Jason Honesto

The university welcomed comedian Tyler Boeh to kick off Homecoming week Monday night. The comedian delivered a set filled with both entertaining and relatable content.

Not immediately drawn to stand-up comedy, Boeh’s first introduction to entertainment was through school plays and improvisational theatre, which he studied in college. The comedian explained how he was most influenced by the actors of Saturday Night Live and other skit-based television shows at the time. However, after college, Tyler Boeh decided that he wanted to try his hand at stand-up comedy.

“Once I started stand-up, I was like, this is where I want to be,” Boeh said when recalling his first steps into the business.

Like stand-up comedians Kevin Hart and Gabriel Iglesias, most of Boeh’s content comes from his life stories and experiences. His primary goal is to make his atmosphere “positive, clever, and to where everybody can have a good time and have fun.” He makes sure to avoid controversial topics such as politics.

Alex Markle, a sophomore computer science major, originally attended the event to show support for Homecoming and to see how well Boeh was able to make people laugh. As the segment went on, Markle found himself pleased with his decision to give the comedian a chance.

“I live by the saying ‘laughter is the best medicine’ and if everyone seems to be laughing, all is good,” Markle said.

Contrary to popular opinions on entertainers, Boeh said performing, for him, was less about attention than it was a connection.

“If I’m on stage as a performer, I’m getting an entire room of people together, connected on one conversation or one thought,” he said. “So, it’s not necessarily about me having the attention and the focus, but being able to bring everybody together.”

For those who may be pursuing a career in stand-up comedy, Boeh’s main advice is to “just do it.”

“You can start journaling and writing things down that you think are funny, but at some point, you have to jump in and start,” he said. “Like most things in life, you have to learn by doing it.”