Friday night at 9 p.m., comedians Steve-O, DeRay Davis and Michael Blackson will entertain DePauw's students in Meharry Hall.
The event, Alpha Live, is put on by a collaborative effort between DePauw's Union Board and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., as part of the fraternity's Alpha Week. This semester the Union Board didn't have the budget to put on a concert. A survey given to the student body revealed that students were interested in having a comedy event instead. The partnership between Alpha Phi Alpha and the Union Board allowed both groups to bring in some bigger name talent.
"The reason people don't come [to events] is no one has heard of them," Liz Gentry, senior Union Board president said.
Alpha Live requires a ticket, but students don't have to pay for it.
The comedians on Friday have some big time credentials. Davis, a native of Chicago, recently appeared in "21 Jumpstreet" and has a one hour special "DeRay Davis: Power Play" on Showtime. Blackson, who hails from Ghana, has appeared in "Next Friday" and released a widely selling comedy CD "Modasucka: Welcome to America." Steve-O, who is most notably known for his antics from both the television and film versions of "Jackass," will perform as well.
"We purposely asked an international, African-American and Caucasian comedian to come," Naeem Muhammed, senior president of Alpha Phi Alpha, said.
Muhammed said he expects a diverse group of students to attend the show.
Jordan Davis, a junior member of Alpha Phi Alpha and Union Board said it was important to have events on campus void of alcohol and drugs.
"[The comedy show] provides an event on campus that is both drug and alcohol free that the campus wants to have," Davis said.
The goal of Alpha Week is to spark discussion on tough issues, like the use of racial slurs and rape. Friday's show hopes to bring a lighter side of things and untie the campus as a whole.
"It's a great opportunity for everyone to bridge the gap and have a great time," Armani Cato, junior treasurer and vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha, said.
Alpha Live, which typically brings in some form of entertainment, has used Sphinx Management Group to book comedians for eight years now. Coordinating all the comedian's schedules proved difficult for the event's organizers, so they pushed the show's start time to 9 p.m.
"Working with three different comedians with three different schedules, it was hard to get them all in one spot at one time," Cato said. "I hope it doesn't affect the outcome of the show."
