Westwood Night Live Returns to UCLA Stage
The student-produced comedy show held its second production in Ackerman Grand Ballroom on Friday.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Comedy
Westwood Night Live, a student-led comedy show inspired by Saturday Night Live, staged its second production in Ackerman Grand Ballroom at UCLA on Friday. The show was hosted by Undergraduate Students Association Council President Jayha Buhs Jackson and included live performances and pre-taped sketches.
Why it matters
The production shows that student-run comedy continues to grow on the UCLA campus, drawing on the work of roughly 70 people across writing, directing, and photography. Its creator says she hopes to stage the show quarterly.
The production involved around 70 people and a cast of about 20, with 11 cast members appearing in the opening mockumentary and a running time of roughly 1.5 hours. No audience attendance or ticket figures were reported.
The players
Jiya Singh
Singh is the creator and executive producer of Westwood Night Live and has said she hopes to stage the show quarterly.
Jayha Buhs Jackson
Jackson is President of the Undergraduate Students Association Council and served as host of the second production.
Celine Parreñas Shimizu
Shimizu is the dean who hosted the inaugural UCLA Radio production of the show in April.
The details
Pre-taped sketches were filmed at popular campus spots, including Rolfe Hall, and the program featured a musical performance by student band Sumting Blue. Writers, directors, and photographers came from UCLA Radio as well as outside the organization.
Timeline
April 2026: The inaugural production was held as a UCLA Radio event hosted by Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu.
Friday, November 7, 2026: The second production was staged at Ackerman Grand Ballroom.
Legacy Format
Westwood Night Live adapts the sketch-and-musical-guest format of Saturday Night Live to a university stage, carrying its live-plus-pre-taped structure into a student production. The show's quarterly goal would make it a recurring campus counterpart to that long-running NBC model.
Students and visitors who want to see the show should watch for announcements of future productions, since the next date has not been set. The second production was staged in Ackerman Grand Ballroom, the venue used for live performance at UCLA.
The takeaway
Student-produced comedy at UCLA is building a regular audience, and its growth from one production to a planned quarterly schedule shows how campus creative groups can sustain a recurring live show.
What happens next
Creator Jiya Singh has said she hopes to stage the show quarterly, but no specific dates for future productions were given.
Further reading
For more on stage humor, see Comedy coverage across Los Angeles.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily Bruin.
