(via CBS Austin)

For years now, we’ve heard that Cap City Comedy Club in Austin, TX is one of the best comedy clubs in the country. For much longer than our time here at TCB, Cap City has been a beloved, full time comedy venue by comedians of sorts of stature as well as being the hub of the annual Moontower Comedy Festival.

The enduring lockdown that has forced comedy clubs to remain dark for months and months and will very likely continue to do so has made the prospect of re-opening for many venues near impossible. In the case of Cap City, the uncertainty of when they’ll be able to effectively and safely put on shows again proved to be “insurmountable”. So, after 35 years of operation Cap City sent a letter to the city of Austin that they will not reopen at whatever time that will be able to happen in Austin. Rich Miller, Margie Coyle, Colleen McGarr and Duncan Strauss of Cap City are not entirely closing the door of Cap City coming back in some other form, but the pandemic has rendered the return in their current form unrealistic.

As far as nationally renowned comedy venues go, Improv Olympic in Chicago closed earlier this year along with all of UCB’s NYC-based venues and we have a hard time imagining these closures within comedy stopping at Cap City. So, with that in mind, it’s as good a time to remind everyone about the National Independent Venues Association (NIVA) and their push to get more relief for venues that will have to remain closed because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Visit SaveOurStages.com for more info and action.