CU’s Program Council has been putting on a great show for a long time

Program Council has been running the show — or more appropriately, all of the shows — at the University of Colorado for decades.

The student group is behind the free film screenings and cheap or free concerts that come to campus. They throw Welcomefest and they run Club 156. If you laughed at a comedian on campus last year, it was probably thanks to them.

In recent years, the crew has kept the entertainment fresh. Last year they brought RAC to the Glenn Miller Ballroom on the heels of a new record, hosted an advance screening of the Zac Efron and Seth Rogen comedy “Neighbors,” and secured newly-hot Chicago EDM trio Krewella as the Welcomefest headliner.

So far, the kickoff extravaganza — the biggest campus show of the year and free exclusively to students — is the only one announced. Topping the bill this year was producer Kill Paris.

Going forward this year, director Kelsey Gonzales wants more.

“Last year, we didn’t really have a whole bunch of huge shows because a change-over in directorship and everything,” said Gonzales, who took on the role in December. “Pretty much my goal for this year is to change that completely. We’re aiming for the largest fall (semester) we’ve had in some time and, so far, it’s turning out really well.”

It starts with Welcomefest, which Gonzales said was booked with diversity of genre in mind. In the coming school year, variety will be the goal. Gonzales said Program Council will likely be sending out a survey to find out what students want, but also said they know they should move away from EDM a bit.

“I know we’ve been saying this for a while, but I know we really need to get in a country show or an indie show,” Gonzales said. “Kind of take Program Council back to it’s roots in rock ‘n’ roll.”

That goes for Club 156, too. The small space in the University Memorial Center has mostly hosted electronic music in recent years, but the club’s current manager, Nyall Cook, will try to diversify. Gonzales said the handful of shows Cook has already planned for Club 156 are all showcasing a different genre.

“The schedule so far is about a show a week, and that is only growing,” Cook said in an email. “We will be hosting a very wide range of artists from underground hip hop and folky jam bands to house DJs, with contributions from local bands and national touring bands. We are also holding karaoke every Thursday in collaboration with the Connection, the bowling ally attached to the venue. We also have a new lighting technician who will be running our light shows so expect a big upgrade to the production on our side.”

Cook is also the PC talent buyer, so he’ll have a big hand in all of the other shows on campus, as well. He’ll be reeling artists in to the Glenn Miller Ballroom, Farrand Field, Old Main, Balch Fieldhouse and more.

You can intern or volunteer with Program Council, and the best place to start is with the street team. Past experience with the street team is important when applying to work with the production crew or security team. Contact coordinator Bryan Bakke at bryan.bakke@programcouncil to learn more.

Follow Ashley Dean on Twitter: twitter.com/ashleydean.