As a lifelong fan of stand-up comedy, I always dreamt of being able to see my favorite comedians live on a stage at some point. But as a broke high school student in Kenosha, those opportunities were few and far between.

What I did not know was Madison is home to one of the greatest comedy clubs in the country — Comedy on State.

Comedy on State has been named in several of the greatest comedians’ list of top comedy clubs in the nation, including Vulture, which placed State Street business in their list of The 15 Best Comedy Clubs in North America. This past year has seen performances by top names including Michelle Wolf, Mark Normand, Taylor Tomlinson and many more top-tier comedians.

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Comedy on State not only hosts some of the biggest names in the stand-up scene, but they do so in a way accessible to everyone in the Madison community. One of the more salient concerns in the life of a college student is finding a way to stretch your wallet. (And I know — as a freshman, I would frantically check my bank account before justifying any purchase over seven dollars.)

Luckily, I never had to miss out on an upcoming show at the comedy club because they offer student discounts. For just five dollars, I was able to see Bert Kreischer, Bobby Lee and Christina P. over the course of my first year at UW.

Outside of stand-up comedy, the club hosts open-mic nights and themed trivia nights. In the past few years, they’ve hosted Harry Potter Trivia, Game of Thrones Trivia, The Office Trivia and many more. Each trivia night is accompanied by multiple prizes for the teams that make the podium, have the best team-names and even the best costumes.

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So whether you’re a fan of stand-up comedy or not, find a reason to go to Comedy on State. The rest of their 2021 lineup includes weekend runs for Chad Daniels, Nimesh Patel and Mike Birbiglia — all major names in the stand-up scene.

The staff is incredible, the atmosphere is electric and you are bound to have a phenomenal night — and that’s no joke.