Weinberg senior Ajay Singhvi wanted to leave his mark on Northwestern by putting on a stand-up comedy show. After Singhvi organized initial plans earlier this year, caNUstandUP, NU’s first stand-up competition, brought in nearly 150 students to the Norris Gathering Place Saturday night, donating proceeds to the Indo-American Center .
The show was run in an Apollo-style format, allowing the audience members to boo performers they didn’t like off stage.
“We want audience interaction; they’re the main factor,” Singhvi said. “They decide if the show goes on.”
Singhvi was the emcee of the show, introducing each of the nine contestants, including Sit and Spin comedians, Rooftop comedian Jory Pomeranz and outgoing Mee-Ow member Jack Novak.
Pomeranz, who started performing comedy mainly this year, said he wasn’t really nervous beforehand.
“I have a lot of friends in the audience,” he said. “When people you know come to support you, you don’t really get too nervous.”
The Asian Pacific American Coalition-sponsored event was judged by three faculty members: Professors Tom Bozza, Michael Bailey and Renee Engeln-Maddox. The faculty decided the three finalists would be sophomore Dan Siegel , junior Isabelle Esposito and freshman Aaron Eisenberg.
The audience members then voted by cheering for their favorite finalist. Siegel was declared champion.
“I just feel really appreciative that people came out to support us,” Siegel said.
Giving its audience the power to boo an act off stage, caNUstandUP had a rough crowd. Many acts were booed during their routine, and a few were booed off stage before having the chance to finish.
“The way that it’s set up, you can’t blame the audience,” Siegel said. “Booing is what they were encouraged to do.”
Weinberg sophomore Elliot Reichert went to support his friend Pomeranz, who got booed off stage three minutes into his routine.
“I think the Apollo style was harsh on the comedians,” Reichert said. “The booing really discouraged people from continuing. Jory didn’t get through his material because of it.”
Pomeranz, who had success at the Rooftop Comedy Competition in Winter Quarter, said there were some technical problems with the venue. Throughout the show, audience members complained they couldn’t see or hear the contestants very well.
But their complaints did not hinder the audience members from actively participating, Pomeranz said.
“It was definitely a character-building experience,” he said. “I don’t think people appreciate it as much when one person gets on stage and performs.”
Regardless of the crowd, Singhvi was happy he accomplished putting on caNUstandUP.
“The crowd was very tough,” he said, “but I really appreciated all the contestants performing. It takes a lot of bravery to get up there.”
