Photos by Patrick Wells/The Ithacan

When the lights dimmed in IC Square Friday night, the intimate space of the former Pub mirrored the setting of a true comedy club. The scene was perfect when three professional stand-up comedians, all of whom were Ithaca alumni, took to the brightly-lit stage.

When Margot Leitman ’00 took the stage, she wasted no time jumping into her set, which included dry, self-deprecating humor and plenty of four letter words that resonated with students in the crowd.

“It’s interesting to see what college kids laugh at,” she said.

Because she grew so tall at a young age, Leitman said she turned the awkwardness felt from her height into a comedy act. Leitman admits that her sense of humor is weird and almost dark.

“I worked with kids for a little while and I think kids are really funny,” she said. “This is horrible, but most people think kids are so sweet and so innocent and nothing but good, but I see such evil in them and it’s so funny sometimes.”

Leitman majored in drama and minored in dance during her four years at Ithaca College. She lives in New York City and is a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade, a sketch comedy troupe.  

The second female act of the night was Giulia Rozzi ’00. As soon as she took the stage, Rozzi explained that she hates when people come up to her to say her name is spelled wrong.

“It’s pronounced ‘Julia’,” she said. “My mother did not look at me after I was born and say ‘What a beautiful baby. We should name her GULIA!’”

She deepened her voice and contorted her body into a troll-like pose for effect. Rozzi had everyone’s attention after that.

She spent some time onstage describing the minds of college students. Rozzi also talked about a boy that liked her and this kinky idea he had called “monogamy.”

She continued her theme of making fun of Ithaca College life by asking the audience if Gino’s was still popular and if it tasted any good sober.

Rozzi graduated from Ithaca College with a double major in sociology and theater. She said that most of her appreciation for comedy stemmed from her family.

“My family argues just as much as we laugh,” she said. “So when anything bad happens, we always make fun of each other about it. Nothing is so bad that you can’t laugh about it.”

Rozzi lives in New York City where she submits freelance writing and puts on a one-woman show titled “Stupid Foreigners.” She is also performs in a two-woman show with Leitman titled “Namedroppers.”

The last comedian of the night was Michael Capozzola ’92, who graduated with a planned studies major.

“I love coming back to perform at Ithaca,” he said. “It’s one of the highlights of the calendar year.”

Capozzola got his start in stand-up comedy at Ithaca College. Unimpressed by the comedians that ICTV had for an on-air talent show, Capozzola decided to enter the contest himself and beat 16 other comedians. But the next time he performed, he flopped.

“I realized that this is a craft,” Capozzola said. “This isn’t something that you just show up for. That appealed to me.”

Capozzola talked about a range of topics, including his mixed Jewish and Italian heritage.

“I’ve started to work that in a little more,” Capozzola said. “Mostly because I can get a lot of Jewish gigs and Italian gigs. It’s like working for the Hatfields and the McCoys.”

Capozzola now lives in New York City after having spent time in San Francisco. He works as a freelance creative consultant and as a cartoonist. He is also on a “Bushwhacking tour” titled “Politicomedy-a-Go-Go,” which recently played venues throughout Texas and made it out alive. 

Graham Stewart, director of alumni relations, helped to organize the event. He said that a similar event took place last year and that it was a big success.

“The great thing about having alumni come back is that they can talk about their Ithaca College experience and everyone in the audience will identify in some way,” Stewart said.