On Wednesday night the Wildcat Event Board transformed the busy Cellar Bistro into a showcase for some of UA’s most talented students.
WEB hosted an open mic night at seven for amateur students ranging from comedians to musicians, for those who wanted to flaunt their talents in front of a supportive audience.
“Open Mic Night is something that we have been doing for a while, we do it at least once a month and it is just an easy way to give students a chance to get in front of an audience and have a creative outlet and a safe space to perform.” said Maddy Truman, the Arts Director for WEB about the event.
The Cellar Bistro was packed with eager students excited to watch their fellow students display their talents. After every performance the Cellar Bistro overflowed with applause and appreciation, comforting the brave performers. The outpour of support and kindness helped to ease the tension in the room, performers who were once nervous and hesitant, quickly loosened up and enjoyed what they were doing.
“I love going to Open Mic Nights because you get to see a variety of talents show cased and you get to make new friends! I am always surprised by students who seem nervous but perform amazingly. ” Jasmine Raysor, an audience member and a Psychology and Molecular and Cellular Biology sophomore said about why she enjoys going to these events.
The Open Mic Night had singers covering the classics like Michael Jackson to the more mainstream Nicki Minaj. Students gave it their all, often bringing instruments on stage and turning the Cellar Bistro into a live concert.
Sean Mccann a junior Music and Spanish major performed with his friend. They showed off their musical abilities performing smoothly with their guitars. After his performance he mentioned how he has been performing in a band since high school, and when two of his band members moved to Nashville he refused to quit because of how much he enjoys performing.
Some of the comedians who performed incorporated familiar situations that UA students often find themselves in, others had the audience interact with them from the stage. Leland Long, a sophomore Pre-Business major mentioned the strange people he finds at the Taco Bell off of Speedway Boulevard in his performance producing laughter because of how easily students could relate.
“Daniel Tosh inspires me to do stand-up comedy because of how raw he is and he gets to the point.” Long said about why he started performing stand-up comedy.
Joe Kimbuende, a sophomore Computer Science Major was all smiles after his comedic performance. He talked about being Catfished on Tinder, a popular dating app for college students, by an old man and his problems with the ladies.
“I decided to perform because it is such a fun and inviting experience. I really enjoy feeding off of the audience and their reactions.” Kimbeunde said beaming after a successful performance.
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