closure – The Comedy Bureau

UCB Sells Off Sunset Location, Plans to Keep UCB Franklin Going

December 24, 2020

closure, covid-19 closure, ucb, ucb franklin, ucb sunset, upright citizens brigade

Just announced last night, The UCB4 (Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, and Ian Roberts) announced the closure and sale of the second LA based home of the Upright Citizens Brigade located near Thai Town on Sunset Blvd. The massive complex was bought and refurbished from an abandoned rehab center six years ago and represents a big step forward for UCB as a theater, institution, and company. There were three stories that housed a main stage, a training center, studios for film/video/podcast, cafe, lounge/second stage, and valet parking.

It was a big undertaking for UCB, but it was a bright, shiny, new home for one of the most recognizable brands for comedy in the country. The ever-enduring COVID-19 pandemic has forced a sale and subsequent closure of the theater since mortgage payments couldn’t be made with only so much revenue coming in from virtual classes (especially as it it’s still very murky as to when and how live venues will be allowed and have guidance to safely reopen).

Fortunately, UCB plans to keep their longstanding first location on Franklin Ave, the tiny black box theater that is just the main stage and nothing else, open as they also transition to a non-profit. If UCB Franklin does manage to reopen on the other side of COVID-19, it will be the Upright Citizens Brigade’s only physical location (down from 3 & 1/2 of them pre-pandemic).

While it had to go through its own shake-up and reckoning earlier this year to rid itself of toxic practices and institute true inclusion and diversity, UCB still represents a major pillar in comedy and we can only hope that it will keep getting to fulfill that role going into the future.

An update from the UCB4 pic.twitter.com/QN1lmjvHle

— UCB Theatre LA (@ucbtla) December 24, 2020

After 35 Years, Austin’s Cap City Comedy Club to Permanently Close

September 8, 2020

News

austin comedy, cap city comedy club, closure

(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.