Madison isn’t exactly a well-known name on the comedy circuit. It’s easy for our city to be eclipsed by nearby Chicago, home of Second City and Saturday Night Live spawning ground. Further afield, comedians go to New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles if they want to catch their big break.

But Madison has always had its fair share of sketch, improv and standup acts — not to mention being the hometown of comedic titan Chris Farley. And these days, there’s a flourishing scene taking shape here, one that offers a supportive community for those wishing to flex their funny muscles.

After a period of relative disorganization, there is comedy here most nights. You can enjoy a happy hour with “The Dan Potacke Show”’s weird and wonderful live talk show, every other Monday at the Frequency; hit up the new Comedy Club’s Wednesday night open mikes; grab a slice and check out Friday evening improv at Glass Nickel Pizza with the Monkey Business Institute; or roll with Atlas Improv every Saturday at the Electric Earth Cafe. The Comedy Club hosts touring and regional comics every weekend, and more and more famous comics hit venues like the Barrymore Theatre, Overture Center and the Majestic Theatre.

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By Alyssa Murphy For the Collegian

The transition from 21-and-older venues to an alternative nightspot proved successful for Second Floor Stand-Up, Penn State’s only stand-up comedian club.

The group usually performs at downtown bars, seeing audiences of five to 50 people. But the crowd in Paul Robeson Cultural Center’s Heritage Hall on Friday exceeded expectations — more than 200 people attended the performance, club president Brandon Scott Wolf (junior-journalism) said.

“We had almost every seat filled. People were sitting on the side rail,” Wolf said.

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