Coffeehouse Held Virtually With “Late Night Show” Theme

Students gathered virtually across campus and in-person in the Vines center for the semi-annual Coffeehouse event March 27, which was inspired this semester by late night television and comedy. 

Host Landen Swain and cohost Lisa Diaczynsky, both members of the Student Activities staff, led the night with lively interactions. From the opening titles, performances by musicians including Drew Lafferty and his Swing Set live house band to a weekend update section, jokes and laughs bounced around the arena throughout the night. 

After Spring 2020 Coffeehouse was cancelled and the event for the Fall 2020 semester went online, the in-person event was a first in the Vines Center for many freshmen and transfer students. COVID-19 restrictions were held in high priority and many procedures were in place to protect the events production team, performing acts and students in attendance. The event had two showings one at 7 p.m. and a late-night option at 11 p.m. and offered a live-stream option, reaching several hundred viewers who were unable to attend in-person. 

“We had a limited capacity of 250 guests attending each of our two showings. Tickets were sold in groups, meaning if a group of six ordered tickets they would be seated together and separate from other guests rather than the typical first come first served seated ticketing system that is usually in place,” Student Activities Special Events Coordinator Clayton Copper said. “As far as acts, they were separated from the crowd and other acts as well. As each act’s performance ended, the event productions team swapped mics and had them disinfected between acts.”

The Spring 2021 theme was based off of long-running popular late night television shows including Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, The Late Late Show and many more. Throughout the show, students attending posed in front of decorated sets from the popular late-night shows that decorated the newly refinished Vines Center. 

Acts from TJ & Company, singing “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing,” NICE featuring Joseph O’Brien, performing a Coldplay mashup and a Liberty Flamettes dance performance, the Coffeehouse stage saw talent from across the Liberty community. Coffeehouse videos featured  “Jerry’s Impractical Jokers”, “The Roommate” and “Praise off the Pounds”. 

Swain, the go-to host for Coffeehouse since his freshman year, announced his retirement from this position following his graduation this spring. Students need to “tune in next year to see who earns that spot,” according to Copper. 

Kaitlyn Nyhan is a News Reporter.