Hilarious comedian Rob Ryan made an appearance at UNH last Saturday, Oct. 8 for a stand-up comedy event that welcomed UNH students needing a good laugh and a break from midterms.
The show was held in the Memorial Union Building (MUB) Strafford room from 9–10 p.m., and was presented by the UNH Campus Activities Board (CAB). The entire student body was invited to attend and admission was free.
Originally from Long Island, New York, Ryan graduated as valedictorian from Stony Brook University only to realize he would rather pursue his passion for comedy, a passion he says he’s had since he was 15 years old. Now 31, Ryan has since appeared on hit TV shows such as “Laughs” on Fox, “Gotham Comedy Live” on AXStv and has been featured in numerous radio and television advertisements.
Before the event started, upbeat pop music played throughout the room as students took their seats in front of the simply composed stage consisting of a microphone and a stool. The room was set up to accommodate around 150 people, however the turn out itself was a bit less, with only 20-30 attendees.
UNH freshman Nora Biron came to the show Saturday with two excited friends.
“We pretty much go to every CAB event and always enjoy them,” Biron said.
Biron’s friend, Jen Leathers from Bridgewater State University, also mentioned how she wanted to see the show because she loves comedy.
Another attendee to the comedy show, UNH freshman Tessa Murphy, said she had heard of the event through a sign on a table in the dining hall.
After being introduced by a CAB member, Ryan took the stage, starting his show off by stating his initial observations of the school.
“The University of New Hampshire is a pretty big campus, isn’t it?” he asked the crowd.
He also cracked jokes about how there wasn’t much ethnic diversity in the audience, compared to where he lives in Queens, New York.
“But hey, it’s New Hampshire, right?” he said.
Ryan also mentioned the challenges of coming to a college campus to do stand-up comedy, citing how everyone in the audience was sober and thus not as loosened up as other crowds. He also said how with college crowds, jokes about marriage and kids are not as funny because most college-aged kids have not experienced these things in life.
Because of the smaller audience, there were many moments when the crowd would become quiet between jokes. Ryan pointed out how normally most of his jokes roll right into the next, but with Saturday night’s show, he thought the silence did that instead.
However, Ryan was still able to produce a great show, reflecting on how comedy has gotten him through the tough times in his life, including alcohol issues within his family.
The show ended with a raffle where the winner in the audience received a water bottle and other small prizes. Ryan stood by the door as people left, shaking hands as audience members thanked him for a good show.