A mid the ever-growing comedy community in Madison, a new entertainment venue – The North Street Cabaret – is debuting their first comedy showcase.
The North Street Cabaret recently opened on the corner of North and Commercial, opening its doors for musical performances, and starting Nov. 9, comedy. Organizer Allie Lindsay will host the first-of-its-kind event, which will be presented as a showcase of local comic talents. The show will last from 8-10 p.m., and a $5 cover is the only thing necessary to enjoy it.
“There’s a lot of comedy that’s happening in Madison, probably more prevalently now than it has in a long time,” Lindsay said. “It just seems to be getting increasingly more pronounced, and there’s a lot of very active people in the comedy scene.”
“Comedy At The Cabaret” is the titular event, and it will feature five of Madison’s local talents – Vanessa Tortolano, Dan Bacula, Esteban Touma, Spencer Graham, as well as the headlining comic, Marty Clarke. All five of these comics were handpicked by Lindsay as an assortment of just a few of her favorite comedy personalities in the Madison area. As a performing comic herself, Lindsay is well versed in her local comedians.
“I decided on this little group as my first installment of saying thank you for helping my career,” Lindsay said. “They’re tremendous human beings, incredibly funny, and all incredibly unique from one another. There’s a nice variety of wonderful comics.”
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Each of the local comedians performing at “Comedy At The Cabaret” are individually prevalent in the local comedy scene as well, each always finding new venues to perform at, Lindsay said. By her estimate, they will each be performing ten-minute sets before Marty Clarke, the headlining comedian, performs his set of 20 to 30 minutes.
Lindsay said it was difficult to narrow down five people she wants to begin to showcase, but eventually found the current lineup to be ideal. Each of the comics at this showcase will bring a unique set of skills to the table. Headliner Marty Clarke is known for hosting roast battles in the Madison area, and is acclaimed by Lindsay as the “roast master” of Madison.
“Everybody has a different flavor, so I put this lineup together to get a variety of comics,” Lindsay said. “Everyone in the show has a unique story, anyway.”
Lindsay has been performing comedy around Madison as well for the past two years, and now hopes to bring more of the local comedy scene to the east side of Madison. She said she has wanted to do comedy for a long time, and was finally able to launch her career a couple of years ago.
Lindsay has received support from the community of local comics since launching her career, and will be using this showcase as a platform to personally show her gratitude for the support she has been given.
Lindsay’s experience with comedy has given her insights to share with the audience Thursday. On top of greeting the audience and introducing the other comics performing that evening, she will be discussing stand-up comedy as a whole.
“It’s a really hard thing to do, comedy. This my very first time ever hosting my own show, so it’s a very big personal deal to me,” Lindsay said. “I’m kind of looking at this as a gratitude show in a way, because those who I have put on this show are folks that I want to thank that have had me on their shows, or they have been integral in my comedy career so far as a friend, or as a mentor.”
With a supportive audience, the show will hopefully become a monthly event in which more local comics can showcase their talents to the crowd at the North Street Cabaret. Lindsay expressed her goal to create more similar events in the future.
“I hope to be doing some more fun and unique things going forward,” Lindsay said.
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The local comedy scene relies on a strong and supportive audience, especially at new venues like the North Street Cabaret. With a constantly growing local comedy scene, audience support is strong, but always vital to performance.
“We’re all itching to have showcases — so we can practice, so we can perform for people,” Lindsay said. “Unlike music, which you can practice at home, we need you. We need the audience to do it.”
Since the venue is a bar, the minimum age will be 21 for the event. The venue does feature a full bar and a full kitchen for its patrons. The venue itself is an intimate environment well suited for entertainment, and graciously hosts its patrons. The North Street Cabaret’s website states in its description, “Inclusivity is our highest priority — all are welcome at the cabaret.”
Those in need of a breath of fresh air in Madison’s local comedy scene can find it at the North Street Cabaret Thursday at 8 p.m.
