Last Comic Standing (Student Competition)
Iowa Memorial Union — Thursday, March 5 at 10 p.m.
University of Iowa students compete tonight for the biggest laughs in “Last Comic Standing,” a student stand-up comedy competition named after the NBC television show.
The budding stand-up comics will be judged on crowd reaction, stage presence, creativity and delivery. Contestants will be competing for a 50″ TV and the opportunity to open for a stand-up comedy show at held at the University, and among other prizes.
The quality of the comedy for the competition promises to be strong given the growing participation of students in local stand-up comedy. This semester, the university began offering a course in stand-up comedy by UI theatre professor and local stand-up Megan Gogerty, and several students comedians are involved in the local Green Gravel and Floodwater comedy festivals.
The contest will be hosted by local stand-up comic and UI alum, Tom Garland. Garland said he was glad to be participating in the kind of student comedy event that helped him get his start as a comedian.
“They were the first people to let me open for anybody,” said Garland. “After a year, they got me a show opening for Joel McHale in front of a 1000 students. When they asked me to host a show that gives students a shot like the one they gave me, I was thrilled. I’m very excited to host it and see what new talent the Iowa has to offer.”
I thought you have to graduate from the university to be considered an “alum”, Tom Garland is a cancer to the Iowa comedy scene.