They say laughter is the best medicine, and Student Activities, alongside other campus sponsors, want to prescribe a free night of crowd work and stand-up to the campus. Comic JR De Guzman will be cracking jokes for students, faculty, staff and alumni at the Chiles Center on Sept. 26 at 8 p.m., in a free event for UP community members.
In an Instagram post from Sept. 16, Student Activities launched a “guess-who” silhouette of someone holding a guitar.
With just a few hints, three guessers secured backstage passes to meet De Guzman, according to Director of Student Activities Jeromy Koffler.
De Guzman, who won Stand-up NBC in 2016 and has a Netflix special, is known for his crowdwork and improvisation. De Guzman will be the first comic in 20 years to perform stand-up on The Bluff, according to Koffler.
To gain entrance, UP community members must show their university IDs at the doors. Alumni can show their nametags from Homecoming and Family Weekend, which takes place the same weekend as the event. The event is not open to the public, according to Koffler.
The comedy night features first-come, first-serve seating, with 1,800 seats available in the Chiles Center. Bags larger than 12-by-12-by-6 inches are prohibited, according to Koffler.
While the event is led by Student Activities, Koffler says co-sponsors like Residence Life and Athletics also belong to the event’s committee, known as DIVE IN.
According to Koffler, DIVE IN was formed to increase new and returning students’ excitement for the beginning of the semester.
Additionally, the event is funded by the Beckman Humor Project, a fundraiser inspired by Brian Doyle’s legacy, according to Koffler.
Ultimately, Koffler is hopeful De Guzman will be able to use humor to meaningfully connect with students.
“I think we pushed our chips in with a comedian who can improvise, who can read the room, who can understand what’s funny and what’s not, and be jovial and play with the audience and… hopefully is going to help us start this tradition on the right track,” Koffler said.
Camille Kuroiwa-Lewis is the Editor-in-Chief of The Beacon. She can be reached at kuroiwal26@up.edu.
