Writer, actor and comedian B.J. Novak, best known for his role as the temp Ryan Howard on NBC’s “The Office,” will be performing at Graham Chapel on Wednesday, Feb. 17 for Social Programming Board’s Spring Comedy Show.

NBC Photo | Mitchell Haaseth

Unique to this year’s show is the request for student involvement. Students will not only will be able to ask Novak questions after his performance, but they’ll have the opportunity to compete for the chance to open for Novak.

Although Novak is an extremely versatile comedian, students have voiced complaints regarding the lack of female comedians in the last 3 1/2 years, when SPB first started running comedy shows.

SPB’s Comedy Director, freshman Rachel Thornton, addressed such complaints, and reiterated her confidence in the process that lead to Novak’s selection.

“We try and include a wide range of artists on our talent surveys,” Thornton said. “This semester, about half of the artists on the survey were female. The student body overwhelmingly chose B.J. Novak as its No. 1 choice, so that’s who we decided to pursue. We will continue to provide diverse options for students to choose from.”

Junior Rahool Bhimani, SPB president, further elaborated on Novak’s qualifications, explaining that he was more than his role on “The Office.”

“Outside of his time spent acting and doing stand-up, B.J. has written multiple books and designed his own app,” Bhimani said. “He’s not your typical actor or comedian, but he’s still widely known for the array of different things he’s involved in.”

In a press release, Thornton reiterated her excitement regarding Novak’s upcoming performance.

“We could not be more excited to announce B.J. Novak as the headliner for this semester’s show,” Thornton said. “He was the clear winner of our spring talent survey so we’re thrilled to announce a headliner that students are eager to see.”

Doors open for the show at 7 p.m.