Story by Sarah LeBlanc
Drake University’s Homecoming week officially began with a performance by comedy duo Frangela at Pomerantz Stage on Monday night.
The Student Activities Board) (SAB) President Natalie Larson described the process of acquiring Frangela for Drake’s student life through the National Association of Campus Activities.
This conference hosts a variety of acts, after which SAB was able to coordinate with other schools to find an appropriate date and time for the events.
Getting Frangela on campus was no simple task.
It required conversations through agents and other schools and discussions about the requirements of the act to ensure that the event ran smoothly.
While acts like this are student-run, there are always obstacles.
The Student Activities Board works “with the Student Life Center to make sure that all of our spaces on campus are reserved, and any sound that we have goes through them.”
Regarding entertainment performances for Drake, Larson described “a two-way street” when interacting with performers and organizations on campus.
To spread the word, Larson said, “We utilize social media a lot, and word of mouth is very big for us too.”
Getting big names on campus is not a rewarding experience if students don’t know when or where the acts the will be, and simple conversations about the acts help in improving student turnout.
Frangela’s performance had an impressive turnout with students filling the chairs and standing in the back just for a chance to experience some comedic relief and an overall good time.
First year Rainey Lecher, who attended the event, enjoyed the duo because, “I liked how they are best friends in real life. That made for some really funny dialogue.”
Others, like first-year pre-pharmacy student Brittany Behrens, went to the comedy show “to get a good laugh at the end of the day.”
Frangela, the combination of Francis Callier and Angela V. Shelton, as the duo comically explained, are truly best friends “in real life,” and made their show enjoyable for everyone attending.
With jokes such as “Afro-Saxons” and the hilarious “Kristen-Kirsten” debate, Frangela easily warmed up the crowd and even incorporated audience participation.
Within their jokes, the duo turned a life-lesson into a laughable skit in which they taught students, “The worst lies are the lies you tell yourself.”
A truly entertaining act, Frangela is still quoted around campus by students who genuinely appreciated their performance.
