Dave Russo, 1993 graduate of Wilkes University, will perform a comedy entitled “Laugh till You Cry,” at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 8 in the ballroom of Henry Student Center to benefit departmental communications studies
alumni and friends scholarship.

Russo graduated in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies. He was a dedicated wrestler in both his high school and college career and received a scholarship for wrestling to attend Wilkes.

Dave attributes Wilkes with helping him with many aspects in his life and comedy.

“I had a public speaking class and I had to an eight to ten minutes speech about my upbringing and how I went to Wilkes,” Russo said. “I took the humorous approach and got the third highest grade in the class, writing tarted to become easier for me, there’s even a piece that I wrote at Wilkes from 1989 that I still use it in my acts.”

He is a regular in the Boston comedy scene and has performed in Las Vegas and in some of the best clubs in New York and Los Angeles. He has also made appearances on Comedy Central, NBC’s Today Show and NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” In 2010, Dave began producing and hosting the Wicked Funny Comedy Tour, a comedy series on NESN’s Dirty Water television station.

Dave will ring his witty style to Wilkes with jokes tailored to popular and localized topics. Audience members will hear jokes about Mohegan Sun Casino, the phrase “heyna,” and of course a few shots at Wilkes’ local cross-town rival, King’s College. Dave joked about King’s, saying, “it’s a tough school to get into, ya know…when
it’s locked.”

Opening for the show is Terri Granahan, a 1994 graduate of Wilkes. Granahan, who won New York Comedy Club’s “Best Talent” award in 2003, has opened for Russo before at Gotham’s Comedy Club, which later aired on Comedy Central.

All the proceeds from tickets sales will benefit Department of Communication Studies Alumni and Friends scholarship and two of these scholarships will be given next year. The scholarship is given annually to a sophomore or junior who excels both inside and outside the classroom.

“The need for financial aid is greater than it’s ever been,” said Zebra Communications adviser Jane
Elmes-Crahall.

This is the third time Russo will be performing at his Alma Mater. “I hadn’t been back to Wilkes in a while and I wanted to go back to where it all began,” he said. “With show business it’s all about business, so I wanted to come back to Wilkes to do the show part.”

Tickets for college students with a valid ID will be $10 and $20 for the public. They will be on sale on the first floor of the Henry Student Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Door for the show open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m on Dec. 8 in the second floor ballroom in the HSC.