On August 31, Denver Comedy Underground lost its basement space at the Althea Center at 1400 Williams Street. The unexpected eviction left founder Ben Bryant scrambling for a new location.
"We had a small licensing issue, so we had to hire a caterer to help with the alcohol," recalls Bryant. "Because of that, the Althea Center's board became involved, and the board ultimately decided to close us down. The people I dealt with directly at Althea, who managed the building, were nothing short of wonderful throughout our stay. I truly have nothing but deep respect, love and gratitude for them; the board, a little bit less so. The board basically said, 'Well, we can't have alcohol in the church,' which is insane, because we have been doing it for three years, but now it's a problem."
This was not the first setback for Denver Comedy Underground. It got its start in 2019 in the Irish Snug's back room, where it provided a cozy, affordable alternative to larger comedy clubs. After COVID struck and the Irish Snug closed, Bryant relocated to Capitol Hill, eventually settling into the Althea Center's basement in September 2021.
The venue quickly became a popular destination for both local comics and national headliners — it booked Emil Wakim just before he was cast in the fiftieth season of Saturday Night Live. It was an audience favorite, too, with a $20 ticket price that included pizza, drinks and the performance; it won Best Affordable High-Quality Comedy Club honors in the Best of Denver 2024.
Losing the space was a major setback not just for Denver Comedy Underground, but also for the local comedy scene. “I feel bad for comics because without Underground, the opportunity for stage time in Denver goes down significantly," Bryant says. "It really sucks, because we did not have any financial problems; we just needed a new home. Denver Comedy Underground was growing and on a positive upward trajectory, so as soon as we can just get into a new space, we'll be back."
But the search for a new venue has proved challenging. Denver’s real estate market is tough, especially for an entertainment venue that requires specific zoning and amenities.
"The capacity that we need makes operations tough," Bryant says. "We basically have two options: one, get extremely lucky, which has not happened yet, or two, spend a ridiculous amount of money and six to eight months building out a new club. It's looking more like it’s going to be the latter, which is okay but also a bit scary. We started in the back room of a bar, moved to a church basement, and now I am thinking about building real estate."
He wants to stay in central Denver, so he's looking into places near Cap Hill, Five Points and RiNo — but he is keeping his options open. He considered buying the Soiled Dove Underground, a music club in Lowry that closed in May, but that fell through; he's also looking into purchasing the Mercury Cafe, which recently went on the market for $2.5 million, but that option is unlikely.
"I'm still waiting to hear back from banks, but I don't think I can qualify for a loan that big," Bryant says. "I thought I was going to be able to lease from them, but their broker got weird. Real estate is a nightmare. It's all hurry up and wait. I might have to bite the bullet and do something out of Breaking Bad to get that kind of money. We are currently looking for a converted warehouse in Five Points, but if anyone reading this has any leads or cool developers looking for a proven business to work with, we are available."
Denver Comedy Underground's venue loss comes amid other setbacks. Another popular comedy venue, Wide Right, is set to close in December, and Mutiny Information Cafe just closed up its longtime home at 2 South Broadway for a move down the road to Englewood.
“Denver's been pretty resilient; it's a pretty DIY scene, but these changes are a blow," Bryant says. "There's still stuff here, but losing Wide Right and Mutiny is a bummer. It really hurts the newcomers in the comedy industry."
The board of the Althea Center says it regrets losing Denver Comedy Ungerground. "First and foremost, we want to emphasize that the Althea Center did not wish to see Denver Comedy Underground leave," it says in a statement. "They have been excellent tenants and partners over the past three years, and we value the relationship we've built with them. The decision for DCU to depart was entirely their own, driven by the fact that they would no longer be able to serve alcohol at their events. This change stemmed from the Board of Trustees' recent decision regarding the sale of alcohol on our premises, which ultimately led to DCU’s conclusion that they could not continue operating under these new conditions. There were no specific concerns with Denver Comedy Underground’s operations; in fact, they have consistently demonstrated professionalism and have not been the source of any issues. The decision from our board was based on an assessment of our liability and mission as a spiritual center. Unfortunately, this presented a challenge for DCU’s business model, and despite our desire to explore alternative solutions, we understand their need to move on."
Bryant has big plans for his club as it moves on. He hopes to expand his programming beyond standup to include open mics, sketch comedy, improv classes and brunch shows. “Being in a church limited what we could do," he notes. "Once we’re in a new space, I want to offer more community-focused events and [ones] that grow the underground comedy scene.”
For now, Bryant is focused on finding the right space and keeping his original vision of making comedy accessible to everyone.
"We never expected to grow into what it did," Bryant says. "It’s hard that the closure was so sudden. We only had five days; it was almost like a death announcement, so seeing so much support was vindicating and reassuring that people cared about what we were doing. Comedy Works and the Denver Improv are great, but both have a two-item minimum; I don't ever want to do that. We are going to offer high-quality comedy at affordable prices. I don't want to treat the customers like pigs and cattle, and we’ve been rewarded for that so far."
