It’s amazing what three hysterical college-age kids are trying to do.
It all started with Huntington Woods native Sam Silverstein and his passion for stand-up comedy, but it didn’t take much to recruit Jeremy Paczos and Nick Tenaglia. Laughter is the Cure to Life is what they dubbed their show, and it’s quickly making waves in surrounding communities as well as those on college campuses.
Always commenting on his uncanny resemblance to a young Adam Sandler, Silverstein is furthering his career as a stand-up comedian all while finishing his undergrad at Michigan State University. He initially had the idea after his debut at the Berkley High School Talent Show, where his first stand-up routine stirred conversation and brought his hilarity to light.
The on-the-rise star wanted to use his comedy to do more than just make people laugh. With that, he decided to charge people to see his shows and donate 100 percent of the proceeds to C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Both Tenaglia and Silverstein agree that it’s not about making a profit but about getting their names out there, all while giving back.
The money is donated to helping the kids make their hospital stay as comfortable as possible, having an immediate impact.
“The money goes towards what the hospital calls, Child and Family Life Services, meaning that the money goes towards things like toys, technology, video games and therapy,” said Silverstein.
None of their revenue is used to pay for shows or props, and according to Silverstein, he would rather take the loss in order to give more to the children at the hospital.
Here is a quick highlight reel from the sold out show of 600 seats at Michigan State University back in February:
[fbvideo link=”https://www.facebook.com/sam.silverstein.14/videos/10204172214933113/?autoplay_reason=was_viewed” width=”500″ height=”400″ onlyvideo=”1″]
With $5,000 raised thus far, the trio hopes to break $10,000 during this year’s upcoming tour. New, exciting additions are to be unveiled at the first show at Michigan State University.
“The coolest part is doing all of this with my best friends. In terms of helping with everything—coordination lighting and behind the scenes, [there are] right around 12 guys,” Silverstein said. They haven’t had a need to reach out to anyone outside of whom they already know, since everyone so willingly wanted their hands on deck.
The big man behind the scenes,Jeremy Paczos, is in charge of the videography, ticket designs and any necessary graphics. According to Silverstein, it wouldn’t be possible without him. Paczos is going into his second year at the College for Creative Studies studying advertising and art direction.
Stand-up comedy is Silverstein’s forte but the quirky show follows a plot centered on saving his beloved grandmother from the malicious Lionel, played by Tenaglia. Lionel bosses Silverstein around doing absurd things to rescue his grandma from the devious nature of the antagonist’s character.
“There’s stand-up comedy, juggling, music, and video scene incorporations all tied into one epic storyline,” Silverstein said.
With an assortment of talents melded into one show, you can never be too sure what’s to come, keeping the audience more than ready for more.
The team tries to keep every show different, so that if you’ve seen one you haven’t seen them all. With plot changing and location-specific videos, the Silverstein-Tenaglia duo is always reinventing as they continue to write.
For more information and to keep up to date on upcoming shows, click here.