In a world of male-dominated stand-up, Femme Drop brings a fusion of feminism and comedy to Tucson.
“The spotlight has always been on the male performers, and it creates so much unseen talent,” Amy Gabusi said.
Gabusi founded Femme Drop in 2023 to help platform women and femme-presenting performers and now runs it with the help of her business partner Holly Hilton.
Their group is the only traditional stand-up show that performs at the Tucson Improv Theatre. The show takes place every third Friday of the month.
On a recent Friday night, a dimly lit stage spotlighted by a fluorescent blue light sets an intimate and laid back ambience for the audience, who quietly await the curtains to draw. The hour-long show consists of consecutive seven-minute segments performed by women comics hand selected by Gabusi and Hilton.
“It’s major sleepover vibes,” Gabusi said. “Picture snacks, wine and laughs with your friends.”
The show is deeply rooted in inclusivity and all kinds of female-presenting individuals are welcome, she said.
Gabusi describes the comedy style as “pouring paint over a basketball.”
“It starts at a singular point, the story spreads out, and then it all comes back together at the end,” she said.
Performers from the Femme Drop group pose with Holly Hilton (which one is she?) at the Tucson Improv Theatre in Tucson, Ariz. on March 21, 2026. All comics pictured performed a seven-minute stand up set.
Tamara Cothin is a local comedian who has performed at the Femme Drop events for more than two years.
“Its so nice to have a safe space to perform and not have to listen to hecklers and a bunch of sexist jokes,” she said. “It’s such a laid back audience and everyone is really inclusive.”
Gabusi partnered with Justin Lukasewicz, owner of the Tucson Improv theater, to make Femme Drop a permanently occurring show in 2023.
“We noticed early on that we had a lot of females performing at the time, which was really different from the rest of the comedy world,” Lukasewicz said. “I felt like we were always trying to find a way to highlight how awesome they are.”
The group performs once a month at the Tucson Improvement Theatre located at 414 E. Ninth St. Tickets are $9 a person and can be purchased online or at the door.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
