Correction appended
Fans of the sitcom Parks and Recreation will soon have the opportunity to watch one of its actors perform live stand-up comedy.
Retta, the actress who plays Donna Meagle on the show, will headline Comedy at The Convo on Aug. 20 following the 2020 class picture. The event will be free for students.
Retta starred in all seven seasons of Parks and Recreation. The Emmy-nominated television show ended after seven seasons. Since the show’s ending, Retta has performed in Bravo’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce and is scheduled to appear in a few movies, such as Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life.
Andrew Holzaepfel, the senior associate director for the Campus Involvement Center, said in an email that he began looking for a comedian last spring and that booking Retta was “very smooth.”
“She is very funny as a stand-up comedian,” Holzaepfel said in an email. “She has (been) showcased at the NACA (National Association for Campus Activities) conference the last few years and is a huge hit among all the students at the conference.”
According to Holzaepfel, this is the second year Comedy at the Convo has been a part of Welcome Weekend, and he is “excited to build on last year’s success and make it bigger.”
“Opening weekend provides a series of events each night with the intention of providing students with an opportunity to meet others and get engaged with the campus,” Holzaepfel said in an email.
Morgan Miller, an undecided freshman, said the event is a “different but cool environment” to meet people in because “humor breaks the ice.”
“Going to this comedy event and hearing people laugh at the same thing you did kind of unifies you,” Miller said.
Miller said she has watched some of Retta’s stand up as well as Parks and Recreation.
“Being a comedian, there’s a fine line to cross into being controversial, and she does a good job at staying on that line,” Miller said.
Natalie Holley, a freshman studying music therapy, said it is “really exciting” that Retta will be on campus for Welcome Weekend.
Holley watched every season of Parks and Recreation on Netflix in about a month, she said, and has viewed some of the comedian’s stand-up on YouTube. Holley said Retta’s stand-up is “very conversational.”
“I think it’s funny how she uses vulgar language,” Holley said. “She’s just very real.”
@georgiadee35
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the date of the performance. Retta will perform on Aug. 20. The story has been updated to show the most accurate information.
