The Wichita Comedy Scene
The first Wednesday of each month, brave souls ascend the stage at the Loony Bin Comedy Club on 215 N St Francis to practice their art: stand-up comedy.
First timers and pros alike, give it all they have for five short minutes to crowds of various sizes. What many Wichita comedy lovers may not know is that the local comedy scene goes much deeper than this one well-publicized open mic.
There is a growing network of local comedians committed to building the local comedy scene to entertain the masses and hone their craft.
Today's Comedy Scene
These efforts have cumulated into the creation of the WichitaComedy.com, currently being run by Dan “The Man” Lane, who described it as a one-stop-shop for all things Wichita comedy. On the site, you’ll find an easy-to-navigate monthly calendar of all the comedy open mics and showcases produced by local Wichita comedians. The site was originally started by Jessica Kay, who gave the reins over to Lane when she moved away. Kay and other local comedians, Meghan Welch, Daniel Pewewardy, Blake Hamilton and Tim Maggard built the foundation of what is the local Wichita Comedy family of today. Establishing relationships with local bar owners to produce more regular comedy open mics and showcases.
The Wichita Comedy scene has not always been the large network that it is today. Chris “Wiz” Winslow, Loony Bin bar manager, had a very different experience when he started performing comedy in 2000. At that time, there were only a handful of active Wichita comedians and just the one regular comedy open mic night at the Loony Bin’s previous West 21st St location. Wichita comedians would practice anywhere they could get a mic in their hand, from karaoke nights to music open mics at local bars. Using the yellow pages, these dedicated Wichita comedy pioneers would call the bars all over Kansas to offer their comedy skills to the masses, who were starving for fresh entertainment.
Interested in Comedy?
Have you always wanted to try comedy but find the thought of going up at a well-established comedy club too daunting? WichitaComedy.com has the solution. Wichita comedians gathering every 2nd and 4th Tuesday for one of the most popular open mics, for both comedians and audience members, at Barleycorn’s, 608 E Douglas Ave. They can be found the last Wednesday of each month at the Bean Scene, 8606 W. 13th St. What you can expect to find at these comedy open mics is a welcoming, supportive and open family of comedians ready to support you in your pursuit of this performance art.
Support Your Local Comedians
Just love comedy and want support local comedians? Open mics are most productive when there is a fresh audience for practicing comedians. WichitaComedy.com also lists all the local showcases, many of which feature comedians from all over the country.
Wichita is a central point of travel and a favorite spot for touring comedians to come through on their way to bigger weekend shows.
As the reputation and audience for Wichita comedy grows, the bigger the names local comedians can bring in to perform. Whether you want to try stand-up comedy or just enjoy being an audience member, come on out for the fun!
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