The fraternity Phi Beta Sigma at Syracuse University is producing “Saturday Night Live: The Showcase” on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Goldstein Auditorium in Schine Student Center.

The showcase is comprised of four different acts. One of the performers is Lavell Crawford, a standup comedian with his own movie “Can a Brother Get Some Love?” He also plays the role of Huell on “Breaking Bad.”

Other acts include violinist Damien Escobar, R&B artist Teyana Taylor and Quest Crew, who won the third season of the dance show “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew.”

Marquise Stephens, a senior accounting major and the Phi Beta Sigma brother who is in charge of planning the event, said the fraternity usually does a comedy show in the fall but was not able to do so this year.

“So this year so we decided to do more of a variety show this semester where we could have a whole bunch of different acts and appreciate all different types of art,” Stephens said, adding that the planning for the show began early during the fall semester.

Stephens also said a percentage of the show’s proceeds will be donated to the nonprofit March of Dimes, which helps mothers and their newborn babies.

Travis Davis, the president of the SU chapter of Phi Beta Sigma, said the fraternity has given to March of Dimes for a good number of its major events in the past.

“We have a good relationship with the office here at Syracuse, and they’ve been nothing but kind to us,” said Davis, a junior public health major. “We’re hoping that this event will be more financially beneficial because then we can give more to March of the Dimes and continuing to build our relationship more with them.”

Davis added the fraternity has never done “a show like this” before, describing the lineup of acts as “a variety of impeccable talent.”

“I love that a lot of organizations have talent showcases where they showcase talents from around the university and the communities, but with this show, we wanted to get people who are at the top of their game when it comes to their respective skills,” Davis said.

In choosing the talents for the show, Davis said he and the brothers of Phi Beta Sigma were all collectively involved in the decisions.

He said they wanted to separate the show into sections and aimed to choose certain types of acts, such as a dance act and a comedy act. As a chapter, the brothers would watch online videos and discuss which acts they wanted to bring in to SU, as well as making sure the acts were available and within the fraternity’s budget.

Stephens echoed the same sentiments and said the variety ensures everyone will have a good time.

“It doesn’t really feel like one specific target audience. It’s something that everyone in the Syracuse community can enjoy,” Stephens said. “That’s exactly why we wanted to do a variety of different acts.”

Tyler McKenzie, a senior communication and rhetorical studies major and the vice president of the SU chapter of Phi Beta Sigma, said the variety of acts is what makes the show appealing to students.

“For me personally I feel like a lot of artists who are big names come out with a chip on their shoulder, and these guys give more in terms of their performances,” McKenzie said. “People like Damien Escobar and Teyana Taylor are some of the most talented people I’ve ever seen.”

McKenzie also said the fraternity is always looking to bring something new to the SU community, having brought J. Cole to the Carrier Dome last year.

“It’s a little difficult because we still have schoolwork,” McKenzie said about organizing the show. “It’s time consuming obviously but at the end of the day, I love these guys and they will do anything to get the job done.”

Published on February 5, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu