Comedian Jim Gaffigan, hailed by the Wall Street Journal as “the king of clean comedy,” will perform at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 3, 2015. (Rainforest Action Network/Flickr)
Rather than taking advantage of new resources, most freshmen make the mistake of thinking they already have a pretty good idea what college is like: either a debaucherous “Animal House” type experience of not-totally-legal parties or a haven of academia for constant studying. This is far from the truth.
I’d recommend taking the time to attend the following campus events for your first semester – to not only enjoy good entertainment and performances, but also do what college is most importantly about: learning.
“Speak Up! Speak Out! Bread & Puppet Theater”
Going to a puppet show in the middle of the morning is not an idea that many people think of when they think of cool things to do in college, but why not try it out? UConn is one of three schools in the country that offers an all-out program allowing students to learn puppetry. Last August, they held the National Puppetry Festival for the first time in over 45 years. (Tuesday, September 3, 10 a.m.)
Jim Gaffigan
Jim Gaffigan, hailed by the Wall Street Journal as “the king of clean comedy,” should provide some good laughs for all ages with his relatively inoffensive material. However, Gaffigan is not a stranger to controversy, having had to apologize once on Twitter for a joke about women getting their nails painted. (Saturday, October 3, 8 p.m.)
Kathy Griffin
For those offended by the prospect of seeing a family-friendly comedian, Kathy Griffin should provide a nice contrast, though she has had her fair share of criticism, especially after attempting to grope gay anchor Anderson Cooper on television in 2012.
Nonetheless, more liberal students will enjoy Griffin’s biting sarcasm and candidness, with many of her topics lambasting conservative figures, such as Sarah Palin, who called her a bully in 2011. (Thursday, October 29, 7:30 p.m.)
Munich Symphony Orchestra
From the land of Beethoven comes some of their finest classical musicians brought to perform in Storrs. Even if you aren’t necessarily a classical music buff or a fan of century-old pieces, anyone with an ear for music can appreciate the amount of talent, practice and dedication that it takes to be high-level performers like the members of this group. (Monday, November 2, 6:45 p.m.)
Anokh Palakurthi is associate life editor for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at anokh.palakurthi@uconn.edu. He tweets @DC_Anokh.
