Every other Monday at 8 p.m., a group of students goes live from Dick Clark Studios to deliver a dose of sketch comedy. Live From Studio B!, a production of Syracuse University’s Orange Television Network (OTN), is one of several outlets giving students the chance to write, perform and experiment with the craft—regardless of their major.
Live From Studio B!
OTN currently has five comedy shows, though students are always pitching new ideas: Vogel Memorial Theater, a scripted workplace sitcom; Think Tank, on-the-street improv; Cut for Time and Light After Dark, pretaped sketch comedies; and Live From Studio B!, Syracuse’s take on Saturday Night Live.
Live From Studio B!, which goes live from Dick Clark Studios every other Monday, is one of Orange Television Network’s comedy shows giving students experience in sketch writing, acting and live show production.
“There’s only so much you can learn from the confines of a classroom,” says Meg Craig, general manager of OTN. “We can say what it’s like to be in a writers’ room, but until they’ve actually been in one, how are students to know where they want to be?”
With more than 150 students, Studio B operates similarly to SNL, with student hosts, writers, artists, actors and production crews. Members pitch and write scripts, produce pretaped content and put on a live show every other week featuring weekend updates and sketches.
As executive producer, senior Sami Rosenblum helps lead writers’ meetings, contributes to pitches and ensures the show follows broadcast regulations. A television, radio and film (TRF) major, she discovered a love of writing through the experience and added a creative writing minor.
“Obviously it’s a fun and enjoyable time, but we also take it very seriously,” Rosenblum says. “There’s a sense of professionalism, even for students, because this is the closest we can get to experiencing the real thing.”
But the experience is about more than learning the production process. Rosenblum says one of the most rewarding parts is the uplifting community and being able to bounce ideas off each other. “It’s cool to see the different ways comedy exists—especially getting to see people blossom and grow into themselves as performers,” says Rosenblum, who hopes to become a comedy producer, ideally at SNL.
The organization also connects students with professionals in the industry, such as Wally Feresten, SNL’s longtime cue-card operator, who has visited Studio B and donated cue cards from the show.
The Playground
Tim Wong ’27 (left) performs stand-up at The Playground, Syracuse’s only student-run stand-up comedy club. “Anybody can walk up and do this, and sometimes people will really surprise you—in the way they perform and what they make you think about,” he says.
Nestled in a Euclid Avenue basement is The Playground, Syracuse’s only student-run stand-up comedy club. Every Wednesday at 8 p.m. eight to 10 students take the stage to perform five-minute sets for their peers.
At the helm this year is Tim Wong, senior TRF and economics major, tasked with preparing the space, securing the weekly lineup and performing on stage himself.
“I think everybody should try it once,” he says. “When else are you going to have the opportunity to stand up on stage and make a bunch of your friends laugh?”
Wong didn’t have comedy experience before coming to Syracuse—it’s something he fell into. Also a writer for Studio B, he says making a crowd laugh often means drawing on what you know: personal anecdotes about family, hometowns and life experiences.
The whole point of programs like OTN is that it’s a real-world lab space. Everything we do functions the way it does in the industry, and it gives students from all majors an opportunity to see if it’s really something they want to do.
Meg Craig, General Manager, Orange Television Network
The Playground also uses its shows to raise funds for organizations such as Vera House, The Trevor Project and Syracuse University Volunteer Organization. “I like the idea of doing something more,” Wong says. “Comedy is a fun time, but if we can raise that sort of money, I think we should try to do something with it.”
With an open submission process, The Playground encourages students new to comedy to try their hand at a set. There are photo and video teams, and the club occasionally hosts comedians such as Trevor Wallace and one of SNL’s newest cast members, Grace Reiter.
“There’s no instruction manual—you just figure it out,” Wong says of the club being student-run. “And that’s how I imagine what a real working environment is like in the creative and entertainment industries.”
Expanding the Network
Students laugh in the crowd at a Playground show. Many performers have taken their stand-up experience and gone on to careers in the comedy industry.
Along with opportunities through OTN and The Playground, Syracuse offers other ways to explore comedy. The student-led University Union often hosts stand-up comedy shows at Schine Underground, while the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ TRF department partners with Syracuse-based sketch comedy production company American High to offer student internships.
“The whole point of programs like OTN is that it’s a real-world lab space,” Craig says. “Everything we do functions the way it does in the industry, and it gives students from all majors an opportunity to see if it’s really something they want to do.”
