Nearly immobilized in 2022, musical comedian Meg Buzza lands on stage in Amsterdam
Three years ago, Meg Buzza was in extreme pain and chronically exhausted from what was later diagnosed as Long Covid. She was often unable to get out of bed and consumed by months of uncertainty, but through sheer grit and willpower she is now living out her dream as a professional improv actress in Amsterdam.
“I never thought I would get better. I never thought I would get out of bed, and now I’m a full-time comedian in Amsterdam. That’s just insane,” Buzza told the Dam Yankee podcast, produced in association with NL Times.
The California native is trained in a range of dance styles including modern, hip hop, and house. She tried her hand as a professional dancer on the stages of New York City, where she fought her way through the grind of auditioning over and over again. Eventually, she returned to the entertainment world in Los Angeles, where success is tied to constantly trying to garner attention in the competitive L.A. scene.
But Buzza’s life took a dramatic turn in June 2022 when a mysterious illness left her bedridden with pain, chest pressure, and difficulty breathing. Even after months of return visits to emergency rooms and specialists, doctors provided little home, she told Dam Yankee host Zack Newmark. She tried every alternative treatment available and faced what she describes as “suicidal depression," feeling forced to move from Los Angeles back to her parents' home in the Bay Area north of San Francisco.
Her recovery, she says, is rooted in a decade-long practice of Nichiren Buddhism, which is founded on a philosophy of "never give up" and "unlimited outcomes," she said. And ploughing her path in New York and Los Angeles showed her she had what it takes to tackle toughs situations.
“Is illness the cause of unhappiness? No. It’s being defeated by illness that causes unhappiness,” she explained. This mindset was crucial in helping her overcome the periods of depression that often accompany chronic illness, replacing hopelessness with the clear, daily decision to live and find a meaningful way forward.
The recovery continued with a visit to the Netherlands in August 2024 to see her god-sister in Haarlem. Attending an improv comedy show at Boom Chicago, Buzza realized there was a way to pursue two of her dreams at the same time: a return to the stage as a professional comedian, and to try building a life in a new country.
At that show, she instantly declared, "That's for me. That's what I'm gonna do," marking the beginning of her fight for a spot on the cast. Her firm resolve and unwillingness to quit gave her the tenacity to keep pounding at the doors of the Amsterdam theater, until she finally got the news she could take one of three vacancies that opened up earlier this year.
So she walked away from the famed comedy group, Upright Citizens Brigade, and landed in the Dutch capital, which has provided Buzza with a sense of safety and creative freedom. “It feels like a big college town, very mobile, very accessible. I can bike home at night without being harassed,” she said. She also said Dutch audiences, initially feared to be tough, have been welcoming.
Critically, the long-term effects of her illness, which caused a serious spike in her heart rate upon standing, forced a fundamental change in her comedic style. As a dancer, she had always been a physical comic, but her limitations required her to sit, slow down, and listen more, transforming her approach and giving "birth to a new creative experience".
Now, Buzza’s one-woman show that she has planned at Boom Chicago, will draw from her experiences with chronic illness, exploring resilience, self-acceptance, and joy despite physical limitations. “If I can’t change my body, how can I change my relationship with it?” she said. “When you become obsessed with healing, it can actually keep you sicker longer. I finally decided, ‘Screw this. I’m not going to be embroiled in this illness anymore.’ I’m going to cultivate what joy I can with the physical capacity I have.”
Listen to this entire episode of Dam Yankee on all major podcast platforms, or watch the full videos on YouTube. Buzza speaks extensively about her Buddhist practice, life in Amsterdam, and uncertainty about moving back to the U.S.
She also discusses her presence on social media, particularly her Instagram account and her website, and how that has shaped her work at Boom Chicago.
