A line of students snaked up and down inside the ATEC building to see comedienne Retta’s stand up act on Aug. 26.
Retta—best known for her role as Donna Meagle on “Parks and Recreation”—watched from the wings while Prashanth Venkataramanujam warmed up the crowd with his routine. SUAAB sponsored the evening’s entertainment.
Venkataramanujam is a Chicago native who spends a lot of time on the road doing stand up at various colleges. His act is tailored to the college-aged crowd. He discussed everything from Taco Bell and the college diet to Donald Trump.
Retta walked onstage to uproarious applause from the audience. She opened her set with her take on the everyday manifestations of racism. Ten minutes into her act, she dropped the iconic line: “Treat Yo Self” from a particularly memorable episode of “Parks and Recreation.”
“That’s always such easy applause,” she joked.
Her stand up had a marked, conversational approach, while Venkataramanujam used a more traditional stand-up style.
Towards the end of her stand-up act, Retta called forward an audience member to receive a signed pack of “Parks and Recreation” playing cards. The winning student hopped the stage and grabbed her prize with a smile.
Advertisement
Advertisement
