Josh Rittberg

Staff Writer

Citamard Night Live (CNL), showing on December 8 and 9 in Dutcher Hall, is co-directed by Alex Hart and Abby Rissinger. This event is known for featuring the best and brightest student standup comics, and this year is no exception. Last year’s CNL was the 10th anniversary show, and featured a slew of guests and skits. According to Hart, “This year’s show is going to be less about the skits and guests, and more about the comedy itself.” This will allow the comedy written by the students to really be the star of the show.  

Rissinger says, “Standup comedy is just you on stage by yourself out there, and it is very self-reliant.”  Both Rissinger and Hart have been writing comedy on their own for a long time. As directors, they also have been mentoring the other young talents on their own standup routines. This has been done through writing workshops that have happened during the creative process. Rissinger and Hart have also been trying to encourage the performers to think about their audience and make sure that the material will land. Hart and Rissinger both acknowledge that in comedy “you can joke, but you also have to make sure that you and the audience are comfortable.”

Although there are new faces to the Dutcher Hall stage in this year’s CNL, there are also veterans of ACMO and Citimard productions who audience members might recognize. The fact that there are so many veterans, according to Hart, “is satisfying as a director because you can track their progress, and improvement each time they come back to perform.” The veterans also have an established chemistry with the rest of the company which in turn makes the comedy more natural. CNL also will feature performances from the group Improv Molotov, who are sure to bring many laughs to the evening.

This year’s edition of Citamard Night Live  promises to be an evening of laughter but Rissinger also stresses that “the audience stay supportive of the new comedians.” CNL is at Dutcher Hall on December 8 and 9 at 8 p.m., and is an event that is not to be missed.