ARTS

‘SNL’ cast member Sasheer Zamata bringing comedy home

David Lindquist
david.lindquist@indystar.com
Sasheer Zamata will perform Sept. 6 at White Rabbit Cabaret.

It’s by design, Sasheer Zamata says, that her summer stand-up tour isn’t visiting traditional comedy clubs.

Pike High School graduate and “Saturday Night Live” cast member Zamata will perform Sept. 6 at Fountain Square’s White Rabbit Cabaret. It’s a venue known for live music and burlesque and not a room to be confused with the city’s Crackers Comedy Club, Morty’s Comedy Joint or Jokers Live.

Zamata said she aspires to connect with engaged fans on her “Whiskey on the Rocks” tour (a name selected to advise anyone interested in buying her a post-show drink).

“I really wanted to get away from the crowd that’s just looking for general comedy or just looking for ‘a time,’ ” Zamata said. “If you know about the show, it’s probably because you know me or you are a comedy fan as opposed to someone who walks into a club and says, ‘What’s happening tonight?’ ”

Zamata, 29, was known by her given name, Sasheer Moore, during her Indianapolis school days. Zamata (pronounced “Za-MATE-ah”) is her middle name, shared with her grandmother.

While Zamata’s work at “Saturday Night Live” is focused on acting in sketches and singing in short films, her stand-up centers on commentary related to her family, the way people talk about race and current events. Zamata said she wants audience members to enjoy themselves but also think.

“I don’t want it to feel like a TED talk,” she said. “I don’t want people to think that they’re going to come see my show and get a lecture. But I think the things I’m talking about shouldn’t be taboo and shouldn’t be ignored. There is a way to talk about it and still laugh.”

During a phone interview, Zamata talked with The Indianapolis Star about her local roots, her outgoing mother and her favorite “SNL” visitor:

Indiana beginning: Zamata lived in Indianapolis from age 9 to 18, when she attended College Park Elementary, Lincoln Middle School and Pike High School. “I was a huge nerd,” said Zamata, who was vice president of National Honor Society, competed in Hoosier State Spell Bowl, wrote for the literary magazine, ran track, sang in show choir and played violin in orchestra — “anything that could keep me at school because I just loved being at school.” Zamata decided to end her volleyball career during her senior year at Pike so she could try out for her first musical, a production of “Working” based on Studs Terkel’s book of the same title. “It’s what kind of gave me the itch to start acting,” Zamata said. “By the time I got to (the University of Virginia), I did more musicals and more plays and really fell into it.”

Mother’s daughter: Zamata’s mother, Indianapolis resident Ivory Steward, traveled to New York to make her daughter’s “Saturday Night Live” debut in May. As part of host Reese Witherspoon’s Mother’s Day-themed opening monologue, cast members and their moms shared a few moments onstage. Steward, who Zamata describes as “boisterous” and someone who loves attention, successfully lobbied for a line of dialogue. “She was just a star,” Zamata said. “She loved the treatment, and she should have. We were there to pamper the moms and make them feel really special.” Steward, however, won’t make it to the White Rabbit Cabaret show. “Isn’t that hilarious?” Zamata said. “She’s always complaining about how I’m never home, and then she chooses to go out of town the week that I come to town.”

Hiring hubbub: When Zamata was hired as a “Saturday Night Live” featured player in January 2014, she made countless headlines by being the show’s first black female cast member since Maya Rudolph’s departure seven years earlier. In 2013, cast members Kenan Thompson and Jay Pharoah made it known they would no longer dress in drag to portray black women. Zamata said she insulated herself from the diversity discussion. “I really took advantage of turning my phone off and disconnecting from the Internet,” Zamata said. “I tried to tune that out and let the storm pass. People talk about stuff for a while, and then they get bored and talk about something else later. I knew eventually that people would leave me alone.” Since Zamata’s hiring, Michael Che became “SNL’s” first black co-anchor of “Weekend Update,” and Leslie Jones joined Zamata as a black female featured player.

‘SNL’ favorite: Asked to name a memorable host during her “Saturday Night Live” tenure, Zamata said she was “blown away” by “Empire” actress Taraji P. Henson. “She gave 110 percent on everything she did, which is so fun and so great to have when a host is genuinely excited to be there,” Zamata said. “And she’s so talented in so many different aspects.” Zamata previously had portrayed Cookie, Henson’s “Empire” character, on “SNL,” and Henson apparently noticed. “She walked in and said, ‘Hey, Boo Boo Kitty,’ ” said Zamata, referencing a Cookie catchphrase that’s not a term of endearment. “I thought, ‘I’m dead.’ ”

Anticipating Tracy: The upcoming season of “Saturday Night Live” includes a notable host in Tracy Morgan on Oct. 17. Morgan, a member of the “SNL” cast from 1996 to 2003, will return to the spotlight 16 months after he sustained serious injuries in a car accident. “It’s definitely exciting to have an alum come back to the show,” Zamata said. “It’s also great to see Tracy get back on his feet and get back to work. We love him so much.”

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.

Sasheer Zamata

WHEN: 8 p.m. Sept. 6

WHERE: White Rabbit Cabaret, 1116 Prospect St.

TICKETS: $15.

INFO: Visit WhiteRabbitCabaret.com or call (317) 686-9550.