Ben Schwartz & Friends Ambassador Blog

By Nate

When I arrived at DPAC, I was once again excited to serve as an ambassador, but for a different reason than usual. Instead of a musical, the type of show I’ve typically worked in the past, tonight I was seeing a comedy group - Ben Schwartz and Friends!

I began my evening in the President’s Club Lounge, where my fellow ambassadors and I were given our assignments for the evening. I worked alongside Caitlin, DPAC’s Digital Marketing Manager (left). She told me about her job responsibilities, which involve social media posts, photography, audience interaction, and advertising. We also worked with a photographer, Andy, who took action shots of DPAC staff on the job for marketing materials. It was interesting to learn about yet another side of the work that goes on in the performing arts industry.

Then, it was showtime! I quickly learned that when Ben Schwartz comes to town, you can have no idea what to expect. His inventive troupe of comedians had a dialogue with the audience to gather inspiration and spun the stories they were told into creative, wild, and hilarious narratives. I was in no way anticipating sketches about space disasters involving Meryl Streep, basketball “auditions,” and extremely sketchy Biscuitville dates. I was extremely impressed with the creativity, talent, and, most of all, hilarious comedy that this group performed. Schwartz himself hinted that he might return to Durham one day, and if he does, I’ll be first in line for tickets.