CUAB brings back tradition of homecoming comedy show

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the price of tickets. After Oct. 16, the price will increase to $8 and then $10. Tickets open to the general public Oct. 24.

This year’s Carolina Homecoming Weekend just got a little funnier.

The Carolina Union Activities Board announced Monday that comedians DeRay Davis and Chris Redd will be giving an 80 minute comedy show in Memorial Hall at 7 p.m. Thursday Nov. 3.

Junior Ashley Westbrook, CUAB concert committee co-chairperson, said the event will cost $30,000.

Sophomore Jordan Bermudez, CUAB concert committee co-chairperson, said CUAB made the decision to host the Homecoming Comedy Show last spring.

“CUAB was known for their comedy shows,” Bermudez said. “It’s been a tradition that kind of faded away, so we wanted to bring back the tradition of doing comedy shows.”

Westbrook said she and Bermudez began the process of choosing comedians in May. She said they started with a list of more than 30 comedians from Summit Comedy, a comedy entertainment supplier.

“(Summit Comedy) filtered us a list based on budget, availability and if they’re actually popular with the college crowd,” Bermudez said.

DeRay Davis is known for “Barbershop” and “Barbershop 2: Back in Business”. Westbrook said Chris Redd, known for his role in “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”, talks about sleeping a lot in his comedy. She said she expects the humor, which is intended for a mature crowd, to be relatable to college students.

First-year Max Wooten said he loves comedy and would be interested in attending the show, but knows little to nothing about Homecoming.

“I’m just kind of surprised I didn’t know about all the other stuff that happens around Homecoming,” Wooten said. “I didn’t know there was anything besides football.”

Sophomore chemistry major Spencer Cooke said he attended the Homecoming football game last year.

“It just kind of makes you feel kind of connected to a good community in a way, like all the alumni are back,” he said. “It’s just kind of a nice and cheerful feeling on campus. You’ve got the Homecoming court. It kind of feels in a way like high school, but it’s on the next level. It’s in college, you know.”

Cooke said he did not know there were Homecoming events outside the football game, but would be interested in buying a ticket to the comedy show.

Bermudez said she expects to see variety in DeRay Davis’ act. She said she hopes CUAB can continue to host comedy shows.

“I hope it is well-received, and students enjoy having the option of a comedy show,” she said.

Tickets will cost $5 for students until Oct. 16. After that, the price will increase to $8 and then $10. Tickets open to the general public Oct. 24.

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