MTV’s Nicole Byer, known for her role on the hit series “Girl Code,” will be performing at the Student Union Theater on March 15 at 7 p.m.
The show will be an hour long with no intermission, and student tickets are only seven dollars — or five for those who bought one in Free Speech Alley.
Theater manager Jennifer Gomez invites students to “come laugh off the craziness of midterms.” She said this is definitely a show students won’t want to miss.
“I think this is the perfect moment to bring someone like her in because it’s right before her big break,” Gomez said. “She’s kind of underground, and she’s hilarious.”
The timing of Byer’s performance is notable because it falls during Women’s History Month. Gomez said it’s exciting that Byer is visiting campus because “she’s an African American woman who is making it in this comedian world,” a sentiment students seem to agree with.
Freshman Jazmine Bryant said she praises the University’s decision to invite Byer to perform.
“I think it’s an excellent decision to bring a black female to the campus to provide a unique perspective,” Bryant said.
Gomez mentioned that although she’s received great feedback from students about the upcoming show, people have been slow to purchase tickets. With all of the advertising done for the show, Gomez said she hopes it will have a good student turnout.
“Any time we’ve done the table sits, we have run out of flyers, so that’s a good sign,” Gomez said.
Despite the students’ hesitancy to purchase tickets in advance, Gomez said she expects the turnout to be higher than at past shows.
According to Gomez, bringing Byer to campus is part of the Union Theater’s plan to provide more student-geared performances.
“The Union Theater is definitely changing — it’s evolving, it’s getting away from a lot of those Broadway type shows and getting more into an educational route, where we’re providing what students actually want,” Gomez said.
When she started in August, Gomez noticed that the Union Theater’s previous shows were mostly Broadway shows. She polled students to discover what kind of performances the student body would want to attend, and she eventually landed on Byer.
“The price point was good, she was available and the students wanted to see her,” Gomez said.
The Union Theater has recently partnered with Campus Life, Residential Life, Office of Multicultural Affairs and the African American Cultural Center to figure out what shows and events would appeal to the student body most.
“We have money, but I want to bring what students actually want into our space, and I want to make it educational,” Gomez said. “We’re just trying to make it more of a meaningful and impactful thing for students.”
Comedian Nicole Byer of MTV's "Girl Code" will perform at the Student Union Theater on March 15 at 7 p.m.
