Patrick McGowanLaughter broke out when nine contestants experienced their five minutes of fame while performing in the second comedy competition, Funny Fest, where the winner landed a five-minute gig at Comedy Cabaret in Northeast Philadelphia.
Jake Verterano, junior English and communication major, received the most votes and earned the crown as king of Funny Fest.
The stand-up comedy battle sponsored by Cabrini’s radio station, 89.1 WYBF-FM The Burn, brought students and locals together in amusement on April 3.
The Burn’s general and executive staff helped set the stage in preparation of a successful show.
“We decided to give it a second run and it was really successful,” Caitlin Friel, English and communication major, said.
Friel is the promotions director for The Burn and was in charge of planning the event.
Heather Fullerton, general manager of The Burn and Jessie Holeva, junior communication major, thought of the event last semester.
“About 115 people were in attendance and we had nine contestants,” Friel said. “That is awesome and I could not have asked for a better Funny Fest.”
The host for the evening, young and rising comedian John Poveromo, broke the ice by performing stand-up for the attendees and contestants. Poveromo has been featured in The New York Times, Comcast On-Demand stand-up, Sirius satellite radio and a part of Punchline Magazine’s 2008 Comedian’s New Year’s Resolutions.
His energy and sense of humor made the contestants feel comfortable and at ease to take the stage.
Poveromo participated as a judge for last semester’s Funny Fest.
Students cast their votes by placing tickets into bags that displayed the names of each contestant.
The atmosphere of the event is perfect for students to come out and show off their humor by entertaining their classmates and friends.
“For anyone who wants to start stand-up, this is the best environment to do it,” Poveromo said.
“The Funny Fest is just an all out fun event to promote our radio station and give the students a good laugh,” Friel said. “It is a good event because people get to let their funniness shine on stage while their friends get to watch.”
All of the contestants who participated share a love for comedy. “Stand-up comedy is my favorite thing on earth. All I watch is Comedy Central,” Billy Bacovin, senior human resources management major, said.
Bacovin was one of the nine contestants to take the stage. “I might do stand up as a hobby after college to keep my public- speaking skills.”
One contestant stood out from the rest by performing a rap song that he created.
“I did the song for my boss and he really liked it,” Spencer Henry, freshman English and secondary education major, said. “Everyone from my work convinced me to do it for Funny Fest and I thought I had nothing to lose.”
After all of the contestants performed their best to make the audience laugh, a winner was chosen.
Verterano will perform a five minute stand-up act at Comedy Cabaret.
“I thought the event was very good. I was pleased and had a great time,” Joe Windt, senior criminology major, said. “I didn’t expect it and I thought the contestants were very funny.”
“It’s a good event to have each semester because it gets the students involved and it promotes the radio station to the college,” Friel said.
“This is a really nice little get- together. It’s great how many people come out and how classmates support each other,” Poveromo said.
