Optimism in Appleton
No doom and/or gloom in the Appleton Post-Crescent‘s article on the Skyline Comedy Cafe. In “Funny business alive and well in the Fox Cities,” Jim Collar quotes Skyline proprietor Cliff Diedrick as being optimistic and determined to run his comedy room profitably and to book it well. “Confidence remains strong as standup performance continues to show signs of resurgence,” writes Collar.
quot;There’s always room for live entertainment,” Diedrick said. “You just have to find ways keep your name in front of people.”
Diedrick refuses to pin any periodic tough times on competition.
Local comedy clubs have come and gone since Skyline opened its doors. Now larger venues are more often vying for slices of the comedy pie.[…]
“The graduation of those fortunate enough to move up is good for comedy in general,” Diedrick contends.
Comedian Mike Merryfield is quoted as well.
4 Responses
Reply to: Optimism in Appleton
Skyline in Appleton is a very well run room. I’ve consistently heard comics mention that club when asking them “which comedy club really does things right”.
I had the pleasure of doing a guest spot on a Sean Rouse and Norman Wilkerson show in January of this year.Easily one of the more fun and appreciative crowds I have ever seen.< HREF="http:www.angryandrew.com" REL="nofollow">Angry Andrew<>
I’ve worked for Cliff and Pat since MCing there in 1998. It’s a great room run very well, and I always enjoy my weeks there. It shows that comedy can succeed in a medium market as long as its well promoted, managed, and booked. I look forward to headlning there once again in March.
Cliff and Pat get it. I live in Wisconsin and when I first started hanging there and learning about the biz, I assumed all club owners “got it” like they do. Duh. Best of luck, men. Also to be credited are the people of the region, who do come out for good entertainment. In an immediate area of 80,000 people, filling 1,000-plus seats over five shows each week takes dedication from both owner and fan.