Ryan Higgins, a comedian, tells a joke at a Nourish NCSU comedy show in Talley Student Union Thursday. This comedy show is in a series of three hosted by Nourish NCSU this semester. Their goal is to raise money to help combat extreme global poverty. " />
Amrita Malur
Ryan Higgins, a comedian, tells a joke at a Nourish NCSU comedy show in Talley Student Union Thursday. This comedy show is in a series of three hosted by Nourish NCSU this semester. Their goal is to raise money to help combat extreme global poverty.
Comedians at the Nourish International Comedy Show in Talley Student Union last Thursday did not hold back during their performances, joking about drugs, race and many other personal life experiences. For over an hour and a half, the crowd was laughing, smiling and sometimes had their jaws dropped at the hysterical, outrageous content coming from the stage.
This was the first show of the semester, and featured four comics and the host, Vishal Krishnasami, a third-year studying business administration and finance. The lineup of comedians included Dejahzh Hendrick, Alex Garretson, Ryan Higgins and the headliner, Eric Trundy.
These comedians are all North Carolina performers who perform in cities such as Raleigh, Greensboro and Chapel Hill. They consider Goodnights Comedy Club, located about five minutes from campus, as a hub of comedic relief.
The comedians discussed their love of the energy of the audience on Thursday night. They explained that the students were on board with all of the jokes and the understood context in which they were being said.
“What I love about college students is that you can get really absurd and silly with them,” Higgins said.
The comedians encouraged students to continue to attend local comedy shows.
“Comedy is probably the most intimate form of art,” Trundy said. “But, there’s nothing like a live performance. You’ll see something you’ll never see again and everyone got a unique personal experience.”
Perhaps what makes Nourish International Comedy Shows shine is their ability to present comedy in a live manner, an idea Higgins reinforces.
“I wish people knew that stand-up is always better live. You can’t recreate the energy of the moment,” Higgins said.
Krishnasami worked with Zafir Alam, a third-year studying human biology, to create an especially funny show. Alam helps run NC State’s chapter of Nourish International.
“Nourish is a student organization here on campus,” Alam said. “We run conscious business ventures to bring cultural value. We use all funds we raise for the international project. All the different chapters have a partner, we are partnered with the Sehgal Foundation.”
Alam discussed that though comedy does not align with Nourish International’s goal of ending poverty, it still helps their organization raise money and awareness in order to achieve their overall mission. In addition, he explained that the comedy show is not just a fundraiser, but its own distinguished event.
“We try to think about what kind of value we can bring to campus like with our comedy show,” Alam said. “The comedy show brings value because we’re introducing something new. A lot of students don’t know about the comedy scene.”
Alam also discussed how NC State’s chapter of Nourish International is diverging from the mold that has been set by the national organization.
“Our on campus presence doesn’t necessarily focus on poverty because we have tried to branch out and become more of a cultural entity and a fun, quirky club,” Alam said. “I think a comedy show is a great way to create that perception. Up until now we’ve followed the mold. We are trying to think of new ideas about how we can become interesting culturally on campus and about our presence on campus.”
Alam encourages anyone who is interested to come to their next meeting on Wednesday, which is a general body meeting at 8 p.m. in the Student Involvement Suite in Talley Student Union.
NC State’s chapter of Nourish International offers comedy shows to give students a place to unwind with the therapeutic art of comedy, all while giving back to the community. The next comedy show will be on Oct. 24.