Last Comic Standing contest auditions for Monday were canceled, but students still have an opportunity to audition for the contest.

The Last Comic Standing contest is organized by the University Board comedy committee and will take place on Dec. 6.

The contest will welcome student comedians to showcase their talents and compete for a Fujifilm digital camera.

Stephanie Cianciolo, the UB comedy coordinator, said the auditions were originally scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday in the 7th Street Underground.

However, because of scheduling conflicts with student comedians, the comedy committee decided to cancel the auditions.

“We changed the process because of people who couldn’t come because of work or other obligations,” she said.

Instead of having auditions on a single day, Cianciolo will be accepting video auditions through email from students until Nov. 9.

Cianciolo said the videos should be appropriate and not include a large amount of crude or offensive language or material.

As well, she said videos should be around 10 minutes long because that is about the amount of time each student will be permitted on stage during the contest.

However, if students cannot produce a video and email it, Cianciolo said arrangements can be made to make sure all students have the chance to audition.

“If they want to be a part of (the contest), we will get them up on that stage to participate,” she said. “The more people, the better.”

After Cianciolo has received all the audition submissions, she and the comedy committee will schedule a screening to determine how many acts will take part in the contest.

Cianciolo said the contest is not limited to traditional stand-up comedy.

She and the committee want to see a diverse range of comedy styles and acts compete to be in the final contest, she added.

“Anything they want, they can send over,” she said. “The more variety the better.”

One aspect of the students’ acts Cianciolo wants to see in the videos is the ability to grab the audience’s attention.

“They need to engage with the audience and keep them going,” she said.

Cianciolo said the Last Comic Standing contest is a great way for students to showcase their talents and express themselves, and she looks forward to watching the submissions.

“It’s a way for students to show their talent and what they are interested in,” she said. “My committee and I are excited to see what EIU comedians have.”

Cianciolo requested that students send their auditions as an attachment or a website URL in an email sent to her Panthermail (smcianciolo@eiu.edu).

Tim Deters can be reached at 581-2812 or tadeters@eiu.edu.