After being featured on Showtime, HBO and Comedy Central, Hispanic comedians Mark Viera and Manny Maldonado will be making a stop at Ohio University.
Multicultural fraternity Sigma Lambda Beta is hosting a free comedy event Wednesday in Baker University Center Theatre in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The event will be offered free of charge to audience members because of $6,065 given to the fraternity by the Senate Appropriations Commission, said Ivan Velez, Sigma Lambda Beta president and a senior studying communications studies.
The pair promises to be a light-hearted addition to the events of the month, said Jesse Perez, Viera and Maldonado’s manager.
“I often describe Manny as an absolute mad man and Mark as the ‘mayor of mayhem’ and after the audience sees their performance, they will understand why,” Perez said. “Their stories are edgy, insightful, culturally relevant and spoken from a unique twist on their cultural urban experiences.”
Sigma Lambda Beta member and OU alumnus Spark Tabor will emcee the event. Tabor is a two-time winner of Cincinnati’s Funniest Person comedy competition.
Perez said he believes that students would be remiss to skip the show.
“This is a big event,” he said. “Mark Viera and Manny Maldonado are serious comedy heavy hitters that are creating a lot of buzz in the entertainment industry.”
Although the act may be presented in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Perez said the show is open to all audience members.
“Mark and Manny are masterful at telling their personal stories as it relates to how their cultural identity intersects with family, relationships and so on,” Perez said. “Their material is crafted in a way that is inclusive of a diverse audience, which allows the entire audience to really connect with their material.”
Velez said he echoes Perez’s sentiments.
“There will be a lot of ethnic, racial and cultural jokes to go along with Hispanic Heritage Month, but we hope to bring in a large group of students as well as faculty and staff,” Velez said. “Typically hundreds of people come. This year OU Greeks, as well as OSU Greeks, will be coming. We hope to pack Baker Theatre for the event.”
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