What do you get when put together a microphone, some UCLA students and a stage? The answer: pure Shenanigans.
This Friday in Kerckhoff Grand Salon at 9 p.m., The Shenanigans Comedy Club will host a live comedy show titled “Wait, were you always funny?” The lineup features up-and-coming comedians in the industry such as Jamar Malachi Neighbors (“Tosh.0,” “Loiter Squad”), Sherwin Arae (The Laugh Factory’s Fresh Faces), Aaron Weaver (Snubfest) and Melissa Villasenor (“America’s Got Talent”). Alongside the professionals, UCLA students from Shenanigans will also take the stage and show off some material.
Shenanigans was started earlier this school year as UCLA’s stand-up comedy club by first-year political science student Charlie Cheon, who, because of time constraints, could not continue as president. Rather than let the club die, first-year computer science student Austin Nasso stepped up to take over the group.
Nasso said that it has been a goal of his to build credibility for the club over the past year in an attempt to popularize the group and attain more funding to put on shows for the students to perform in and master the craft of stand-up comedy.
“When I joined as a third signatory, I took control and started making people do more things,” Nasso said. “Then the other signatories had to quit and I inherited it. I inherited the fortune of Shenanigans and re-birthed it.”
Similarly, first-year English student Natalie Harris said she has spent her time in the club not to craft her stand-up comedy, but rather to work on her improvisation and management skills.
“I’m really excited about doing improv and performing on stage,” Harris said. “I want to be an event coordinator when I grow up, and part of that is giving speeches and MCing events. Being part of a stand-up club really teaches you how to work a room.”
The club, which is recruiting, encourages anyone to attend the club meetings. Nasso said the club is a no-judgment zone and a supporting group is something that is essential to learning the craft.
“The club is really important because there’s no other outlet for stand-up comedy on campus,” Nasso said. “If you’re nervous, but you really want to get into stand-up comedy, it’s good to go into a community where you can practice and have people to go to open mics with because otherwise it can be really intimidating.”
First-year English student Nathan Mosher, who will be performing Friday evening, said being inherently funny is not a prerequisite for doing comedy. He said true humor comes from observing and spinning ironic things around in a funny way.
“Don’t take things seriously. A comedian will see a funny mistake and push it further to make it into this whole back-and-forth joke. And when you start looking for that, you’ll totally see it,” Mosher said. “Everyone is funny. If you can say stuff, you can be funny.”
Similarly, first-year economics student Chris Valenzuela, who typically performs at The Improv Space, said he draws on social awkwardness and observations as inspiration for his jokes.
“I like really cheesy punch lines. I draw a lot from my social awkwardness; like I keep this notebook with me, and whenever something happens, instead of complaining about it, I write it down and make it funny later,” Valenzuela said.
Nasso said he hopes the show Friday night will prove to be a steppingstone for the club as UCLA students join professionals on stage.
“I hope the show tonight is a success so I can get more funding for the future,” Nasso said. “I want to make opportunities for more shows in the future, and I want people to know that Shenanigans is the (premier) comedy club on campus.”
Valenzuela said he expects “Wait, were you always funny?” to run about an hour and 40 minutes. He said the show will be a rapid-fire entertainment experience as the comedians all do their bits.
The guests, including Villasenor and Neighbors, all agreed to perform for free in support of the comedy club. The performances will feature a variety of impressions, self-deprecating jokes, ironic observations and punchy one-liners.
One joke shared among the comedians of Shenanigans is about the financial uncertainty of the profession, but their passion for humor often trumps those anxieties.
Mosher said he discovered this passion unexpectedly when he was studying to be a surgeon, and the decision has completely changed his path at UCLA.
“I went to a work-shadow program because I wanted to be a surgeon, and this surgeon gave me this long lecture about being successful, and he said you have to have zero doubts to be a surgeon,” Mosher said. “Whatever thing you can picture yourself doing instead of surgery, even if it’s just a sliver, you have to do that. So I did stand-up, and I loved it.”