Comedians are a staple of UC Live, as they are the most common events that they host. They have invited comedic magicians, singers and more. One that they invited was Jamie Shriner, who performed her set for the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater on Nov. 7.
Shriner went to school for musical theater. After graduating, she moved to Chicago to find work. After constantly being told she would be hirable when she is older, Shriner turned to comedy. Originally, she performed normal sets. But after being inspired by musical comedians such as Bo Burnham and Rachel Bloom, she started incorporating songs into her sets.
“I kind of just started to branch out and meet people who were songwriters and comedians, and through my relationships with them, I got to go to different showcases and open mic nights,” said Shriner. “I was like ‘Oh this seems like a really fun opportunity to get to write my own character.’”
A popular theme that Shriner incorporated in her show and songs was dating and relationships. She sang and told jokes about how her dating life has been in the last few years and the complications that came with it. She sang songs, rapped and performed different acts to entertain the crowd.
Shriner also engaged with the audience quite a bit, asking them questions before bursting into song. It allowed the audience to become more involved with the show.
“I liked how light-hearted it was,” said freshman Nathan Droske. “It was all that I was expecting a comedy show to be. It was the first comedy show I’ve ever been to, so it definitely left a good impression.”
Comedians have been coming to UW-Whitewater for years, and each time they bring lots of laughs to students who are usually always busy with their classes and schoolwork. It is a nice time to sit back and relax while watching someone do comedy.
“The students really enjoy it,” said UC Live intern Lorelai Allison. “You can tell when studies are kind of getting you down, something you need is just a good laugh, and the students really love it. It is really fun when they engage with the audience. It’s always a good time.”
There are only three Thursday night events left for the semester. On Nov. 14, vocal instrumentalist SungBeats is coming to UW-W to perform. Next, on Nov. 21, UC Live is hosting an UNO tournament, and finally, on Dec. 5, they are hosting a karaoke night.
UC Live hosts events in the Down Under every Thursday. These events range from comedians and musicians to trivia and karaoke nights. They also host art workshops every few weeks in the Warhawk Connection Center. UC Live always has events going on throughout each semester, so make sure to check out their website here.
