The University Activities Board is bringing comedian Kevin Hart to Wright State University’s Nutter Center for their Homecoming Comedy Show on Oct. 11 at 7pm.
Bryan Brown, Director of Major Events for the University Activities Board, said that Hart intends to promote healthier lifestyles and has incorporated the theme into his comedy.
According to Jack Pence, Assistant Director of Campus Programs for the Office of Student Activities, Hart is one of the biggest acts that have attended a WSU event in recent years.
“We think with an artist like Hart, there is a good potential for the venue to sell out,” Pence said.
Graduate Assistant of Campus Programs, Taylor Watkins, is optimistic for what hosting an event with a celebrity as big as Hart can do for the campus.
“I think it brings a lot of clout, a lot of exposure to WSU, our student activities and student organizations,” Watkins said. “It brings awareness to our campus and gets our name out there. We’ve only been around for 50 years and we’re trying to make a mark so people know that we’re here.”
Pence believes that having acts such as Hart will make WSU first-choice among high school students looking to make the transition to college. In addition, Pence is also optimistic about an increase in school spirit among current students.
“We’re doing it at such a critical time, in the fall at Homecoming and we’re still growing with our homecoming traditions and expectations,” Pence said, “so I think that this artist and event will help the growth of homecoming and will bring the spirit out of our students and get them excited that they go here.”
In planning an event with such a celebrity, students, like Brown and Watkins, were provided with real-world event planning experience.
“I’ve worked at concert venues for three or four years prior to this, but it was always the operational side, so doing this and seeing the behind the scenes work was a new experience,” Brown said. “I never would have known all of the work that goes into hosting these events. It takes time, effort, and there was more to learn than I ever thought there would be.”
Watkins said that she was able to participate in different facets of the process of event planning.
“I’ve been able to sit in on conversations with the Agent that’s talking to Kevin’s people,” Watkins said. “Just being able to hear the conversation that goes on, to come in and look at contracts and set a contract with a DJ for an event by myself, I would definitely say that it’s real world experience, especially if you’re going into the field of Student Affairs or Event Planning.”
Brown hopes that their success in making a deal with Hart would encourage other student organizations on campus to be courageous in the goals they set.
“I think it will show other organizations as well that if they want to bring in bigger artists or celebrities for their events, it’s achievable. We’ve been able to do it, so we think it will snowball and that WSU will start bringing in artist after artist,” Brown said. “At the very least, it will at least encourage other organizations to make an attempt to push the bar as the university grows.”
Ticket pre-sale begins Friday, August 14 at 10am for current WSU students, as well as faculty and staff and will continue until Thursday, August 20 at 10pm. Regular ticket sales will be open to the public on Friday, August 21 at 10am. Tickets are available for purchase at the Nutter Center Box Office or online through Ticketmaster. Students must use their Wright1 or UID to purchase tickets.
