Comedian Mike Yard usually gets nervous before going on stage in front of a large audience. That wasn’t the case on Tuesday night at the Owl Cove in Mitten Hall.
Due to event scheduling conflicts, comedians “Sugar” Sean Riley, Cory Fernandez and Yard performed for only eight students, as part of the fourth and final night of the Comedy Cabaret.
Prior to the show, Program Coordinator Arnold Boyd said he was confident that attendance would be good.
“We are encouraged that we are going to get at least 50 people in here,” said Boyd. “Folks know about the event, and I think they will come out tonight.”
Unfortunately, the numbers did not quite add up for the Student Activity coordinators, mostly due to the Temple vs. Arizona State basketball game at the Liacouras Center, which was being played at the same time only yards away.
“I would like to thank all of the chairs for coming out tonight,” Fernandez said. In general, the punch lines of the comedians’ jokes seemed to be more about the lack of attendance than anything else.
“We need to be, as programmers, more conscious about what is going on elsewhere on campus,” Program Coordinator Richard Kopp said. “We are only shooting ourselves in the foot by scheduling the shows during other big ticketed events. If we aren’t competing, then everyone can get the best bang for their buck.”
One benefit of the small audience was Yard’s opportunity to speak to students on a much more personal basis. Yard spoke directly to the students, the student activity coordinators, and even the staff working the event in the Owl Cove.
The Office of Student Activities advertised Comic Tuesdays for the past two years as free nights of laughs, friends, and fun for Temple Students. The Comedy Cabaret was fashioned out of Comic Tuesdays into a four-series event that ran over the course of fall semester.
The Owl Cove had all the makings of a comedy club for the Cabaret, according to Boyd. At 8 p.m., DJ D4 spun records on the turntables; the Owl Cove operators dimmed the house lights, and shined the stage lights.
“We have the entire ambiance that is needed to make a great performance,” Boyd said.
Mike Yard, who began his career more than 10 years ago in 1993, has appeared on BET’s Comicview and Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam, along with live gigs in clubs from Boston to Los Angeles.
“They say after you hit 10 years you become a real comedian, and I’m starting to see that now,” Yard said. “I’m not afraid to take chances. I’ll go out there and stretch the boundaries. I’m not afraid to have a conversation from the stage with someone who has a difference of opinion.”
“Sugar” Sean Riley, who has been performing for nine months, was introduced by Boyd as an up-and-coming comedian.
“I want to make as many people laugh as I can anywhere and everywhere that I possibly can,” Riley said.
Riley said his best work has always been done in the bathroom.
Kim Stutzman can be reached at kstutz@temple.edu.
Be the first to comment