Anu Vaidyanathan Has Done It All; Now She’s Taking on Comedy

Author of Anywhere but Home, mother, triathlete, and engineer Anu Vaidyanathan is adding a new title to her repertoire: comedian. She will be taking the stage with her new stand-up hour (performed in English) entitled, “BC: AD (Before Children and After Diapers).” The show, a mix of comedy and storytelling, details Anu’s outlook on life after having children.

Coming from such a diverse work background, Vaidyanathan’s discovery of comedy was somewhat accidental. In 2021, Vaidyanathan was a student at Phillippe Golie’s clown school trying to hone her skills as a director. While there, she was pushed to get up on stage and try her material. Through this, she discovered that “true stories are out in the world” and the world of standup comedy is a great way to share her story 

BC: AD (Before Children and After Diapers), speaks volumes about what a woman goes through after having children. Vaidyanathan’s entire perspective changed after children. She says that  “you see the color of the rainbows more vividly” but you also start to “understand your humanity” more.

This manifested as her realizing that children don’t care if you’re a genius or a hero, it’s the more simple things in life that make children feel loved. Coming from a background as an engineer, she had to change her typical equation-based approach to fit the needs of her children.  BC:AD is Vaidyanathan’s reaction to motherhood and the shift in perspective she experienced as a result. 

Being a female immigrant has also shaped her life journey. “I don’t think that an immigrant story is quite told in the realms of engineering or the sciences, which is where I’m from,” Vaidyanathan says. “I’m an engineer by training… I found myself not having the tools to express the inequalities or the highlights of being an immigrant.”

Vaidyanathan has used her different careers, from writing a book to becoming a director of film and then trying her hand at comedy, “as an attempt to equalize the great pressures of being away from your own home or away from the culture that’s familiar to you,” she says.

Vaidyanathan has been able to draw inspiration from her lived experience to fit into the comedy space. She speaks about how coming from a family of outspoken women has been one of the largest shaping forces in her life. She learned from those above her not to take no for an answer when the answers don’t seem to fit the expectations of life and to keep moving forward. She’s been able to forge her path as a result of her hard work.

When asked about why she has chosen comedy she said: 

“If you’re brave enough, I think you can see what is unsaid because you are in the forum that sort of allows free expression if you look hard enough”

CSL MAG has teamed up with Aalt Stadhaus to give away tickets to 10 of our members to Anu’s show BC:AD (Before Children: After Diapers) on Thursday, March 7th, 2024 at 8:00 pm at Aalt Stadhaus. To enter the giveaway:

• Follow our Instagram @city_savvy_lux
• Tag @stadhaus 
• Mention the person who always makes you laugh
• For extra entries: share the post on your Instagram
• Follow back up on March 4th at noon to see if you are a lucky winner

To purchase tickets, click here!

Photo courtesy of Ville de Differdange