“Thanks for coming to laugh at our sadness”: Pitt comedians take over Nordy’s

Phil Forrence was halfway through his stand-up set when he let the audience know he appreciated their attendance — whether they laughed at his jokes or not.

“Thanks for coming to laugh at our sadness,” said Forrence, the host of this Wednesday’s Collegiates and Comedians show.

At Nordy’s Place in the William Pitt Union, Forrence, a junior computer engineering major, joked about his deodorant allergy, his trip to Australia and his unabashed love of milk before introducing the rest of the acts.

From 8:30 to 9:40 p.m., four comics, including Forrence, performed for a crowd of about 30 people that filled the seats set up for the event. The list of acts included Joseph Marchi, a fifth-year senior at Pitt, along with Isaac Crow and Suzanne Lawrence, both professional comedians.

Wednesday’s show marks the second Collegiates and Comedians event, following its debut on Sept.14. Besides Forrence, last night’s lineup featured completely different acts than the September show.

Forrence executive produces and hosts Collegiates and Comedians. Aside from hosting the event, he books the talent for the event. Forrence said he organizes Collegiates and Comedians to capture the same spirit as a professional stand-up comedy show, booking acts in order of increasing experience to keep the audience invested. But before he can introduce the acts, he has the sometimes-difficult job of readying the crowd first.

“The host is there to warm the audience up,” Forrence said. “A lot of people are coming in from their days and need to refocus into a comedy mindset.”  

After Forrence’s opening set, Marchi took the stage, performing a set spanning from bits about his parents and their religious views to his time as a “Pokemon collection appraiser” when he was 13 years old.

Marchi is the head writer for “Pitt Tonight,” the late-night show that Pitt students produce. He first performed stand-up as a first-year, but said after the show he has only been performing consistently for the last six months. He’s worked on the material he performed Wednesday for the last two months.

“None of those jokes, the way I did them tonight, are anywhere close to the way they started,” said Marchi. “I’ve gotten to the point where they’re fine. They could be better, there’s always something you could improve with your material.”

The night continued with a set from Isaac Crow. His set was the most controversial of the night, including jokes about his rivalry with a co-worker and another about a Holocaust-themed drink idea. Crow also riffed on his home state West Virginia, quipping, “They just got Facebook last year, they’re very excited.”

Lawrence, a researcher at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC by day and stand-up comedian by night, anchored the night. Before the show, she wondered if she’d be able to relate to the college-aged audience.

“Because I’m older, I’m worried that some of the things I talk about won’t be relatable to a student crowd,” Lawrence said.

Judging by the audience’s reaction, her fears proved to be unfounded. Jordan Johnson, who attended the comedy show, enjoyed Lawrence’s set.

“She said it wasn’t going to be relevant but it was hysterical anyway,” said Johnson, a senior linguistics major.

Lawrence continued on the topic of depression, adding that her depression wasn’t serious —  instead it’s a “first-name-basis-with-everyone-that-works-at-Little-Caeser’s depression.”

“I’m from West Virginia, anyone else have depression?” she asked the crowd.

The show is only the second in the Collegiates and Comedians series, which Forrence says they are aiming to hold the second Wednesday of every months. The next show should be at Nordy’s again on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Jesse Irwin, a senior broadcast journalism major and host of “Pitt Tonight,” attended the show, even introducing Forrence at the show’s start. As a supporter of Collegiates and Comedians, as well as other comedy outlets around Pitt, Irwin said the show connects Pitt’s comedians with Pittsburgh’s comedy scene at large.

“Events like this show that there’s an outlet for anyone interested in pursuing comedy, let alone being creative,” Irwin said. “It connects our school with the local scene, and creates a bridge between students and the opportunities outside of the University. Because, hey, even a city like Pittsburgh can always use more bridges.”