Comedians Michael Blaustein and Thomas Dale caused riotous laugh-ter in Love Auditorium last Saturday, November 10. A free event hosted by the Special Events Committee of the Colgate Activities Board (CAB), this night of humor featured two comedians with very different styles.

Blaustein kicked off the show, performing with a cool confidence that immediately set a comfortable atmosphere. He opened his act by ask-ing audience members about their majors and interrogating them about their personal lives. Throughout his set, he continually interacted with the audience, picking on specific targets and prying into their relation-ship histories. Blaustein transitioned from these interactions into similar stories from his own life, sharing his contempt for childhood dreams and embarrassing stories of his mom who thinks she’s “still got it.”

At first, the crowd was tight-lipped. Blaustein said that was his favorite type of crowd, but as the night progressed, the crowd became much more cooperative. A highlight of Blaustein’s act was when he forced audience mem-bers to yell inappropriate words into his microphone, causing giggles and flushed faces from the chosen participants.

Blaustein is no stranger to college audiences. In addition to being a cast member of MTV’s “Punk’d,” Blaustein is currently part of “The College Hu-mor Comedy Tour” and Comedy Central’s “On Campus Tour.” He remarked that everyone at Colgate seemed smart and cute and marveled at the college’s small size, which caused him to contemplate the logistics of one-night stands.

After Blaustein’s performance, Dale took the stage. He began his rou-tine by justifying his unique accent, attributing it to a combination of his roots in Brooklyn and Long Island, his Italian heritage and being gay.

Dale frequently referenced his homosexuality throughout the show and enjoyed facetiously flirting with male audience members. His homo-sexuality also permeated the stories he told; a more traditional stand-up comedian than Blaustien, Dale spent less time interrogating the crowd and more time reenacting situations from his own life. Dale exuded confidence and spunk, commanding the audience’s unwavering attention.

After Dale concluded his routine, he invited audience members to ask questions about his experience being gay in the entertainment industry. Hav-ing heard about the defacement of the door displays around campus, Dale wanted to specifically address the topic and do his part to raise awareness.

Dale said that in the beginning of his career, he wouldn’t divulge his homosexuality until farther into the show so that he could gain the audi-ence’s approval first. He later became tired of the trickery and now reveals that he is gay upfront. Dale said that coming out was the hardest thing he’s ever had to do, and now he has to come out every night on stage.

One student asked if Dale considers himself an advocate for the LGBTQ community, to which Dale responded, “I consider myself an advocate for being who you are.”

He encouraged the heterosexuals in the crowd to always take the high road, overcome societal restrictions and stick up for bullied gay people.

“As straight people, we need you guys to be a voice. Because if people can hold down gay people, they can hold you down, too. It doesn’t stop at gay people,” Dale said.

The audience had to quickly switch gears from comedy to sensitivity, but students handled the transition smoothly and respectfully.

“Thomas Dale did an excellent job of answering questions. He turned his comedy routine into a more serious talk afterward but it still kept people invested and interested in what he was talking about,” said co-executive of CAB’s Special Events Committee senior Rachel Simon.

CAB usually brings a comedian to campus at least once per se-mester because it always produces a high turnout, according to co-executive of CAB’s Special Events Committee junior Carlie Lindower.

Co-executive of CAB’s Special Events Committee junior Zoe Blicksil-ver, said the night was a success, despite some technical difficulties at its start.

“Blaustein and Dale could not have been more friendly and more ex-cited to be here, and both of their acts were absolutely hilarious,” Blicksilver said. “Everyone loved them.”

Contact Julia Queller at [email protected].