Featured Programs
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Found Footage Festival
Friday, January 13 at 8 PM
Hansen Student Center
The Found Footage Festival is a one-of-a-kind comedy show featuring odd and hilarious clips from videotapes found at thrift stores and garage sales across the country. Curators Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher, whose credits include The Onion and the Late Show with David Letterman, host each screening in person and provide their unique observations and commentary on these found video obscurities. From the curiously-produced industrial training video to the forsaken home movie donated to Goodwill, the Found Footage Festival resurrects these forgotten treasures and serves them up in a lively celebration of all things found.
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Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company
and JM7* (Improv Comedy)
Friday, January 20th at 8 PM
Hansen Student Center
IWU's own JM7* will be opening for the The UCBTourCo. The show lasts about 90 minutes and consists of two hilarious halves of the freshest longform improv the nation has to offer. The TourCo cast is hand-picked from the best improv comedians in New York City and Los Angeles - these performers are the "next wave" of comedy superstars from the theatre that brought you Amy Poehler, Horatio Sanz, Rob Corddry (The Daily Show), Ed Helms (The Daily Show, The Office), Rob Riggle (SNL, Daily Show), Paul Scheer & Rob Huebel (Best Week Ever), and many many more. Cast credits include Late Night with Conan O'Brien, MadTV, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Showbiz Show with David Spade, MTV's Boiling Points, VH1's Best Week Ever to name a few.
http://www.ucbtourco.com/media
Snow Ball
Saturday, January 21st at 8 PM
Hansen Student Center
The Snow Ball will mark the first major dance of the new year in the Hansen Student Center. This show will highlight the new lights, along with a booming sound system, various screens, laser lights, and yes, it will even snow!
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The Well Reds
Friday, January 27th at 8 PM
Hansen Student Center
Over the past two years The Well Reds have notched their place in the often underestimated yet very talented Atlanta rock scene. Their alternative take on pop-rock mixes clean live guitar tones with indelible vocal melodies, detailed instrumentation, and acute lyric sensibility. This cultivated maturity within the group's songwriting is coupled with a discernible professionalism in their playing. Live shows are punctuated by powerful harmonies, diverse instrumentation, and a high level of group musicianship that sees the boys as confident with an acoustic set as they are playing a plugged-in-amped-up-rock show.
Individually the members of the band accrued years of professional playing experience, opening up for an eclectic mix of national acts including Switchfoot, Blues Traveler, Angie Aparo, Moses Mayfield, Bell X1, and Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses. Since the inception of the band in 2008, collectively they have shared bills with bands like Automatic Love Letter (Epic), A Cursive Memory (Epic), Transmit Now (Silent Majority/Warner), Lights Resolve, and The Friday Night Boys (Fueled by Ramen).
The Well Reds recently finished a six song EP with Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount (Cartel, Mayday Parade, The All Time Low). The music is already creating a buzz with music fans and industry executives alike. Says BMI's David Claassen, "The Well Reds combine creative pop melodies with meaningful lyrics that shine brightly with their new release..." Mixtape Atlanta writes, "Composed of seasoned musicians and a uniquely distinctive sound, The Well Reds' tailored orchestration of emotional yet mature pop anthems will have you humming the melody and singing the lyrics just after one listen."
(Superbowl Sunday)
Sunday, February 5th at Kickoff
Hansen Student Center
OSA will be hosting a Superbowl Sunday party and watching the game on the big screen in Hansen.
Speed Dating
Thursday, February 9th at 8 PM
Hansen Student Center
OSA will be putting on a Speed Dating event. Speed dating will give students the opportunity to meet others across campus in a safe and fun way.
I Hate Valentines Day
Tuesday, February 14th at 8 PM
Hansen Student Center
OSA will celebrating Valentines day by celebrating the destruction of Valentines Day in their own unique way!
Angry Birds Live
Saturday, February 18th
Hansen Student Center
OSA will putting on a live action version of Angry Birds. Come destroy the green pigs with OSA!
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Rocky Laporte
Saturday, March 3rd at 8 PM
Hansen Student Center
The Former Chicago truck Driver and dock worker started his standup career in The windy City back in 1988. After winning some local comedy competitions Rocky went on to win The Johnnie Walker National Comedy Competition beating out over 1100 contestants in 10 cities! He then went on to do numerous Television shows like Cheers, Pat Sajak, Comic Strip Live , a C.B.S Pilot titled The Rocky Laporte Show and His very own half hour special on Comedy Central.
He has also traveled with Drew Carey to Iraq to entertain the troops and was seen on the ShowTime special Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie. Rocky has filmed his own Comedy Central Presents special and in a nationwide poll was voted Comedy Central's second most popular comedian. He has performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and had appearances on A&E's Evening At The Improv and VH-1's Stand-Up Spotlight, and sitcom appearances on Cheers and his own NBC pilot called the Rocky LaPorte Show. Rocky's clean, blue-collar style of comedy continues to increase in popularity as he travels the country.