Stay current at denvercomedyunderground.com.
"We had a small licensing issue, so we had to hire a caterer to help with the alcohol," recalls Bryant. "Because of that, the Althea Center's board became involved, and the board ultimately decided to close us down. The people I dealt with directly at Althea, who managed the building, were nothing short of wonderful throughout our stay. I truly have nothing but deep respect, love and gratitude for them; the board, a little bit less so. The board basically said, 'Well, we can't have alcohol in the church,' which is insane, because we have been doing it for three years, but now it's a problem."
This was not the first setback for Denver Comedy Underground. It got its start in 2019 in the Irish Snug's back room, where it provided a cozy, affordable alternative to larger comedy clubs. After COVID struck and the Irish Snug closed, Bryant relocated to Capitol Hill, eventually settling into the Althea Center's basement in September 2021.
The venue quickly became a popular destination for both local comics and national headliners — it booked Emil Wakim just before he was cast in the fiftieth season of Saturday Night Live. It was an audience favorite, too, with a $20 ticket price that included pizza, drinks and the performance; it won Best Affordable High-Quality Comedy Club honors in the Best of Denver 2024.
Losing the space was a major setback not just for Denver Comedy Underground, but also for the local comedy scene. “I feel bad for comics because without Underground, the opportunity for stage time in Denver goes down significantly," Bryant says. "It really sucks, because we did not have any financial problems; we just needed a new home. Denver Comedy Underground was growing and on a positive upward trajectory, so as soon as we can just get into a new space, we'll be back."
But the search for a new venue has proved challenging. Denver’s real estate market is tough, especially for an entertainment venue that requires specific zoning and amenities.
"The capacity that we need makes operations tough," Bryant says. "We basically have two options: one, get extremely lucky, which has not happened yet, or two, spend a ridiculous amount of money and six to eight months building out a new club. It's looking more like it’s going to be the latter, which is okay but also a bit scary. We started in the back room of a bar, moved to a church basement, and now I am thinking about building real estate."
He wants to stay in central Denver, so he's looking into places near Cap Hill, Five Points and RiNo — but he is keeping his options open. He considered buying the Soiled Dove Underground, a music club in Lowry that closed in May, but that fell through; he's also looking into purchasing the Mercury Cafe, which recently went on the market for $2.5 million, but that option is unlikely.
"I'm still waiting to hear back from banks, but I don't think I can qualify for a loan that big," Bryant says. "I thought I was going to be able to lease from them, but their broker got weird. Real estate is a nightmare. It's all hurry up and wait. I might have to bite the bullet and do something out of Breaking Bad to get that kind of money. We are currently looking for a converted warehouse in Five Points, but if anyone reading this has any leads or cool developers looking for a proven business to work with, we are available."
Denver Comedy Underground's venue loss comes amid other setbacks. Another popular comedy venue, Wide Right, is set to close in December, and Mutiny Information Cafe just closed up its longtime home at 2 South Broadway for a move down the road to Englewood.
“Denver's been pretty resilient; it's a pretty DIY scene, but these changes are a blow," Bryant says. "There's still stuff here, but losing Wide Right and Mutiny is a bummer. It really hurts the newcomers in the comedy industry."
The board of the Althea Center says it regrets losing Denver Comedy Ungerground. "First and foremost, we want to emphasize that the Althea Center did not wish to see Denver Comedy Underground leave," it says in a statement. "They have been excellent tenants and partners over the past three years, and we value the relationship we've built with them. The decision for DCU to depart was entirely their own, driven by the fact that they would no longer be able to serve alcohol at their events. This change stemmed from the Board of Trustees' recent decision regarding the sale of alcohol on our premises, which ultimately led to DCU’s conclusion that they could not continue operating under these new conditions. There were no specific concerns with Denver Comedy Underground’s operations; in fact, they have consistently demonstrated professionalism and have not been the source of any issues. The decision from our board was based on an assessment of our liability and mission as a spiritual center. Unfortunately, this presented a challenge for DCU’s business model, and despite our desire to explore alternative solutions, we understand their need to move on."
Bryant has big plans for his club as it moves on. He hopes to expand his programming beyond standup to include open mics, sketch comedy, improv classes and brunch shows. “Being in a church limited what we could do," he notes. "Once we’re in a new space, I want to offer more community-focused events and [ones] that grow the underground comedy scene.”
For now, Bryant is focused on finding the right space and keeping his original vision of making comedy accessible to everyone.
"We never expected to grow into what it did," Bryant says. "It’s hard that the closure was so sudden. We only had five days; it was almost like a death announcement, so seeing so much support was vindicating and reassuring that people cared about what we were doing. Comedy Works and the Denver Improv are great, but both have a two-item minimum; I don't ever want to do that. We are going to offer high-quality comedy at affordable prices. I don't want to treat the customers like pigs and cattle, and we’ve been rewarded for that so far."
Stay current at denvercomedyunderground.com.
This story has been updated to include a statement from the Althea Center.
