UNC Wilmington’s Association for Campus Entertainment lists this slogan on their website: “Basically, we make sure that our fellow students have a lot of fun and interesting events and activities to enjoy.”  

This being the case, there is often something entertaining going on for the Wilmington community to enjoy, and no two events are the same. On March 22, ACE will bring Jay Pharoah, a “Saturday Night Live” comedian, to campus for its annual Spring Show. Opening for the comedian is UNCW’s own Lydia Manning. 

Manning first started performing stand up comedy in 2013 and has been doing so ever since.  

“I started January of last year at Nutt Street Comedy Club,” Manning said. “It is something I wanted to do for a long time, and I actually started writing during winter break.”  

When a friend told her about an open mic night, Manning decided to go for it. 

“It went well, I think,” she said. “I could be remembering delusionally, but after that night, I knew I was going to keep doing it.”

The success that Manning received at her first stand up comedy gig allowed her to follow a new passion and learn a bit about herself in the process. When asked about how she feels to be on stage, Manning said it all depends on the performance.  

 “On good nights I felt really cocky,” Manning said. “There is a certain level of narcissism required to do stand up, I think. After a good night you’re like, ‘that was all me. I’m hilarious. I’m the best thing ever!’ Then the opposite if you do poorly. ‘Wow. I really, really suck.’” 

Tyler Wood, Manning’s friend and fellow comedian, looks forward to seeing her open for Pharoah. Wood has heard all of her jokes at least six times, so he plans to keep an eye out for room for improvement. 

“I am going to the show to support my friend,” Wood said. “I want to see her succeed and do well.”  

Performing stand up comedy is more than just getting in front of an audience and talking. It requires patience and planning. Manning writes her own material in a special notebook, and everyday experiences inspire her to write new acts. The process taught her that not everything she will be brilliant. 

Comedy is still a learning experience for her. Before every show, Manning prepares a list of jokes, but she still faces stage fright. Luckily, it does not stop her from performing.  

“I just do it,” Manning said. “I get nervous for pretty much every show. I’m super nervous for the spring show. It’s probably the biggest crowd that I’m opening for. It’s my first time opening for a big name.” 

Audience reaction is a major aspect of performing stand-up comedy, and it determines if a show will be successful or not. 

“If it’s going well, you can tell. You can pick up on whether they are enjoying a certain joke,” Manning said. “It’s a totally different feeling if you are not getting a response.” 

Manning says she takes negative response personally, but she gets over it because she realizes everyone has a different sense of humor. However, she is not worried about negative reactions during her performance before the Pharoah event. 

“It’s going to be such a large audience that someone’s going to find it funny,” Manning said. “Big audiences are less nerve wracking than smaller ones in the sense that more people are likely to laugh. All the laughs and applause is going to feel bigger because there are so many people.”