Photo via Continuum Architects + Planners
Historic George Watts Building
The historic George Watts and Sons Building was purchased and renovated in 2019 by Continuum Architects + Planners
As problems go, the Laughing Tap, the only dedicated comedy venue in Milwaukee's city limits, had a good one.
“We needed to add more seating in order to grow,” explains Matt Kemple. He’s a member of the Milwaukee Comedy group that had been operating the club since early 2020 on S. Fifth with an 80-seat capacity for its 18+ admission shows.
“Our plan had always been to expand our former spot in Walkers Point but the 20-foot ceiling height among other factors made a buildout far too expensive to pursue. It made sense to find a location that was already the right size, instead of spending a huge amount of money to make lower ceilings and build lots of walls,” Kemple recalls of the original vision for the Tap.
Kemple and his Milwaukee Comedy partners, Kaitlin McCarthy and Greg Bach, found an edifice with the proper dimensions in Downtown's historic George Watts building on N. Jefferson Street several months ago. The space is ready to now accommodate stand-up shows, including comedians' album recordings. And, for patrons who need not chortle while imbibing adult beverages, expanded bar hours beyond those immediately before and after its schedule of comedy shows.
More Seats, Bigger Stage
Photo via The Laughing Tap - Facebook
The Laughing Tap's bar
The Laughing Tap's bar in the historic George Watts and Sons building in Milwaukee (2026)
“The new location will have a larger room for comedy, about 120 seats. The old Laughing Tap had 80 seats, so this is a solid 50% increase in capacity,” Kemple notes. The new set-up also offers a more personal environment to share with those who make them laugh. “The stage will be a bit bigger as well, with seating on three sides, giving the audience an intimate comedy experience where every seat is a great view of the stage.”
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It's Kemple's intention to employ that added intimacy and extra seating to ends the Tap had not explored in its previous location.
“We plan to offer more shows during the week by adding weekly Thursday night events, along with our standard open mic on Wednesdays, and shows on Fridays and Saturdays," Kemple declares. And just as the Tap's hours of operation will expand, so will its drink offerings.
“The bar will have an expanded selection with more beer, liquor and N/A options available to our customers. We had a focus on only serving local beers at our Walker's Point location; we'll still have local craft beer as the focus but will carry more domestic and regional beers at the new downtown spot.”
Entertainment Destination
Kemple exhibits fondness for the venue's old location when he says, “Walker's Point is such a great neighborhood. I will definitely miss the area.” He has much to commend regarding its new home, too.
“The Watts building is beautiful with decorative stone on the outside, old wood work and arched windows. We look forward to embracing the architecture and history of the building, and, hopefully, elevating the show experience with a new classy downtown spot. This new location is in a busier part of town and will have a lot to offer the city as far as an entertainment destination.”
With the changes at the Tap, Kemple articulates gratitude for what he and his Milwaukee Comedy confreres and the following they have amassed for their litany of comics.
“I feel very fortunate that we have accomplished so much already with our previous space,” he reminisces. But he also anticipates what is to come.
“I am looking forward to taking what the Laughing Tap has become,” he said, “and bringing it to the next level. We want to bring in bigger names in comedy. We want packed houses. We want delicious cocktails at the bar. I know we will be able to accomplish all that, but hopefully we can do it in a way that keeps our fans excited and keep coming back to see that growth and keep coming back to laugh with us.”
Though the Tap's relocation and reopening took longer than Kemple anticipated, “It's been a very exciting process to find a new space and plan the layout the way we want. This venue will be a fantastic room for live comedy—we can't wait to show it to you!”
The first generator of that laughter will be Tap favorite Nate Craig, who is set to perform a sold-out show on Friday, March 27 and twice on Saturday, March 28.