Today Rocky is one of the most sought after comedians in the country. His clean observations and take on life have made him a favorite in all the top comedy clubs, corporate events and television shows. Rocky's likeability and every-man style gives him an unparalleled universal appeal that any audience can enjoy and relate to.
Rocky's opened for the likes of, Louie Anderson, Garry Shandling, Drew Carey, Tim Allen, Hootie and the Blowfish and the Righteous Brothers just to name a few. He's done an enormous amount of charity work also. For St Jude's for Children, N.F.L. Charities, Homeless shelters, cancer research and Police and Fire Dept fundraisers.
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The Bergamot
Friday, March 23rd at 8 PM
Hansen Student Center
Dynamite, fresh, fierce, and fun are just a few words that come to mind when talking about The Bergamot and it seems everyone is talking about The Bergamot these days.
The Bergamot has earned instant comparisons to the likings of Adele, Dave Matthews, with a little Michael Jackson thrown into the mix. Classically trained, Nathan Hoff is a multi-faceted artist, fulfilling an impressive array of roles from songwriting to engineering. On the other hand, Jillian Speece holds down the house with her crafty songwriting and powerfully beautiful vocals that will stop you dead in your tracks.
The Bergamot calls their musical style "Organic Pop Music," they describe their sound as a genre that "integrates catchy melodies and honest lyrics, with that throw-back non-processed sound we all grew up listening to." Their goal is to create naturally flowing music, leaving that dead digital sound at the door. This leads into why they chose to record their latest album (with a 2012 release date) in an all-analog studio located in Nashville, TN. They will stop at nothing to achieve musical excellence.
In addition to their energetic sound, The Bergamot offers an intimate musical experience, too. "Music offers hope and it can relate with people in a way that is as unique as the art form itself," states Hoff. On the flip side Speece notes, "The world offers an ever-changing narrative that we find ourselves tied up in. As we evolve, we learn about ourselves and in-turn we catch the beautiful experience of life in our songs."
The Bergamot's "Organic Pop Music" has drawn audiences worldwide. Their music, both intellectual and relatable, encompasses stories, melodies, and wonderful songwriting. Their uncanny ability to storytell has made this group an instant classic. The Bergamot's exuberance is utterly contagious and everyone is anticipating the release of the new album set to be released 2012. For now all we can do is wait and it seems as though 2012 cannot come soon enough.
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Jen Kober
Saturday, March 24th at 8 PM
Hansen Student Center
Originally from Lake Charles, LA - Jen Kober has bounded onto the national stage bringing crowds to their feet with her original blend of stand-up, story telling, and improvised rock-n-roll comedy. Her hard-hitting hour is phenomenally funny as Kober commands the stage and dares you not to laugh.
Classically trained at The Theatre School of DePaul University in Chicago, Jen Kober is also an accomplished actress. Kober's original one woman show sUbcIty was the winner of The Director's Choice Award at The Kennedy Center Theatre Festival. She has studied improv at both Second City and Improv Olympic, and Jen has toured successfully with her improvised one woman shows, JUNK IN MY TRUNK and MY BIG FAT COMEDY SHOW. 2010 was an explosive year for Jen! On the acting front, Kober played villainess Muriel Ledger in the family feature film Cool Dog, she has a recurring role as a lawyer in the new HBO drama series, Treme, and filmed a role in the feature film The Fields with Sam Worthington.
This year, Jen has appeared on Happy Endings on ABC, and she's on Season 8 of the hit HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Jen played Lo'Quacious Jones in the new MTV movie Worst. Prom. Ever. Kober is also featured in the new American Pie Reunion movie due out next year, and just taped a co-starring role in episode of NBC's new hit sitcom Up All Night starring Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph. Jen Kober currently lives in Los Angeles, CA where she continues to develop new material and travel the globe spreading mass amounts of laughter world-wide with both her stand-up and improvised comedy shows. Jen loves Yoo-Hoo and ranch flavored Corn-Nuts and wonders why instant gratification takes so long.
Undercover 20
Friday, April 13th at 8 PM
Hansen Student Center
Undercover XX will be held April 13, 2012 at 8pm. Undercover is a biannual Illinois Wesleyan University student music competition sponsored by the Office of Student Activities in the Hansen Student Center.
All competitors are Illinois Wesleyan students and each act will sing two cover songs for a panel of guest judges who will consider both performance and audience response to determine the competition's winner. Some performers only sing the vocals while other groups may choose to play instruments as well. Past performances have included acoustic ballads, Motown's greatest hits, country songs and rock anthems.
For the first time at an Undercover, tattoo artists will be present so fans can show their support of their favorite performers by getting temporary tattoos.
For additional information about the event, contact the Office of Student Activities at (309) 556-3850.