Last Wednesday, Sept. 21, a group of Longwood students took a break from their studies and gathered in the Lankford Student Union Ballroom for some much needed laughs. Comedian Tracey Ashley gave an hour-long performance as part of another Lancer Productions event.
"I'm really excited that it's on a Wednesday so that more people can get involved," said Lancer Productions member Allison Ferrell. Hosting events on a weeknight like this is a new thing for the organization.
Students were excited as they found seats in the ballroom. "This looked very interesting," said Kristen Finchum, "I've been to a few of the [Lancer Productions] things and they haven't disappointed. I have high hopes because the comedian last year [Jen Cober] was hilarious."
Finchum was right to be intrigued by Ashley's show. Ashley has been featured on "Last Comic Standing" and has a great deal of experience as a comedian. She talked about a wide range of subjects, from the way she was raised to talking food, and from politics to scary movies. All of these topics got some serious laughs out of the audience.
One might expect Ashley to be discouraged by the relatively small crowd that came to the show, but if she was disappointed, she didn't show it. The show was interactive, fun, and of course, very funny. "When I get to my destination, it doesn't matter what's going on. I really love what I do," she said.
The comedian later explained that this wasn't the smallest crowd she'd ever had, and that it was far from a bad experience. "So far, so good," she said. "This has been my best week yet."
She talked about a time when she visited a school in the far northern part of New York that only had 250 students total. "Driving there was scary… People warned me, Tracey, watch out for the moose and whatever you do, don't flash your lights at them," she said.
Ashley is on a "hundred college tour" now. She explained that it started in August and she's booked all the way through March. After her visit to Longwood, she headed south on to the University of North Carolina and East Carolina. The night before, she visited Ferrum College. The large Carolina schools are a big shift from the smaller ones, but she explained that she'd visited colleges of every shape and size. "I like to do bigger campuses as long as it's not really crazy," she said.
To learn more about Ashley, you can friend her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. "I'd love for you all to be my friends," she told the audience.
Lancer Productions plans a large amount of activities on campus that take place weekly. Within the next month, they are hosting another comedian, an inspirational speaker, and a musician. In late October, they'll even be showing the latest "Harry Potter" movie on Stubbs Lawn. Visit the Lancer Productions Facebook page to learn more.
