Sarah Adelman will have a pity party and then try again ASAP
Sarah Adelman is a born-and-bred New Yorker, stand-up comic, screenwriter, and former scientist.
When she’s not on tour, she performs regularly at New York Comedy Club, Union Hall, Don’t Tell Comedy, and more. She has participated in the New York Comedy Festival and the Riot Comedy Festival, and was selected as a GOLD Comedy 2026 Comedian to Watch. Sarah has opened for Janeane Garofalo, Judy Gold, Mohanad Elshieky, Gianmarco Soresi, and Isabel Hagen, and can be seen in two episodes of Game Theory with Bomani Jones season 2. Sarah was an Ars Nova resident for the 2023–2024 season in its Comedy Artist Makers’ Program, where she developed and premiered her one-woman show, EGG. Called “a charming coming-of-age stand-up show” by Jason Zinoman and selected for the New York Comedy Festival, EGG has toured nationally to sold-out audiences over the past year.
Her short film and proof of concept, BUSTED!, premiered at SeriesFest in 2025 and won both the Jury Award for Best Writer and the Audience Award in the Digital Short Series category. BUSTED! was also an official selection at multiple Oscar-qualifying festivals. Sarah is also the creator, host, and executive producer of BLOW MY MIND, an original series on MadRealities. In each episode, she sits down with a guest to explore a mind-blowing science fact.
What were you like as a teen?
I was a late bloomer. Studious, virginal, scared of everything. My family is very chatty and interrupts a lot, so being quick was really the only way to get a word in. I think I’ve always been funny, but I don’t think my family would agree. I saw Paula Poundstone’s 1989 special Cats Cops and Stuff and I was like “Whoa. That would be so fricken awesome to be a comedian.” But I had no idea you could just be a comedian, so I ignored that feeling for a decade.
Did you have an un-sexy starter job?
I had lots of jobs, most notably a research scientist. This gave me great material and turned into a one woman show and my short film. It’s so important to be a normal person and have experiences that you can actually write about.
What do you consider to be your biggest comedy achievement to date?
That I still love doing it after almost five years! More specifically: winning the audience award and best writer award at SeriesFest for BUSTED!, Ars Nova residency, Blow My Mind on Mad Realities, and loving the actual work of comedy
When you were coming up in comedy, what helped you stick with it?
Addicted to attention, fear of failure, making other friends who wanted to suffer through it just like me. It felt like I’d lifted up this amazing little rock in NYC and got to play with all the worms underneath. I was addicted from my very first open mic and while there have been ebbs and flows of course, I’m never not excited to perform.
Have you ever dealt with trolls?
Yes, all the time. I am kinda a magnet for crazy people because I’m a fixer/I’m just drawn to them/I’m a pushover so I struggle with boundaries. I try to pick my battles and compromise always so that if I do really put my foot down I’m hopefully listened to. I get heckled a lot, especially at clubs. It’s just part of it, especially when people are drinking. I’m usually sassy but not too rude or the audience will hate me. Depends on the crowd!
On your deathbed, what transcendent advice would you croak at a young comedian?
Don’t be phased by rejection. Or, have a pity party and then try again ASAP.
Best comedy advice you ever got?
Just telling a funny story isn’t standup. That is storytelling, which is fine. But it’s not stand up.
Worst comedy advice you ever got?
Talk slower.
How has being funny helped you in your life?
I think it’s the life cheat code. If you can be funny, you can get people to like you. If you can get people to like you, they will want to help you. This has helped me make friends, get free stuff, and get extensions when I was in school, etc. Being funny and kind can go a long way!
What specific things should a novice comic do to shape their voice?
I’ve never done anything to try and shape my voice other than just writing as much as I can and finding similar themes. Sometimes when I’m planning a long, headlining set I’ll find themes and be like “Okay, this is the voice of this set.”
But I think voice is something innate and will ideally come through in what you do, but you shouldn’t start with “how can I use my voice in XYZ.” Write what you feel/who you are, and the voice will be a symptom of that. There shouldn’t be a difference between the voice and the writing, ideally they’re all part of the same thing.
Was there one person who inspired you to go into comedy?
A group of comics took me out to pizza after my first open mic–very few of them are still doing comedy, but whenever I see them around, I’m so grateful for the kindness they showed me!
Do you have a writing routine?
I don’t sit down to “write” standup. I get an idea in my head of something I think is weird/funny about my day or about myself and then just let it percolate.
Or I’ll try to make my friends laugh and if it works, I’ll quickly write what I said down in my notes app. I should probably be more disciplined about this, but I’m not really an observational comic, so I need to have something funny happen to me to write about it.
What is your go-to show?
Right now, Abbott.
What single word always cracks you up?
meep
Anything else you’d like to add or ask?
Comedy is cool and awesome and takes an insanely long time to get good at it! I am almost five years in and I think I am okay! But I want to be undeniable–and you gotta play the long game babes 🙂
