Image courtesy of Milwaukee Improv Facebook
What comedy brand has over a half-century of history and so many names associated with it that it’s become inseparable from the history of American stand-up—and yet will be a new presence to Southeastern Wisconsin come August 2021?
The Improv, the chain of nightspots founded in the New York City of 1963 that made brick wall backgrounds virtually synonymous with stand-up comedy, opens its 11th location at 20110 Lower Union Street, Brookfield in The Corners at Brookfield shopping center on Friday August 20. Anyone looking to find employment there could do much worse than to show up at the club’s job fair noon to 5 p.m. from Friday July 30 to Sunday August 1.
“We need to hire about 60 staff members, including door hosts, box office staff, bartenders, line cooks, dishwashers, AV Techs, servers and runners. Lots of jobs to fill with local talent!” says Amber Gainey Meade, Vice President of Marketing at Levity Live, the company that owns the Improv clubs.
Anyone thinking that an Improv job can’t lead to a spot on its stages, or a thriving career making people laugh, may want to pivot from their pessimism. As Gainey Meade notes, “Former door hosts include Danny Aiello, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Adam Devine, and Judd Apatow. Former waitresses include Karen Black, Debra Winger, and Elayne Boosler. Kevin Nealon was the original bartender at the Hollywood Improv.” Prospective Improv employees with more musical than comedic talent can be encouraged, too, since Barry Manilow played piano at the chain’s original New York City location before famously tinkling the ivories for Bette Midler for her bathhouse performances.
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Though it makes sense for committed comedy aficionados to want to apply for work at the Improv, Gainey Meade believes anyone working there can be made a fan. “If they don’t have a deep love for comedy when we hire them, they will definitely will after a few weeks on the job with us!" she assures.
Entertainment Destination
And though it may be a foreign concept to Milwaukeeans for a comedy club to be located in a dedicated space for shopping and dining such as The Corners, it’s largely business as usual for the Improv. As Gainey Meade explains, “When someone is deciding how to spend their Saturday night, whether at a movie or at the Improv, we want to be right there, in the place where people are making that decision. Of our 10 owned-and-operated Improv locations, 80% are located in a traditional shopping center or similar dining and entertainment destination.”
It won’t be only behind-the-scenes workers and club headliners who will navigate their way through The Corners to enter The Improv. Soon enough, aspiring and seasoned local talent will be able to see whether they kill or die at the venue’s open mics. As for when the Brookfield location will be open to them, Gainy Meade says, “The open mics will launch in the fall, once the venue is up and running. More details, including days and times, will be announced over the coming months.”
There may also be opportunities for area funny folk to open shows already booked at the newest Improv location. As Meade Gainey explains, “Typically, the same host and feature would play a headliner’s complete weekend run of shows. Some headliners have a specific host or feature act they prefer; they might be on an official national tour together." However, she continues, “Other headliners collaborate with our booking team to identify comedians in each region to appear as host or feature acts. It varies.”
Everything the Improv intends to offer to Southeastern Wisconsin was intended to commence in early 2020, but ... “Then the global pandemic hit, and we had to put our dreams on hold for a year and a half,” Gainey Meade explains the setbacks that faced much of the world last year. She adds, “We consulted regularly with The Corners on how to move forward safely and successfully, and we are thrilled to finally open our doors to the public on August 20. We cannot wait to show everyone what we’ve been up to!
“The Milwaukee area is already well-established on the comedy map, from traditional improv to sketch to stand-up via open mic nights, showcases, clubs, festivals, and theaters,” Gainy Meade acknowledges. But she room enough for one more player in the field.
“From the moment we announced our plans, we were inundated with inquiries from fans and comedians alike. We can’t wait to find our unique place in the existing comedy landscape.”
