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Music, mood lighting and free food greeted students filtering into the Schine Underground Thursday night, all with the promise of a laugh in their future. On a small stage with a stool and microphone, looking out over rows upon rows of occupied chairs, the last comedian of the night — senior Macy Aiken — drew laughs while joking about what might get her canceled.

“I always get the nerves, but then the first laugh hits, and after that it just kind of rolls and you get comfortable,” Aiken said. “The more comfortable you are, the funnier you are.”

University Union’s School of Comics hosted seven comedians Thursday night, including host Liz Crandall, a Syracuse University junior. Each comic had around eight minutes to perform, and Crandall introduced each with their Tinder bio. The sets varied from impressions and “yo mama” jokes by Wyatt Humpf to a monologue based on “pee-shyness” by Daniel Saligman. Other performers included sophomore Tim Wong, senior Zach Nemirovsky and sophomore Leon Jacobson.

Nemirovsky said during his stand-up routine that comedy, especially open mic events, is the only profession that allows people to fail and learn live on stage. Crandall said she experienced failing live on stage during her first time performing at a UU comedy show two years ago. Despite the reaction, she loved being on stage so much that she knew comedy was the career path for her.

Now, Crandall introduced newer comedy talents at a school-sponsored event. She said it can give them a bigger platform than more underground events like weekly open-mic nights at The Playground, a student-run comedy club.

When Crandall took the stage in the Underground, she noticed differences from her normal Playground setup. The room fit more people, while the Playground was more intimate.

“It can feel like you’re bombing even if you’re not bombing,” Crandall said. “It’s hard when you’re up there to not be like, ‘Why aren’t people laughing?’”

Maddy de Vera is a student show coordinator for UU and played a significant role in planning the event. She coordinated brand collaborations and activities like custom patchwork trucker hats. UU received many applications to participate in School of Comics, mostly from frequent performers at The Playground.

Stella Ballman | Contributing Photographer

Syracuse University junior Liz Crandall hosted University Union’s School of Comics event. She introduced each of the student comics with their Tinder bio.

De Vera said comedians don’t necessarily need a lot of experience, as some watch or participate in Live from Studio B, an Orange Television Network comedy show. UU’s budget, however, created a bigger platform for comedians.

“The Playground is a lot of the same people every week, and it’s more niche; if you’re interested in it, you’ll know about it,” de Vera said. “But everyone knows UU on campus, so when they advertise, it brings in a larger audience.”

This was Aiken’s second year participating in the UU show. While the event is high-pressure, she said UU goes “above and beyond” for the comedians involved. She felt more professional by being surrounded by high-level comedians.

Eden Yaloz, a fellow student show coordinator at UU and organizer of The Playground, described The Playground and the UU comedy show as parts of a robust student comedy scene at SU.

Yaloz said SU students aren’t scared of being themselves and are accepting of others doing the same. The experience of performing on the larger stage of a UU event can validate a student comedian’s talent and give them the confidence to continue.

“Standing up on a stage and telling jokes is a very vulnerable experience, because if nobody laughs, you have a silent crowd, and that’s awkward,” Yaloz said. “So it takes a lot of guts to go up there and use your own material.”

Crandall also said the SU comedy scene is very supportive. She attributed the community to the comedy opportunities available through the Newhouse School of Public Communications and others like American High, a popular student production company.

While stand-up comedy sometimes creates anxiety for Crandall as she compares her skills to those of her peers, the rush of performing on stage keeps her coming back for more.

“When I’m up there, I kind of become this character of myself, where I’m no longer Liz Crandall, but I’m this caricature of Liz Crandall who is there to make people laugh,” Crandall said.

Published on October 18, 2024 at 11:54 am