The club I was doing it in only did comedy two nights a week. It did other nightclub stuff like host bands on other nights. There was a regular jazz band that played there on Monday nights with some pretty well-known musicians. They also showed art-house films, which is how I started before I did comedy- I was the projectionist there. Then one day, the regular host, who thought I was really funny, had me do an opener. It took off from there. Eventually, he hosted one night and I hosted another so we could tour regionally other parts of the week. This was way back in the 1990s- the club is gone now. The building has been demolished.
However, that town now does have a locally-owned comedy club that is apparently successful enough to draw really big-name acts, so I guess the answer is yes.
Sorry if my answer wasn’t clear- it is possible to run a local comedy club that stays in business, but I don’t know if it pays well. I do assume that the big-name acts are paid well. Michael Kosta from The Daily Show was just there. I doubt he would have come to Indiana for cheap because it must have been an overnight gig since he hosted the show that week too.
The club I was doing it in only did comedy two nights a week. It did other nightclub stuff like host bands on other nights. There was a regular jazz band that played there on Monday nights with some pretty well-known musicians. They also showed art-house films, which is how I started before I did comedy- I was the projectionist there. Then one day, the regular host, who thought I was really funny, had me do an opener. It took off from there. Eventually, he hosted one night and I hosted another so we could tour regionally other parts of the week. This was way back in the 1990s- the club is gone now. The building has been demolished.
However, that town now does have a locally-owned comedy club that is apparently successful enough to draw really big-name acts, so I guess the answer is yes.
I’m sure the pay is still shit though.
i love the insight, great answer to a different question.
Sorry if my answer wasn’t clear- it is possible to run a local comedy club that stays in business, but I don’t know if it pays well. I do assume that the big-name acts are paid well. Michael Kosta from The Daily Show was just there. I doubt he would have come to Indiana for cheap because it must have been an overnight gig since he hosted the show that week too.