Jason Schneider

Saturday night, on a relatively bare stage at the Harold Prince Theater, sat the two classic staples of stand-up comedy: a mic stand and a wooden stool. The no-frills set of Simply Chaos's spring show, "Non-Prophet Com-ics," reflects the philosophy of Penn's only stand-up comedy group: a commitment to honing its craft. And judging by the crowd in attendance, Penn students are starting to take notice. "We're definitely on the upswing," says president Jason Schneider.

Keeping fresh can be a challenge. The comics come from a broad range of backgrounds and levels of experience. One of the most seasoned comedians, Schneider described his introduction to the stand-up scene. "When I was 15, I went into a comedy club and I just begged the guy to put me up," he explained. After hearing about Simply Chaos, he figured, "I might as well try it again." Schneider has since gone on to open for comic mainstays such as Damon Wayans and Tracy Morgan in New York; at Penn, he often hosts shows at Helium (comedy club). - 34th Street Magazine

Penn alumnus Shaun Eli is hoping to carve out a new niche in the stand-up comedy market: Ivy League comedians.
In April, Eli hosted the first Ivy League Comedy showcase at the Penn Club in New York featuring four comics who had graduated from Ivy League schools.

The idea, according to Eli, is that these comedians would bring a smarter, cleaner brand of comedy to the microphone than that normally found at comedy clubs.

According to David Bell, associate professor of marketing for the Wharton School, putting the words "Ivy League" in the name could draw in people affiliated with those schools, but could potentially alienate non Ivy-Leaguers.

Bell said that it depends what connection audience members make: whether people think Ivy Leaguers would produce smarter comedy because of their intelligence or that Ivy Leaguers are smart and therefore not funny.

Jason Schneider, a college senior and president of Penn's stand-up comedy group Simply Chaos, said that he would be interested in performing at the Ivy League showcase, but didn't think that going to an Ivy League university would necessarily make one a better comedian.

"It might make you more creative, but practice is really what makes a difference in comedy," he said."

Schneider said that it is already possible to find smart comedy at clubs and didn't see the need for a show to cater to this type of comedy.

"I think if you're a clean comic and you're smart, you're going to get rewarded," he said.

Still, Schneider said that it is always valuable for comedians to be involved in more shows and agreed that the showcase could be a fun opportunity. - The Daily Pennsylvanian