I dare you to listen to Katharine Jordan’s original song “Morbid O’Clock” and not laugh. She wrote it for her one-woman comedy show called “Yia-Yia Knows Best,” a peek at her life and Greek culture from the eyes of her grandmother. Katie released her show online in 2021 after the in-person Chicago debut was cancelled in March 2020 due to the pandemic. I just had to ask her about the work and the guts that went into this show, resiliency during the pandemic, portraying herself and members of her family, and about the vulnerability of being a professional actress.

Here’s what we talked about:

• Learning about ourselves and our emotions through acting
• Taking care of herself during the pandemic
• Resiliency and adaptability of artists to make things happen
• Being present onstage but also wanting the validation of the audience
• Drawing from real life to become your character
• Being proud of what’s unique to you to feel more confident
• Finding time to do what brings you joy