Local stand-up comic Sara Poulin has a lot going on.

Sometimes she’s doing a little bit of everything for a podcast called Lydia’s Lunch Bunch. Other times she’s out with ukulele in hand performing live music — music she’s written herself, mind you — for the masses.

More often still, she’s up on the stage with microphone in hand hoping to tickle the ribs of local audiences who have come to expect great comedy in the Lewiston-Auburn area.

Of course, many people know her as the co-host of The Breakfast Club on WIGY with her comedic partner Mark Turcotte.

The Auburn woman has been involved in comedy in one form or another pretty much all of her life. But is it at times still terrifying to be out on that stage alone? Do hecklers have their say from time to time? How did this whole foray into comedy start to begin with?

We had questions for Sara and she was gracious enough to answer them. Here’s what she has to say about her time in the local comedy scene.

How did you get into comedy? Growing up as a kid I would watch “I Love Lucy” and “The Carol Burnett Show” with my mom. I remember thinking how much I loved hearing my mom laugh, and how funny those two women were. Their physicality and timing and delivery were perfect. I wanted to make people laugh like that. Later as a teen I really became a stand-up comedy fan, admiring Janeane Garofalo and Paula Poundstone. Both clever writers and great stage presence, and I became a writer and an entertainer myself. I’ve performed in bands, done musical theater and stage productions, and done lots of public speaking. 

I started comedy about three years ago when I began making New Year’s resolutions to try three scary or challenging things before the end of the year. I went white water rafting, ran a tough mountain challenge, and tried an adult ed class in comedy writing. 

What’s the hardest part of doing what you do? Most people are surprised when I say that stand-up comedy was scary for me, especially knowing that I sing and do theater. The difference though is that stand-up is done all alone. There isn’t anyone there to look to if you forget a line or a song lyric. You are your only lifeline and if your jokes aren’t authentic and truthful to who you are, people can tell and it becomes less funny. There is a lot of pressure there to get it right.

The class was a good starting point. I learned the basics of writing a joke and got to connect with other comics. From there it’s just practice practice practice. There are absolutely no shortcuts in comedy. Put in the work, write and rewrite, and hit open mics until it comes together. That’s the hardest part, finding the time to do the work, especially if you have a family or a full-time job.  

What’s the funnest? The sound of people laughing is the best part. And getting another comic to laugh is how you know you did a good job. Most of the time you might get a chuckle or a head nod, but not a real belly laugh. If you can get that from another comic you’ve got something.  

How do you handle hecklers? Hecklers are tough, it depends on where you are in the lineup. It’s been my experience — though I’ve never been heckled myself — that if the first comic ignores, then the heckler usually gives up. They get that the show isn’t about them. I’ve seen crowds turn on hecklers too. Where they just want them to be quiet so that everyone else can enjoy the show. If people talk to me, I’ll engage, but I haven’t ever lost control of the conversation with a “heckler.” When I’m done talking to them it’s pretty clear to them. 

What do you find funny that shouldn’t be funny? I laugh the hardest at absurd things, and at Instagram reels with cats overreacting to things. For some reason those get me every time. 

When you’re not out there doing your act, what are you up to? I have a full-time job and a college-age kid and a podcast that I do at Lydia Media called Lydia’s Lunch Bunch. I write and I perform music with my ukulele when I can. In the summer months I’m somewhere on the water and in the spring and fall I’m in the woods. 

Got any shows, websites or anything at all you’d like to plug? In December I have shows on the books for 12/13 at Smitty’s in Windham, 12/20 at Archie’s in Parsonsfield, 12/21 at The Comedy Mill in Biddeford, 12/31 at McCues Comedy Club in Portsmouth, N.H. I’ve got some private Christmas parties this month and I’ll pick up a show here or there if I get a call. I’m taking it easy this month.