Araceli Macias
Staff Writer
Comedian Mike Brody created a boisterous environment of laughter for a group of over 20 students for a two-hour comedy set Sept. 23 outside Citrus Hall.
Brody’s energetic personality and constant eye contact with the audience kept people engaged throughout his act.
His enthusiasm during the whole act combined with his loud voice caused some of the students getting food from the dining hall to stop and watch him for a bit.
He spoke directly with some members of the audience and asked them what their experience at the University is like.
He also described what growing up in Iowa was like and why people from Iowa get bad press.
Brody walked around the stage and used his whole body to recreate stories or describe his jokes.
He joked about his parents, attending college and even feces.
He ended the set by thanking the audience and walking off stage.
He even got some acclaims from the students as he made his way back to his car.
Brody said he had been performing comedy for 21 years and explained why he enjoyed performing comedy.
“The thing I love about comedy is it’s different every time, even different colleges are totally different,” Brody said.
He also said he started writing comedy by majoring in journalism at the University of Iowa.
“Being a journalism major helped me with getting my writing in order,” Brody said.
He said that although he enjoyed being funny in print journalism, performing in front of an audience brought him instant joy.
“There’s like a buzz that you get from doing comedy,” Brody said.
He also explained that although he writes most of his jokes, he also enjoys writing with his wife.
“There’s always a lot of collaboration with comedy but who you are on stage is who you are,” Brody said.
He said there is a lot of traveling required.
“To be a comic you have to be okay with being alone,” Brody said.
He said he has traveled across many states. Last week he was in Kentucky and would be leaving for Minnesota for his next show.
“There’s a lot of solitude that people don’t realize,” Brody said.
Tatiana Fakhoury, sophomore psychology major and campus activity board member, was in charge of organizing the event.
“I feel like everyone’s settling back into school and everyone’s stressed out, so I feel like having a comedian makes everyone feel a little better,” Fakhoury said.
As comedy chair for CAB, she shared her excitement to bring other entertainers to campus and even hopes to bring a hypnotist.
“Hopefully I can get that but I can do a bunch of stuff, I’m not limited to (only getting) a comedian,” Fakhoury said.
She said she was happy to be hosting events back in-person.
“This is in person and everyone can come out, so it’s cool,” Fahkourly said.
Yulissa Chavez, junior communications major and CAB major events co-chair, said holding events in person this semester has been a different experience.
“It’s been really different, behind the scenes the planning is a lot more than online,” Chavez said.
She said that having a comedian speak on campus has been successful in the past and they want to give students an opportunity to spend time with their friends.
Some of the students present shared their experience with on-campus events this semester and their thoughts on the comedy night.
“He was very enthusiastic and engaging with the crowd,” Natalia Viera, sophomore economics major, said.
She said she ended up meeting two new friends at the event and encouraged other students to get out of their comfort zone.
“I’m a commuter, so it’s pretty easy for me to just go to my classes and then just go home and not socialize, but I know it’s healthy for me to meet new people,” Viera said.
One of the new friends she made, Alexa Cardenas, sophomore accounting major, also said she was glad she came out.
“I try to do an event once a week because I’m a commuter as well,” Cardenas said.
Araceli Macias can be reached at araceli.macias@laverne.edu.
William Zeus Hardy, a senior photography major, is a staff photographer for the Campus Times. His work can also be found at williamhardy.mypixieset.com.
