Comedians Mary Beth Barone and Wally Baram took the stage at A&O Production’s sold-out fall speaker event Wednesday. They recently starred in “Overcompensating,” a Prime Video hit comedy-drama series about college students struggling to fit in, released in May.
The event opened with a stand-up performance by Communication senior Ainslie Wilson, who called “Overcompensating” her show of the year and Barone and Baram two of her inspirations.
“As a woman in comedy, seeing people who really aren’t that much older than me being so successful in multiple forms of media is really exciting,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s set was followed by individual comedy sets from Barone and Baram and a Q&A session moderated by Wilson.
Barone, who plays a college junior in “Overcompensating,” drew from audience interactions, asking about NU’s political culture and talking to audience members about friendship breakups. She spoke about her own politics and how she navigated dying her hair for her role in the show.
“It was like a totally different lifestyle,” Barone said. “I do think blondes have more fun because nothing is expected of them. Brunettes, we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We’re expected to read, we’re expected to vote. It was a wonderful year; no one expected I was going to do any of those things.”
Speaking about the challenges of touring as a comedian, Barone compared NU to her experiences performing at various college campuses. She also talked about preparing for her upcoming Netflix comedy special, “Galaxy Brain,” announced earlier this month.
Baram’s set touched on mental health struggles, especially during college. She spoke about her own seasonal depression and having to “date around” to find the right antidepressant.
Baram said she was “really chaotic right now,” as she shared stories of getting fired for burping on a Zoom call, being hospitalized after accidentally eating rat poison and vomiting while skydiving on a first date.
“Stay in college, or you might accidentally eat some rat poison, although I bet they don’t teach you that,” Baram said.
During the Q&A section, Baram and Barone played a game dubbed “Overcompensating or not,” in which Wilson showed a series of images including blue Takis, Colleen Hoover books, going to NU and Bella Swan and Edward Cullen’s baby from Twilight. She then asked Baram and Barone to debate whether the things were overcompensating, undercompensating or just right.
The event had one of A&O Productions’ best turnouts, selling out the McCormick Auditorium in Norris University Center, which has a capacity of approximately 360.
“I wasn’t able to sell out a show before (“Overcompensating”), and now, I’m touring, and I’m so blessed also, because the people that have seen the show are always cool,” Baram said. “It’s always the girls and the gays.”
In their search for speakers, A&O has someone on the speaker’s committee reach out to agencies to see who is available and who is within the budget. Once an offer is approved, the productions committee starts negotiating with contracts.
Communication senior Caleb Mann, co-chair of A&O Productions, said in their search for speakers, they try to look for people who are up-and-coming and represent the Northwestern student body.
“I think they are on a big hit show that’s not only relevant with college students, but is also resonating with a lot of people across the country,” Mann said.
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