A total of 16 undergraduates, graduates, and professional students registered to perform at The Sweet Spot: Comedy Night on October 26 in The Underground. It may come as no surprise that several registrants were from the Yale School of Medicine and the Yale School of Public Health. After all, laughter is the best medicine! The final lineup of eight performers was selected at random, and each individual or group was allotted up to 10 minutes on stage. A mix of 64 undergraduates, graduates, and professional students shared laughs in the audience, and the emcee, Lil Wenker ’23, kept the energy alive between sets.
What’s the story behind The Sweet Spot? Yale Schwarzman Center and Hospitality teams were looking for uncomplicated ways to increase student-centered programming in the building's gathering spaces. In conversations with students and through their observations, the teams recognized a "sweet spot" where students' interests, space availability, and staffing seemed to align. The timing—after dinner, before studying, and not too late for a general audience—was also a factor. And so, The Sweet Spot came to be.
"The October 26 event was a prototype—a way to start small and deliver fast on a shared objective," said Maurice Harris, YSC's director of marketing and communications. "It is one of several firsts YSC has hosted this academic year. Another first to look forward to is a Yale-Harvard viewing party on November 19 where students will be able to gather in The Underground to celebrate the big game or just enjoy each other's company."
While the November recess officially kicks off on November 18, many Yale College students do not leave campus until November 20 or 21. Graduate and professional students generally live in the New Haven area and stay in town until the Thanksgiving holiday. So, November 19 may prove to be a "sweet spot" in its own right!