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Comedian April Macie has been honing her craft for so long she said she now prepares with a glass of sauvignon blanc before hurling her body on stage.

Macie, who appeared in Season 4 of 鈥淟ast Comic Standing,鈥� will perform at Quezada鈥檚 Comedy Club & Cantina on Friday, June 5, and Saturday, June 6. She has performed in New Mexico before, in Roswell, and she has been to all 50 states. Macie said she enjoys revisiting them because she likes traveling and seeing the world.

Macie began in comedy in the early 2000s after several people in her life suggested she try stand-up. Now it has been her career for 20 years.

鈥淵ou do it for so long, it鈥檚 like there鈥檚 no turning back at that point,鈥� Macie said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like, what would even be on my r茅sum茅?鈥�

She finds it beautiful comedy can serve as a distraction for people thinking about their problems.

鈥淟aughter is the best medicine,鈥� Macie said.

Over the years, she has slowly become more like the comics she admired and respected. These comedians have a vulnerability in their sets, Macie said, and she has started to develop that voice.

鈥淚 think initially you鈥檙e just sort of addicted to the laughter and the joke, and then it鈥檚 allowing yourself to be vulnerable on stage,鈥� Macie said.

鈥淚鈥檓 trying to morph into more of a storyteller, which is also more vulnerable, I think, because it takes longer to get to the punchline,鈥� she said.

Some of the main topics in her set are her dysfunctional family, divorce and dating again as you get older, she said. Macie said she is considered a 鈥渄irty鈥� comic because she talks about sex a lot, which she finds strange.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the one common denominator for all of humanity, so it鈥檚 never made sense to me to attach shame to the one thing in the room everybody does,鈥� Macie said.

Aside from family and her love life, Macie uses everyday moments to fuel her comedy, even when they鈥檙e sad.

鈥淚 feel like you get one shot at life, and I think to be able to like find what鈥檚 funny, even when it鈥檚 sad, I think that鈥檚 kind of the recipe for happiness,鈥� she said.

Seeing happiness as a choice has helped her through tougher moments in her life, like when fires in Malibu, California, burnt down her home. She also touches on growing up, dealing with grief and death.

鈥淭o see your hometown burn down, it鈥檚 like initially that鈥檚 very sad,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut now it鈥檚 like to be able to extract the jokes from that, from the pain, or from the loss, it鈥檚 just a new way to kind of look through life through a happier lens.鈥�

She said comedy is one of those things that keeps evolving as life and career change.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the one thing you can just like keep getting better at, and like keep getting funnier, or keep finding a new voice, or figure out what resonates with you,鈥� Macie said.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 the beauty of stand-up,鈥� Macie said.

Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. You can reach her at esecor@abqjournal.com.