Listen Here
Students can purchase tickets online, experience annual Comedy Jam at brand-new venue
By Jordyn Willis
@willisjordyn
The start of The University of Findlay’s performing arts shows are underway with Marathon Center for the Performing Arts taking the reins of ticket sales.
This is the first year that MCPA will be selling tickets to University shows online and at their box office.
Students, staff, and faculty as well as Findlay community members have quickly been buying tickets to University shows, some of which will be held at Winebrenner Theological Seminary and others at MCPA.
“The students have been really easy to work with when they buy tickets to The University of Findlay shows,” said Kelsey Borders, Marathon Center for the Performing Arts box office intern and UF student.
Since this is the first year the box office is handled through MCPA, there were a few glitches in the process, but all is running smoothly now.
“There were some difficulties with the student ID numbers not registering before it went through our system, but it’s much better now,” said Borders.
With much of a college student’s life being online, the ability to purchase their tickets online in addition to being able to purchase them on campus appears to help sales tremendously.
“I feel like a lot of students buy their tickets online, because I don’t really get all that many people that call-in, and a lot of my friends do it online,” said Borders.
Combining MCPA and The University of Findlay’s efforts to sell tickets for shows has shown several students a way of intertwining the University with the community.
“I think being able to buy tickets to campus events online or at MCPA is definitely an advantage to UF students because it’s, in a way, connecting the community,” said Lauren Peck, MCPA box office intern. “I feel like when we only had it on campus at Bowling Green University, it was only targeting students and professors, whereas with Findlay, I think now the community might know more about what Findlay is putting on and the students know what MCPA is all about.”
The partnership between UF and MCPA is viewed as beneficial for both entities. Findlay gains help from the arts center with the ticketing of shows and MCPA gains the public knowledge of the University community.
“It’s definitely helping to get Marathon Center for the Performing Arts’ name out, now all the students know about it, and their friends. We get multiple emails from the University about MCPA so it helps boost the marketing,” said Borders.
The next UF production will be “The University of Findlay presents: The 14th Annual Comedy Jam.” This show will take place at Marathon Center for the Performing Arts Saturday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m.
UF will welcome the Dakaboom, comprised of comedian/musicians Ben McLain and Paul Peglar, as emcees of this year’s event.
Their show combines a cappella, loop stations, stand-up, sketch, crowd interaction, and multiple musical genres.
The feature comedian for this year’s show is Mark Poolos and the headliner is Eric O’Shea. O’Shea has toured colleges all over the country and has been selected as Campus Activities Magazine’s “National Comedy Performance of the Year” in 2007.
Students, staff, and faculty are allotted one free ticket to the show. In order to receive this ticket, a person must have their UF ID number available whether they order online or at MCPA. Additional tickets are $17.50 online or at MCPA and will be $27.50 on the night of the show.
“We’ve been selling a lot of tickets for the Comedy Jam, which is here at MCPA next Saturday,” said Borders. “I know a lot of students are coming out to go to that, I think people are more excited to come here rather than if it had been on campus because it’s a new facility, they have a chance to see it, and it’s not very far from campus.”
