Comedy club
Encyclopedia
A comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub
, bar
, or restaurant
where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedian
s, impersonator
s, magicians
, ventriloquists and other comedy acts. The term "comedy club" usually refers to venues that feature standup comedy, as distinguished from improv theaters that host improv or sketch comedy and variety clubs that may also host musical acts.
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, or restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s, impersonator
Impersonator
An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for someone to be an impersonator, some common ones being as follows:...
s, magicians
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
, ventriloquists and other comedy acts. The term "comedy club" usually refers to venues that feature standup comedy, as distinguished from improv theaters that host improv or sketch comedy and variety clubs that may also host musical acts.
List of comedy clubs
- Anseo Comedy Club, Dublin
- Bananas Comedy ClubBananas Comedy ClubBananas Comedy Club are two venues for stand-up comedy: the original founded in 1986 in Poughkeepsie, New York and the other opening its doors in 1988 in Bergen County, New Jersey...
- Caroline'sCaroline'sCarolines on Broadway is a venue for stand-up comedy located in Times Square in New York City on Broadway between 49th and 50th Street. It is one of the most established, famous, and recognized stand-up comedy clubs in the United States. Its marketing slogan is "America's Premiere Comedy...
- Catch a Rising StarCatch a Rising StarCatch a Rising Star is a chain of comedy clubs, founded in New York City in December 1972 and owned by Rick Newman. It has since spread to other areas, such as Las Vegas and New Jersey....
- Cobb's Comedy ClubCobb's Comedy ClubCobb's Comedy Club is a venue to showcase stand-up comedy. It's located in San Francisco, CA in the North Beach area. The club has been open for more than 25 years and has had many top comedians on its stage.Comics include:Tim Allen,Dave Attell,...
- Coconuts Comedy ClubCoconuts Comedy ClubCoconuts Comedy Club is a chain of comedy clubs. They first opened in St. Pete Beach, FL in May 1986. Since then many more locations have opened up in Florida and throughout the rest of the country. They also have clubs in parts of the Caribbean and Europe....
- Comedy CellarComedy CellarThe Comedy Cellar is a comedy club in Manhattan, where many top New York comedians perform. It was founded in 1982 by then standup comedian, and current television writer/producer Bill Grundfest...
- The Comedy Club Asia
- Comedy Club RussiaComedy Club RussiaComedy Club is a Russian stand-up comedy TV show broadcasted by the Russian TNT channel since April 23, 2005.Long-time residents of the club are Garik Martirosyan, Timur Batrutdinov, Pavel Volya, Alexandr Revva, Alexander Nezlobin and others...
- The Comedy Quarter
- The Comedy Shoppe
- The Comedy StoreThe Comedy StoreThe Comedy Store is a comedy club located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. It has a sister comedy club in La Jolla, San Diego, California.-History:...
- The Comedy Store (London)
- The Comedy Zone
- The Comic Strip Live
- Comix Comedy Nightclub
- Dangerfields
- EastVille Comedy ClubEastVille Comedy ClubThe EastVille Comedy Club is a New York City comedy club located in Manhattan's East Village.EastVille has hosted showcases for Late Night with Conan O'Brien and audition showcases for Montreal's Just For Laughs Comedy Festival....
- The Empire Belfast
- The Funny BoneThe Funny BoneThe Funny Bone is a comedy club chain in the United States. Its marketing slogan is: "America's No. 1 Comedy Nite Clubs!"The original Funny Bone Comedy Club opened in Pittsburgh, PA by co-founders Mitch Kutash and Gerald Kubach in 1982. The Funny Bone, with its sister club The Improv has now...
- The Glee Club, BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and NottinghamNottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group... - Go Bananas
- Gotham Comedy ClubGotham Comedy ClubGotham Comedy Club is a venue for stand-up comedy in New York City. The comedy club is located on 208 West 23rd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Chelsea.Several movies and television shows have been filmed at the club...
- Governors Comedy ClubGovernors Comedy ClubGovernor's Comedy Club is an American comedy club in Levittown, New York, on Long Island. It was more than 25 years old as of 2010. It hosts a variety of comedians from local talent, to national headliners such as Kevin James, Nick DiPaolo, and Gilbert Gottfried.It has two sister clubs also on Long...
