On Wednesday, the Student Association announced that Aziz Ansari will perform in Alumni Arena April 28 as part of the 2014 Comedy Series. SA made the announcement via its Facebook page.
The announcement came a week after SA announced its 13th annual comedy series. The event will be free to UB students with a valid student ID; 5,300 student tickets are available.
Ansari is well known for his role as Tom Haverford in NBC's Parks and Recreation, in which he plays an administrator with the lifelong goal of becoming a mogul. In his stand-up comedy routines, he's known for his quick-witted social observations, audience interaction and fresh, relevant material.
"We think he's one of the biggest names in comedy right now, especially for college-age adults," said SA President Sam McMahon. "His shows and comedy features have been extremely funny and extremely successful. So we really thought this was a great chance to bring in someone who speaks to this generation."
Ansari will be joining a long line of renowned comedians who have performed at the SA Comedy Series. Previous performers include Craig Robinson, Tommy Davidson and Chris Rock. The comedy series is in its 13th year at UB.
"We got an email from one of his booking agents saying that he was well-routed through the area on April 28 and asked if we had any interest," McMahon said. "The whole e-board knew right away that it was something we were interested in."
The event will take place in the Alumni Arena, which has a holding capacity of 6,500. Six-hundred tickets are allocated to the general public and 600 to students in the area with a valid college ID>
SA has not finalized its ticket giveaway system yet.Ticket information is still in planning stages.
"We're thankful that funding-wise we got some co-sponsorships from around the university," McMahon said. "Student Affairs co-sponsored us, as well as the Graduate Student Association (GSA)."
SA announced comedians H. John Benjamin and Aisha Tyler from FX's hit show Archer will also perform on campus. That event will take place on March 1.
email: arts@ubspectrum.com