You didn’t think we were going to let you get through Marquee without telling you Marquette alum Danny Pudi is coming back to town, did you?
That’s right: 2001 Marquette theater grad Danny Pudi, one of the stars of the hit NBC series “Community,” is coming back and spending the weekend right here in Cream City, USA.
For those of you blinking confusedly, Pudi is a Chicago native who came to Marquette to study theater. While here, he won the first Chris Farley Scholarship, and after graduation, he completed Chicago’s Second City Conservatory program for sketch comedy and improvisation before heading out to Los Angeles.
It was there that he landed the role of Abed Nadir, a socially inept film directing student in “Community,” an ensemble comedy about a group of students at a community college in Colorado. The show became a hit, with media industry expert David Bushman even going so far as to call it the best new show of the 2009 television season.
It’s unclear what Pudi will be doing all weekend while he’s here — after all, there’s a Marquette men’s basketball exhibition game Saturday afternoon, and he’s a huge fan of getting his mug on the Jumbotron — but he’s scheduled in three appearances, ranging from fun to funnier to funniest.
He’ll kick off the visit with a meet-and-greet style event called “Conversations with Danny Pudi & Friends,” taking place at 3:30 p.m. Friday in Marquette Hall 200. Space is limited on that one though, so if you want seats, you’d better RSVP ASAP.
After that, he’ll be heading to the Union Sports Annex for an 8 p.m. live podcast with John and Kevin Farley. Part of the brothers’ weekly series, the simply named “Farley Brothers Radio Podcast,” the show is heading from its normal location, Second City Los Angeles, to good old MKE, free for your viewing and listening pleasure.
Last, but certainly not least, Pudi will be doing what he does best Saturday night in the Alumni Memorial Union Ballrooms: making people laugh. At 10:30 p.m., Pudi and the fellow alums that make up long-form improv troupe the Avalancheros will be putting on a show to show off the comedy skills they started learning on this very campus.
Reservations for “Conversations with Danny Pudi & Friends” can be made with Sarah Feldner, an assistant professor in the College of Communication, at [email protected]. All other events are free of charge, but we’d suggest arriving early just in case someone with more school spirit than you gets there first.