- Ha! Comedy Club N.Y.C.
- Helium Comedy ClubHelium Comedy ClubHelium Comedy Club is a venue for stand-up comedy in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The club offers a three-act show which consists of an opener, feature and a headliner. Like many comedy clubs, the house has a 'two item minimum' for each audience member...
- Howlin Comedy Club
- The ImprovThe ImprovThe Improv is a comedy club franchise. Originally, it was a single venue founded in 1963 by Budd Friedman and located in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City on West 44th near the SE corner of 9th Ave. A second location was opened in 1974 at 8162 Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District...
- JongleursJongleursJongleurs is a chain of comedy clubs in the United Kingdom. Maria Kempinska MBE established and opened the first Jongleurs club in 1983 in Battersea, London. In 1985 Maria then met her business partner John Davy, and together they built the Jongleurs brand. The company evolved into a corporate...
- The Laff StopThe Laff StopThe Laff Stop was a comedy club, located in Houston, Texas. It was one of the most successful clubs through the 1990s, and is considered as the heart of the Texas stand-up comedy scene. The club closed after Dec...
- The Laugh FactoryThe Laugh FactoryThe Laugh Factory is a world famous comedy club located at 8001 on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California.-History:In 1979, after a dispute over club owners refusing to pay comedians, a then 16 year old Jamie Masada recognized the need for a new venue for comedians to perform...
- Laughing Cows Comedy NightLaughing cows comedyLaughing Cows Comedy Night was set up in 1998 after a London comedy promoter inadvertently threw down the proverbial gauntlet."We were discussing female comics and I asked why there's never more than one female comedian on the bill and he said, oh we wouldn't take that risk," she explains...
- Moscow Comedy Club
- The Punchline
- Rascals Comedy Club
- The Rivercenter Comedy Club
- Side Splitters Comedy ClubSide Splitters Comedy ClubSide Splitters Comedy Club is a place that showcases stand-up comedy. There are two locations, one in Tampa, FL and the other in Knoxville, TN...
- The Stand Comedy ClubThe Stand Comedy ClubThe Stand Comedy Club are three stand-up comedy venues in the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle upon Tyne.-History:The Stand hosted its first regular club night on Thursday 21st September 1995: seven people came and the total box office was £22....
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area... - The Stress FactoryThe Stress FactoryThe Stress Factory is a comedy club located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It has hosted numerous comedians including Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Attell, Richard Lewis, Chris Rock, Denis Leary, Gilbert Gottfried, Louie Anderson, Artie Lange, Jim Breuer, Jim Norton, Brian Regan, Bill Burr, Greg Giraldo,...
- The TakeOut Comedy Club Hong KongThe TakeOut Comedy Club Hong KongThe TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong is a venue for stand-up comedy and improvisational comedy located at 34 Elgin Street, basement, Central, Hong Kong. Founded in February 2007 by Jami Gong, a leading Chinese American stand-up comedian, TakeOut Comedy is the first fulltime comedy club in Asia...
- Yuk Yuk'sYuk Yuk'sYuk Yuk's is a national comedy club chain in Canada, owned by former stand-up comedian Mark Breslin and established in 1977 by Breslin and Joel Axler...
List of improv theaters
- ComedySportzComedySportzComedySportz is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green and many others.-Format:...
- I.O.I.O.iO, or iO Chicago, is a theater located at 3541 N. Clark St., in Chicago, Illinois, one-half block south of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The theater both has performances of, and teaches improvisational comedy. It was founded in the 1980s by Del Close and Charna Halpern...
- The GroundlingsThe GroundlingsThe Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin to produce sketches and improvised scenes...
- The Second CityThe Second CityThe Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
- Upright Citizens Brigade TheatreUpright Citizens Brigade TheatreThe Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre or UCB Theatre is an improvisational theatre and associated UCB Training Center with locations in Chelsea, New York, the EEast Village, New York and Hollywood, California.....
- The Comedy Zone (improv)
- Dad's Garage Theatre CompanyDad's Garage Theatre CompanyDad's Garage Theatre Company, located in Inman Park near Little Five Points in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 1995 by Chris Blair, Marc Cram, Sean Daniels, John Gregorio, David Keeton, Joseph Limbaugh, Matt Stanton, and Matt Young. The small theater company has since achieved international...