This article has been updated since its original publication.
Comedian Stephanie Foster and her crew of two other female stand-up performers put on a beautifully raunchy and authentic set for members of the sorority Delta Phi Epsilon on the evening of Sunday, March 26.
Foster has been touring sororities on their home campuses across the country to bring awareness to suicide prevention while making the heavy topic more approachable with her comedy.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and as reported by NBC News, suicide is the second-leading cause of death in college students.
Foster lost her best friend from her sorority, Jaci, to suicide in May 2020. Her personal connection to and passion for suicide prevention is clear, especially when she speaks of Jaci.
The topic of mental health was the forefront of this event once the many hilarities of the evening had subsided. The women of DPhiE were urged to lend a shoulder to their fellow sisters, reach out to one another when times are tough and check on their friends – even those who seem to have it all together.
They were then informed of a free, 24/7 crisis text hotline 741-741. By texting “HOME” to this number a Crisis Counselor will be available to talk about anything users may be struggling with.
The experience of losing her best friend to suicide is one Foster speaks about in her set more solemnly than the rest of her content, which includes bits like the Amazon Alexa smart speaker being a “gateway to threesomes” with hearing another woman’s voice being told to turn the lights off in the bedroom. She also confidently delivered bits covering her divorce from her husband of two years, celebrating three years of sobriety and coming out as queer at 35.
Foster was also accompanied by two hilarious comedians Vandy Beth Glenn and Xazmin Garza, both women, making the room filled with sorority women seem more relatable. Foster was a sorority woman in college herself, a Zeta Tau Alpha at Texas Tech University.
Comic Glenn joked about marrying her fiancée to become a “participation trophy wife,” holding attention with a purposefully awkward composure.
Garza also poked fun at herself, joking that she was waiting until catcallers start fetishizing flatter rear ends, joking that pancake emojis should start being used to describe them instead of peaches. She even imitated one catcaller calling out to her saying she was “serving breakfast all day!”
Garza carried out her entire set with a vibrant, animated and comfortable stage presence that translated into many uproars of laughter from her audience.
Foster reported that her and her team being “the only new face[s] in the room is a really good thing when you’re talking about something as difficult as suicide.” By design, this tour would speak to groups of women already comfortable with one another, meeting them “right where they are” and opening up communication about said difficult subjects.
She reported that her “secret weapon for everything in life has been [her] humor.”
The Society of Valued Minds, a community of like-minded people affected by various mental health conditions, sponsored the Kennesaw State stop along the “Without Rhyme Nor Reason” tour, along with four other stops.
For more information regarding the “Without Rhyme Nor Reason” tour visit online or follow their Instagram @WithoutRhymeNorReason.
