As part of her nationwide tour of colleges, comedian Tracey Ashley appeared on the Student Center Ballroom stage March 28, introducing the crowd of 46 students to her brand of comedy.
Ashley, a semi-finalist during the fifth season of the NBC series “Last Comic Standing,” riffed on various topics ranging from celebrities like Oprah and Michael Jackson to an incident when Delta Airlines lost her luggage. Throughout her performance, she frequently encouraged the audience to embrace their laughter.
“Y’all [need to] laugh out; don’t hold it in,” Ashley said. “Y’all laughing all quiet … You hold it in, and you’ll fart.”
The event was sponsored by the Activities Council of Bradley University (ACBU) as a part of their series of live stand-up comedy performances. ACBU Comedy Coordinator Yasmeen Yousif said that bringing Ashley to campus, who has performed at Bradley before, was an easy process because of her cooperation.
“We kept in contact for the last two weeks,” Yousif, a junior international business major, said. “She told us what she wanted. She drove here on her own [and] she let us know when she was coming. It all went smoothly.”
Yousif also said despite the relatively small turnout, the general consensus after the event was positive.
“I think Tracey did an amazing job,” Yousif said. “She was funny, the crowd responded really well to her … Everyone who came seemed to really enjoy it.”
Ashley said the small audience allowed her to be honest and personable with those in attendance as she shared an array of humorous anecdotes based on her life experiences, such as growing up in the south and becoming aware of her mother’s mental illness.
“That’s why I love telling stories,” Ashley said. “You can’t make this stuff up.”
For more information on Ashley and her upcoming tour dates, visit www.traceyashley.com.
