Comedy Show Planned for Oct. 20

As part of a week of festivities in celebration of Fairmont State University's and Pierpont Community & Technical College's Homecoming 2008 "Falcons Are Forever," two fun events are planned for Monday, Oct. 20.

The community is invited to attend the Falcons volleyball game and a James Bond Character Look-A-Like Contest at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, in Joe Retton Arena at the Feaster Center. Admission to the event, sponsored by Wholesale Carpet Outlet, is free.

Sponsored by Freckles Graphics, a performance by comedians Marianne Sierk and Rob O'Reilly of Neon Entertainment is scheduled for 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, in the Colebank Hall gym. Admission is free and open to the public.

 

Marianne Sierk

A native of Rochester, N.Y., Marianne Sierk graduated from Syracuse University before heading to New York City with a drama degree. After two years of "booking" non-paid plays and student films, she realized her pull as a waitress was way more impressive than her acting resume and decided to make some changes. Sierk had seen a few stand-up comedy shows in New York and was always impressed with the creativity and spontaneity that the art offered performers. To her surprise, she learned that performing at the top clubs in New York City only meant bringing three to five people to the show. In return, she got 5 minutes of total comic glory. By exploiting all the friendships she'd ever had, Sierk was able to perform about three times before her supply of acquaintances was tapped. She then hit the open-mic circuit and gave shows at smaller venues. Some of her favorite performances were at laundromats, coffee shops and in front of her bathroom mirror.

Eventually, she ventured out of the NYC area and was able to perform regularly at clubs and colleges across the country. Her act caught the attention of VH1, and as a result, she was invited to be a comic commentator on their popular "I Love the 80's" series. She taped over a dozen of the episodes and will be featured on the next seven "I Love the New Millennium" episodes. After moving to LA, she booked a spot on Comedy Central's first season of "Live at Gotham" and NBC's "Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen." She was thrilled to go overseas to tape "The World Stands Up" for the BBC and can be seen on a funny commercial for Verizon and ESPN. 

 

Rob O'Reilly

With appearances on Comedy Central's "Live at Gotham," NBC's "America's Got Talent" and the "Tonight Show" as Jay Leno's correspondent, 23-year-old Rob O'Reilly is quickly gaining a reputation as an up-and-coming comedian to watch in New York City.

It all began in Cleveland, Ohio, where O'Reilly made his stand-up debut at a high school talent show and later won the city's largest comedy competition. While attending Boston University on an academic scholarship, he became a finalist in the 2005 Boston Comedy Festival and retired any notions of a "normal career." With his youthful point-of-view making him a favorite at three NACA conferences, he now headlines colleges across the country. He booked 27 colleges out of NACA Northeast (2007) alone. Residing in New York, he also enjoys playing in a comedian basketball league and performing sketch comedy with his group, The Straightmen.