By Ashley Minnick
Lauren Hope Krass hosted her first comedy show at Ferrum College on Oct. 15, 2020. The comedy show was held via Zoom to ensure social distancing guidelines were met.
(Krass interacted with Ferrum students via a Zoom comedy show. Photo by Ashley Minnick.)
The “comedy powerhouse” as Justin Muse, director of Ferrum’s Activities Board, called Krass, got her start in Charleston, South Carolina. Krass said she has been doing standup comedy since the beginning of her career. According to her College Agency biography, Krass has performed across the United States for comedy festivals and colleges. She was also featured in a 2016 New York Times article.
Krass commented on the unique situation quarantine has put her in as a comedian. She mentioned she has found more time to work on her standup material and also found a “cool” brick sheet to hang behind her during her Zoom skits.
Krass’ material centered around COVID-19 and the struggles everyone is facing. She joked about everyone’s “quarantine weight” they’ve put on and working out at home. Krass also joked about how dating is so hard during COVID because of masks and edited profile pictures.
Roughly 10 students were in attendance and were encouraged to keep their microphones unmuted to create a “fun comedy environment” according to the Ferrum Activities Board message prior to the show. The students all seemed to enjoy Krass’ show laughing through it all.
“It was a great stress reliever through all of COVID,” Mery Estrella, one of the viewers and a student at Ferrum commented. Many of the students in attendance at Krass’ show returned this sentiment.
Krass finished her show thanking the audience for their attendance. She closed commenting on how nice it is being able to make people laugh in such hard times.
The Activities Board will be hosting more events students will have the opportunity to participate in so keep an eye on your student email.