Iowa State’s Memorial Union hosted its second open mic night of the school year Tuesday. The night showcased a variety of student talents, including several first-time performers.
Around 50 students filed into the Memorial Union’s Maintenance Shop for a night packed with entertainment, including everything from stand-up comedy, musical performances and even a student-hosted trivia challenge.
“The energy was great. It was all around just really good vibes,” said first-time performer Ella Oneall, a sophomore in event management.
Oneall is a member of the Iowa State track and field team and said her open mic performance brought about more nerves than any of her sporting events.
“My friend said she was going and I had been to other shows in the past, so I thought why not give it a shot,” Oneall said.
Oneall’s cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You” received a long round of applause from everyone in attendance.
In addition to several first-time performers taking the stage, a few returning acts participated in Tuesday’s event.
Junior Arya Patel said he is an avid attendee of open mic night. He took the stage Tuesday for his second stand-up comedy performance.
“The crowd was great,” Patel said. “Even when I told a joke that just wasn’t funny, everyone still laughed.”
Patel said open mic night is a great way for students to try out new material and get comfortable with performing in front of a live audience.
“I had a few new jokes I wanted to try, and the crowd did a great job of giving myself and the other performers a chance,” Patel said.
Audience members got involved in the show for “Zach’s Trivia Challenge.” Four volunteers took the stage after an intro straight from “101 Ways to Exit a Game Show.” A clip was shown on-screen from the since-discontinued 2011 game show.
Participants were tasked with coming up with the correct answer in fear of being blasted by the imaginary water cannon and into the pool of water 100 feet below. The student volunteers fell to the ground one-by-one as they answered incorrectly. The trivia show had students and visitors roaring with laughter as the contestants fell into the imaginary pool below.
Iowa State aerospace engineering senior and stand-up comedian, William Ogden, made his third appearance at open mic night and plans on continuing to return to the event.
“It’s really a great way to get a chance to try new material and just see how the audience reacts,” Ogden said.
The Memorial Union hosts open mic events every other Tuesday night in the Maintenance Shop with free admission to all. Further details on upcoming shows and how to get involved in the show can be viewed on the Memorial Union’s website.
