. In fourth grade, when we did "Cinderfella" (that's the male, elementary-school, 40-minute version of Cinderella), I finally got up the nerve to ask my teacher how she made her casting decisions, and she said, "Are you kidding? You're a perfect Maiden #3."
I came out of my shell a bit more in high school, and wound up in a lot of plays, a lot of musicals. I sang in Jazz Chorus. I did a cappella and theatre in college. Played piano for most of my life--I took lessons from age four 'til the end of high school, then played on my own--musical directed during my senior year of high school, and was a rehearsal pianist and eventually a musical director in summer stock productions during college. Which was a harrowing experience, and to this day I can't really believe I got through that summer in one piece.
Until I started writing for real, my junior year of college, I was absolutely positive that I was going to be an actor. That changed.
What did you do after high school?
College. I went to Williams, in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was the most rural place I'd ever been. When I visited, my parents had to convince me to get out of the car and give it a chance, because I was freaked out by all the trees. I double-majored there, because everyone does. English and Theatre. By the time I left Williams, I was ready to forego theatre and pursue a career in comedy writing, so I got an editorial job at a publishing house. Obviously. Because that's what female English majors do. So, yeah, I quit after seven months, temped at Merrill Lynch, did a very strange play that consisted of the entirety of TS Eliot's "The Wasteland," word for word, no extra text. Then I worked at a private equity firm for a year, where they were amazing enough to support me and buy me lunch while I applied to grad schools in playwriting. Then, grad school at UCSD. A scriptwriting internship with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Moved back to New York. Temped a little bit more, then got my absurdly lucky break at The Daily Show.
How much interaction do the Daily Show writers have with interns? And would you recommend that people intern there if they have the chance?
It's unfortunate, but the amount of interaction that we have with the interns depends completely upon how much either they, or we, reach out. I think a lot of the work they do is on a rotating basis in other departments--I might be wrong about this--but we don't have specific interns assigned to the writers or anything, and we're somewhat separated, physically, in the office; there's a large, sunny, primarily open area and then the writers' hallway, which is dark and cold and smells like writers. So it might be sort of intimidating to approach us. I know I, personally, cut a formidable figure. No, but I've had some great experiences with interns who've actually approached me and asked questions, or just wanted to talk. And Jen Flanz and Gina Brown, who are in charge of all things intern, are phenomenal people and wonderful at their jobs, so I'm going to assume the internships themselves are really worthwhile experiences.
What sort of role will you be playing with the Daily Show 10-Year spectacular at Irving Plaza and can you give some preview of the event in general?
None. But it was put together by my officemate, Sam Means, and another writer, Scott Jacobson, and it's going to be a bunch of great bands alongside some Daily Show correspondents, and the proceeds will go to 826NYC.
What's your opinion on being the sole female writer on the program?
Holy crap--what? Seriously, there are no other female writers on the show? Wow, that's totally sexist. Someone should look into that.
What are some other projects that you're involved in?
I just got a playwriting fellowship with the Lark Theatre, which is a play development center--basically, a place where they workshop new pieces with a tremendously talented group of actors, directors, other playwrights, etc. I've revised old work, but it's been a while since I've actually buckled down and written a new play, so I'm very excited about that. That's going to be this coming year.
Ben Kharakh is the creator of the online humor magazine One Trick Pony, which features interviews with comedians such as Todd Barry, Paul F. Tompkins, and Neil Hamburger.
Posted by The Apiary at September 22, 2006 2:26 PM
Comments
How exactly does one land a gig writing for the Daily Show?
Posted by: JR at October 3, 2006 2:31 PM