One night last December, a small basement in the 800 block of Sumner Avenue was dark except for one light source — a spotlight. The white glow illuminated sophomore film major Clayton Horwitz, the first comedic act of the stand-up comedy show, “Yonko’s Yuckfest.”

Horwitz paced comfortably across the makeshift stage, lightly gripping a microphone. “Hey, what’s up guys,” he said, speaking to the tightly-packed collection of Syracuse University students before him. “Are you excited to be here, like, a little bit?”

The audience responded with a resounding “yes,” scattered laughs heard throughout the crowd.

“Cool,” Horwitz responded. Without pause, he dove into his five-minute stand-up set.

Although SU has more than 300 Registered Student Organizations — many of which offer outlets for theater, improv or comedy writing — stand-up comedy has historically had less of an organized presence on campus. For comedians like Horwitz, underground shows such as “Yonko’s Yuckfest” present an opportunity to perform their craft for an understanding audience. Their peers.

Horwitz, who first tried stand-up in high school, said one of his favorite parts of performing for fellow college students is that they can relate to his jokes about life at SU, making it easier for Horwitz to be himself.

“You can tell stories about you, and you don’t have to hide anything,” he said. “There’s no typecasting. There’s nothing like that. It’s just a matter of who you are, and whether or not the stuff you say is funny.”

At SU, word about shows like “Yonko’s Yuckfest” is spread through an informal web of student stand-up comics. Horwitz said once a friend or classmate knows he does comedy, they’ll usually keep him updated on upcoming performance opportunities. He does the same for his fellow comedians.

Caroline Cianci (left) and Clayton Horwitz both performed at “Yonko’s Yuckfest,” a student-run stand-up comedy show. Sophia Faram | Contributing Photographer

Caleb McDonald, a sophomore television, radio and film major, hopes to centralize this informal network of comedians this semester through a new RSO, Crowdwork Orange, of which he is the co-founder and vice president. Crowdwork Orange, described on its Facebook as “Syracuse University’s Pure Comedy Organization,” is geared specifically toward stand-up comics. Meetings, held on Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Jabberwocky Cafe, allow members to workshop new jokes and share ideas and upcoming opportunities to perform.

Though the organization started unofficially last semester, the group now receives funding from the university. McDonald said they hope to use the funding, in part, to begin hosting weekly stand-up nights at the Jabberwocky Cafe.

“We wanted an official way to be like ‘Hey, if you need something, we have the resource for it,’” McDonald said. “We wanted (stand-up comedy) to be a known presence.”

Since starting college, Horwitz has performed more frequently in different environments, allowing him to hone older material as well as debut new jokes, he said.

“Different people come to every show,” Horwitz said. “As much as it’s up to your joke writing and stuff, it’s also like ‘where’s the moon? What’s my horoscope? Is everything going to align for my jokes to work out?’”

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Caroline Cianci, a senior television, radio and film major, and one of the organizers and hosts of “Yonko’s Yuckfest,” said the first idea to put together the show came after feeling that Syracuse’s stand-up scene didn’t offer the best chance for college students to connect with their audience.

“I had recently been to a show at George O’Dea’s pub, and there were some younger comedians there, and it felt like the vibe was not exactly right for them,” she said.

Cianci and two of her friends decided to host “Yonko’s Yuckfest” out of their basement, naming the show after a painting of a Renaissance man Cianci’s friend had received from a family member. Cianci said she wanted to create a space that would be great for college students and offer a safe space for less experienced performers.

She reached out to comedians both through word of mouth and a post in Crowdwork Orange’s Facebook group, eventually receiving audition tapes from almost 20 people, she said. Cianci and her co-hosts narrowed the talent down to eight acts and hoped for the best. Going into the first night, Cianci said her friends agreed that even if the audience was meager, the fact that they had pulled off planning the event was a success in and of itself.

Cianci estimates nearly 100 fellow students came to the show. She said after the success of the first show, plans for a second one were immediately set into motion.

Caroline Logler (left) performed stand-up for the first time at “Yonko’s Yuckfest.” Caleb McDonald (right) co-founded the campus organization Crowdwork Orange. Katie Reahl | Staff Photographer
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For a few comedians, like Caroline Logler, a sophomore television, radio and film major, performing at the second “Yonko’s Yuckfest” was a first. Logler had never performed stand-up before, and said that performing gave her an intense adrenaline high.

“I was like, I need to get a tattoo, or a piercing, or something,” she said with a laugh. “It was amazing.”

Horwitz said that part of what makes the underground scene on campus so special is the space it creates for first-time comedians to give stand-up a try.

“You never know when you’re gonna do something and realize ‘I want to do that forever,’” Horwitz said.

For McDonald, the underground scene offers a space for comedians to explore their craft in a supportive and relaxed environment. Performing at an underground show is unlike performing at a pub or restaurant, he said, because the audience is there just to laugh.

Near the 40-minute mark of the most recent Crowdwork Orange meeting, one member of the group, Hayden Broom, fiddled with his notebook and said he had a few jokes he was working on, but didn’t quite know how to word them.

“Want to stand up and give it a try?” McDonald asked. Broom nodded and took his position on the makeshift stage. The rest of the group watched closely, waiting for a laugh.

Published on January 27, 2019 at 9:52 pm