“I want you to look to your left, now look to your right, now look at whoever was more attractive and introduce yourself,” advertising sophomore Sam Silverstein said during his comedy show Tuesday night.

If this bit of comedy doesn’t sum up Silverstein’s Laughter is the Cure to Life event, imagine an hour-long performance filled with tennis balls, morph suits, half-naked police officers and two friends turned enemies, all in the name of charity.

“(The show takes) the best aspects of what you might see in a movie, what you might see in a theater act, what you might see in a stand-up comedy show and we combine it all into a storyline,” Silverstein said.

The show isn’t only for entertainment — the proceeds made through ticket sales go directly to the Child and Family Life department of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

This department uses the funds raised to purchase action figures, video games, music therapy, toys and anything else that will make a sick child’s stay more enjoyable.

The most recent show raised $5,000. Though that seems like a lot of money, it wouldn’t be enough to make much of a difference if put toward research, Silverstein said, which is why he chose to donate to this specific department.

“I’m 19 and all I like to do is play and have fun and these kids are three, five, seven years old and their friends are in school having fun at recess, playing, coloring, drawing and they’re in a hospital room for months to years at a time with their parents,” he said. “And that’s not fun. So we try to bring the fun to them.”

Knowing his show raises money for a great cause has grounded Silverstein throughout the stress and hectic schedules that come with running it, Silverstein said.

Recently, a mother of one of the children staying in C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital contacted Silverstein and gave him a huge personal thank you for the work he and his team are doing. She told him that, through his work, he has changed not only the life of her daughter, but her life as well.

“It brought us back to reality for a second and out of show mode where it’s like, we’re actually doing something, we’re actually changing lives and making a difference,” Silverstein said.

Though the charity aspect of the show brings its share of touching moments, simply being on stage and getting positive reactions from the crowd is gratifying, too.

Silverstein’s love for comedy began when he got first place in his high school talent show. His winning performance combined stand-up comedy with juggling.

That performance evolved into going door-to-door freshman year of college in his residence hall, juggling for everyone in his hall and handing out cards with his name, email and YouTube channel on it. He then started collaborating with friends about show logistics.

“No matter what you’re going through, whether it’s a bad breakup, a loss in your family, you failed a test or whatever it is, laughing is something humans can unanimously connect on and relate to and just to be able to make someone genuinely crack up, laugh, smile, feel good, is the most rewarding feeling giving back, especially when you can do it in front of 600 people laughing at one time,” Silverstein said.

He isn’t the only one getting the laughs during the performance.

Silverstein is joined on stage by his longtime friend and co-star, Nick Tenaglia along with various other performers who are a part of the performance.

Tenaglia and Silverstein became close friends through a high school video class, and throughout the years they brought their ideas of a comedy show together to create Laughter is the Cure to Life.

Though Tenaglia has no theater background, he said his comedy expertise comes from being the class clown in high school and being the son of two parents who were also their schools’ class clowns.

“I think there’s nothing better in the world than to make people laugh, other than to laugh yourself, but unfortunately I don’t get to watch this show,” Tenaglia said, chuckling. “I’m going to try really hard to make everyone laugh. If I can make 700 people laugh at one time that would be a dream come true.”

The team also includes College for Creative Studies sophomore and another long time friend of Silverstein’s, Jeremy Paczos.

Paczos’ role as executive producer puts him in charge of producing the show, designing flyers, promoting the events, editing and filming video, editing music and a variety of other technological tasks.

His involvement started originally to support his friend, and grew into a passion for the show and for the cause.

“I wanted to get involved because my friend Sam is just the craziest dude and anything he’s a part of, I want to be a part of,” Paczos said. “It’s just a great cause.”

The team also has nine other members who help make sure the show runs smoothly, all of whom Silverstein says the show wouldn’t be possible without.

The plan is to schedule shows at the University of Michigan and Ohio State University and to eventually set up a tour.

“It’s kind of just one of those things where it’s like, trying to enjoy the ride because you don’t really know where it’ll end or go,” Silverstein said.