Lunchbox Voodoo have been practicing nonstop for their show “The Best of Lunchbox Voodoo,” which will showcasing their top sketches from the past few years.

The 11-member sketch comedy group will be performing at 9 p.m. today in the 7th Street Underground.

This is the first time the University Board will be hosting this event.

Rovion Reed, the UB comedy coordinator, said he picked Lunchbox Voodoo to perform because they are very talented and well known on campus.

“It’s good to showcase (Eastern’s) talent to the student body,” Reed said.

Korey Adkins, a junior communications major and the Lunchbox Voodoo president, said he and the 11 members brainstormed for hours to choose the best pieces to perform.

The group selected their favorite pieces and the audiences’ favorite pieces from the last three years.

The hardest part has been rehearsing sketches that are three years old and trying to make them new Adkins said.

“We’ve been practicing at least three times a week so we make sure we hit it extra hard,” Adkins said.

He said they are grateful to have the UB host their event because usually Lunchbox Voodoo organizes and plans its own events.

“We write, perform, direct and plan our sketches and events. Everything is original,” Adkins said.

Anthony “O.C.” Boyd will be the opening act for Lunchbox Voodoo.

Boyd said Reed asked him to open up for Lunchbox Voodoo and he couldn’t let the opportunity pass.

Boyd, a sophomore theatre arts major, started performing comedy six years ago on his high school’s speech team where he competed in one of the categories of speech called “original comedy.” Boyd said that is where he came up with the stage name, “O.C. Boyd.”

Boyd’s comedy focuses mainly on his family, social events and issues students may go through on campus.

“I want to be the next king of comedy,” Boyd said.

He has performed the UB open mics and at last year’s “EIU’s Last Comic Standing.”

“When I perform in front of people, I always remember my motto, ‘To Live, laugh and love,'” Boyd said. “All of my material is ready, I’m ready to shut down 7th Street Underground.”

The UB will be hosting a happy half-hour at 8:30 p.m., which will include an assorted breakfast cereal buffet, before the show.

Reed said he came up with the happy-half hour idea to give the audience an opportunity to socialize and to set the atmosphere to resemble a real comedy show.

“This show will show how far we’ve come,” Adkins said.

Zinika Livingston can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected]