Hidden Gems: Meet Joe Anderson of The Comedy Project

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Anderson.

Hi Joe, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 9th grade I basically decided I wanted to do comedy professionally so my focus has been there for a long time. Eventually I was fortunate to work, teach and perform for The Second City for almost three years. I started an independent group and had been touring about 30 states a year when it struck me that Grand Rapids had NOTHING like this. No dedicated improv and sketch comedy theater/club. In 2019 we got real serious and started building out our space and finding writers and performers but our grand opening was January of 2020, so Covid quickly changed things. Thankfully we survived and for the last two years have been growing very quickly. We usually have about 100 people taking comedy classes and we do a large number of private events and corporate workshops too! Our mainstage shows are every Friday and Saturday at 7pm and 9pm, with an additional Saturday late show “comedy lab” at 10:30. We also have a full bar and the biggest selection of Ole Smoky moonshine in Michigan!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As I mentioned, Covid was probably the biggest struggle and the repurcussions – people are still WAY more resistant to going out and doing things. We all got real comfortable at home 🙂 Other than that, the biggest challenge is probably awareness – awareness of the business in general (although that is changing quickly) but also awareness of what we do. Most people default to thinking of standup comedy when they are going to a comedy show. A huge majority of people have never seen a LIVE improv or sketch comedy show which is why we work so very hard to make it a big, fun experience. It’s not just a group of people on a stage. We have lights and sounds and live music and trap doors and fog machines and ridiculous props and costumes.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are the only dedicated improv and sketch comedy theater and training center in the area and we take great pride in that. But even if we weren’t the only business doing this work, we want to be the best and most memorable improv and sketch comedy experience. We are committed to making the whole place a fun place to be. I would say most people are truly shocked by how cool the theater and bar (and even the bathrooms) are when they come inside for the first time. We have recently found ourselves in high demand for company parties and corporate workshops/teambuilding. I think this is partly because we take it very seriously and thrive on the challenges involved in helping a company’s culture improve and additionally because we offer such a unique “day away”.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Early on we couldn’t have done this without the help and guidance of Brian Edwards from MiBiz and PJ Jacokes and Tommy LeRoy from Go Comedy in Ferndale. Their advice continues to be invaluable. Internally, the place couldn’t function without Kristin Hirsch. In addition to being one of the best writers and performers we have, she also manages and schedules all of our private events and show schedules. Going back to the beginning, we literally wouldn’t exist without my business partner Ben Wilke, who along with a bunch of people like Tom Maier, Stevie Sahutske, Cara Powell, Amy Gascon, Bob Dekker, Eirann Betka-Pope, Tim Cusack, AJ Powell and a revolving team of other people and businesses, jumped in and got things done.

Pricing:

• Tickets are $17 for mainstage shows Friday & Saturday
• 1/2 price late show if you come to the early show

Contact Info:

• Website: https://TheComedyProject.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheComedyProjectGR
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-comedy-project/