A line of people poured out of Thorne Hall as students, faculty and staff awaited “Laugh Your Class Off,” a night of stand-up comedy at Occidental Sept. 7. The show hosted comedians Margaret Cho and Melissa Villaseñor, as well as three Occidental alumni — David Murphy ’02, Paul “PK” Kim ’98 and Eddie Gorton ’01 — as openers.
Cho, who has been a pillar in the stand-up comedy scene since the early 2000s, said in an interview with The Occidental that she has been performing at colleges since before she was even college-aged.
“I think nowadays that [colleges are] where we learn most about culture, from people in school, people who are young,” Cho said. “So I get a lot of energy from working in schools, from talking to people that are creating culture and creating politics and creating movements. I’m really inspired.”
Cho’s comedy is known for its vulgarity, something that may be shocking to those not previously exposed to her work, especially at a college.
“It’s really good if we can actually listen to a queer woman of color who has really important views and opinions about sexuality, and important opinions and views about the female body and the body at large,” Cho said. “I don’t know why it’s controversial when women should have bodily autonomy, but it’s something that we need to strive towards.”
Cho said she is currently using her platform to mobilize people to get involved in politics.
“Right now, I’m spending a lot of time trying to do a lot of different things for Kamala Harris,” Cho said. “So whether that’s being on these massive Zoom calls, Comedians for Kamala or different kinds of events like that, I’m really devoted to it.”
The event organizer, Assistant Director of Student Involvement & Concert Production Steve Eulenberg, said he had been wanting to bring stand-up comedy to the college. Eulenberg said he worked previously as a booker for comedians, as well as a comedian himself, and wanted the opportunity to expose students to the world of stand-up comedy.
“[I thought] if we can get a big enough name, then we can do it in Thorne, which, as far as I know, hasn’t happened in recent memory, having a comedy show this big on campus,” Eulenberg said. “Then the stars kind of aligned with Margaret and Melissa.”
Eulenberg said that although bringing comedians on campus can be controversial, as they can push the envelope on certain sensitive topics, there are benefits to exposing college students to comedy.
“I think that there’s a potential benefit, particularly when you’re being intentional about the folks that you’re bringing out, and when you’re providing a community that can be supportive,” Eulenberg said. “It’s definitely one of those things I think makes important memories for students as part of their college experiences.”
At the top of the show, Eulenberg asked those in the crowd to cheer if it was their first time at a live comedy show — there was a large group of people who cheered. According to GWI, Gen Z individuals do not typically attend live comedy shows because of new entertainment habits that are more easily accessible.
Vivian Murphy (junior), who attended the show and is an aspiring comedian herself, said she was excited to see such professionals in their field on campus.
“Melissa Villaseñor has really great characters, you just can’t take your eyes off of her when she performs,” Murphy said. “Both of them are really great representations for women of color in comedy.”
Murphy said she was excited that Occidental brought such powerful role models to campus.
“I love both of these women so much,” Murphy said. “They are so inspiring to me.”
Contact Eliana Joftus at joftus@oxy.edu.
