Alumni comedians to perform
Wednesday, August, 31, 2011; 11:00 PM
by Torie Deible, features staff writer
Every day, memories are made at Virginia Tech — some are rip-roaring hilarious and indelibly etched into students’ minds, while others are selectively chosen to be forgotten.
On Friday, the Lyric Theatre features Tech alumni performers who will put on a comedy stand-up, which begins at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $12. Tech alumni Laura Prangley, Anthony Quinn, Mike James, Brendan Kennedy and Jason Kypros, as well as Connor Gorman, a senior business marketing major, are anxious to offer some comic relief as they take the stage together for the first time. “The concept of this show started because of a simple conversation in a basement in the Lower East Side, and now it’s being brought to life in a 477-seat theater,” Prangley, a 2008 graduate who majored in communication, said. “That’s something special.” The group is confident in their Friday night show after their triumphant of two sold-out performances in Washington, D.C., last year before the Tech versus Boise State football game. “It was the perfect way to kick off a weekend of old friends and a new football season,” Prangley Mike James, a 2006 graduate who majored in history, said he is excited to perform in front of his fellow Hokies again. “Nothing beats the thrill of performing in front of a live audience, especially in the place where I went to school,” he said. Each comedian has his or her own personal goals. Some, like James, simply desire to be “excellent and rich,” while others, like Prangley, strive to convince the university to forgive all of their student “Each of us has a different story that each person who is a part of Tech can appreciate,” Quinn, a 2008 graduate who majored in sociology, said. “People will hear and relate to all of our stories, and can look forward to our twisted perspectives.” Quinn started his comedy career in Blacksburg and performs his weekly comedy show, “Comedy Exposed,” every Wednesday night at Awful Arthur’s. And his aspirations don’t end there. “My immediate goal for the future is to build my comedy club at Awful Arthur’s to the point where it can expand and spread to Roanoke,” he said. “I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot and that I have convinced some people that taking an hour or two out of their day to see me is worth it.” As for the future of the entire group, the thought of performing in Burruss Hall would be ideal. “The moment I stepped into Burruss Hall in freshman orientation, I became infatuated with performing on that stage,” Prangley said. “It’s a goal to have the show there one day.” With the prospect of performing in Burruss Hall one day and the comfort of being back in Blacksburg, the alumni comedy group is more ready than ever for their show tomorrow. “I’m truly looking forward to the warm welcome that Blacksburg is all about,” Prangley said.
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