Tanya Vora doesn't wing anything. Before her first open mic in July 2023, she recorded herself practicing in her closet, showed up at The Attic early to visualize the stage, and went ninth on the lineup so she wouldn't have to go first. She also Googled what a "tight five" was the week before — because she thought it meant five jokes. She was wrong. She was also great. The comic who followed her, Chris Toiloi, told the room he couldn't believe it was her first time.

In this episode of First Mic, Tanya sits down with Ira Cross at Rehab Tavern to talk about moving from Startup Weekend pitch competitions into stand-up, running Brats (the women-centered mic at Space Bar), building Spice Up (her live show where comics interview chefs while the audience eats), the Picasso theory of why year-one comics aren't supposed to be polished yet, and the one thing every headliner she's ever asked said made their career.

🎙️ First Mic is the podcast where Columbus comedians share the story of their first time on stage — the bombs, the lessons, and the moment they got hooked.

📍 Recorded at Rehab Tavern — shout out for hosting us.

🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every Thursday.

🎙️ Follow Tanya:

Instagram/TikTok: @tanya.vohra

YouTube: Tanya Vohra

Spice Up: @spiceupeats

Mic: @bratscomedy