It's an event you won't want to miss. You'll laugh so hard you may pee your pants.
Tonight at 7 p.m. the amphitheater will be taken over once again by hypnotist Tom Deluca. The hour and a half event begins with intense concentration from students being hypnotized and turns into a hysterical comedy performance.
Deluca has been drawing a crowd of over 10,000 University students for more than 20 years, ranging from first years looking for bonding time to nostalgic fourth years attending their last Deluca event.
"I went to the show last year with my RA and girls from my hall and it definitely bonded us together and made the transition to new life at the University with all new friends much easier," second-year College student Kathy Rifareal said.
Now an RA herself, Rifareal hopes to give the same experience to her residents tonight.
Many students who have not yet experienced Deluca are excited about attending for the first time.
Second-year College student Kevin Carson was not at the show last year, but won't miss the show tonight.
"I didn't go last year because I wasn't sure exactly what it was all about," Carson said. "After the show though I felt lost because everyone kept talking about it."
Some students' preparation for the show, however, reaches far beyond simply showing up for a few good giggles. It is not unusual to find die-hard Deluca fans camped out from the dawning hours of Friday morning in front of the stage, awaiting acknowledgement from Deluca. Posters, costumes, catchy sayings and incredible stunts are pulled, all in attempts to grab Deluca's attention and secure a spot on stage.
Highlights of last year's show included a Britney Spears imitation performance, a boy who believed that fruit had feelings, and of course the classic, "nice shoes ... wanna F*%$?" This year, more laughs are promised to relax the student body after a first week spent back in class.
The show is put on by the Comedy and Variety Committee of University Programs Council.
"The first few times Tom came a few thousand people showed up. Over the years it became a tradition and now it's his biggest show," fourth-year College student and chair of the Comedy and Variety Committee Kinjal Sheth said. "We're the first group he books each year because the show is such a success."
If you do attend the show tonight, just remember while you're either an expectant onlooker, or the star of the show, the myth is, you wouldn't do anything under hypnosis that you wouldn't normally do.
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