The star of ‘My Wife and Kids’ is coming to Syracuse University to perform a comedy show homecoming weekend.

Damon Wayans will be coming to Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center on the evening of Oct. 16. Phi Beta Sigma and Omega Phi Beta, together with the Office of Student Activities, will be putting on the event. The comedy show is part of Homecoming Week 2010, called Orange Central.

An actor, producer, writer and comedian, Wayans, 50, had his first on-screen appearance in Eddie Murphy’s ‘Beverly Hills Cop.’ Wayans also starred in the film ‘Major Payne’ and the critically acclaimed show ‘In Living Color.’ The New York-born comedian has also made several HBO comedy specials. 

‘Looking at other universities and what they do during their homecoming weeks, our homecoming lacked a major event,’ said Donald Saint-Germain, a junior African-American studies and policy studies major who is in charge of the budget for the event.

‘After sitting down with the sisters of Omega Phi Beta, we came to an agreement that something we haven’t seen for a long time is a good quality comedy show,’ Saint-Germain said.

Tickets are $10 with a valid SU or State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry ID and $15 for general admission. Tickets are on sale at the Schine Box Office. The show begins at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m. 

After auditioning for the spots, a series of student comedians will open for Wayans. 

The final auditions for the opening slots are Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium. 

Saint-Germain said he hopes the addition of a comedy act will make a difference for years to come.

‘We just wanted to give people something about homecoming that they could be excited about,’ Saint-Germain said. ‘Hopefully it’ll become a tradition, an annual event where Syracuse is known throughout the upstate region for this homecoming comedy event so students are proud of it and can have a good weekend.’

akgould@syr.edu

Published on September 29, 2010 at 12:00 pm