An exciting article about the current comedy scene in Milwaukee. It feels wonderful to get this recognition for my accomplishments!
Check out a bit of the article below.
No club, no problem: Comedy producers fill void with shows in breweries, bars, and basements
From the Milwaukee Record…
A few dedicated local producers and performers have taken it upon themselves to fill the city’s comic void by bringing comedians and shows they—and many others—would like to see to Milwaukee breweries, bar rooms, and even the Grand Avenue Mall basement.
Matt Kemple is the person responsible for many of those shows. Kemple has owned and operated The Underground Collaborative (the aforementioned 110-capacity theater space in the mall’s basement) for close to six years, and has booked shows all around town under the “Milwaukee Comedy” umbrella for even longer. The longtime theater producer and Milwaukee Comedy Festival founder’s foray into stand-up booking was simple: Milwaukee wanted more than it was getting.
“I started producing just out of the need and desire to want more out of the comedy scene. When I was producing, it was basically because there was nobody putting on comedy shows,” Kemple says. “All of a sudden, we’re the ones filling this niche of this middle level of comedy that people really want to get, but nobody is putting those shows on. We need to be the ones doing that.”
Just some of the notable comedians Kemple and his cohorts have booked at The UC or sites like Club Garibaldi include Nick Thune (twice), Andy Kindler, Hari Kondabolu, Matt Braunger, Godfrey, Joe Mande, Emily Heller, Johnny Pemberton, Josh Fadem, and Neil Hamburger. This weekend, The Underground Collaborative will host a pair of shows from veteran comedy legend Todd Barry. Barry performed at Turner Hall his last two times in Milwaukee and at Comedy Cafe before that.
“Todd Barry is doing his show with us because it’s the crowd work tour. He wants to see the people. It’s an intimate theater venue, not a comedy club. He can look out and see people on seats that are on risers,” Kemple says. “There aren’t people coming and going and interrupting the show trying to sell two drink minimums and nachos. It’s an environment that’s set up to make what he’s doing as successful as possible.”
In addition to sporadic high-profile bookings at The UC and other traditional venues, Milwaukee Comedy also produces shows at unconventional sites like Karma, Var Gallery, and will debut a monthly “Craft Brew Comedy” showcase at Good City Brewing tonight. The first show in the East Side brewery’s 150-capacity hall has already sold out.
“Not everybody wants to come to [The UC], so if you can bring comedy to those people, that’s what keeps things exciting,” Kemple says. “And just having different rooms and different environments, it makes it a different kind of show.”
The largest and most successful of Milwaukee Comedy’s regular productions is Keg Stand Up, a monthly stand-up showcase at Lakefront Brewery. The show, which started in August of 2105 and became a recurring fixture at the brewery in June of 2016, brings some of the Midwest’s most talented humorists to Lakefront’s spacious Beer Hall on select Sunday nights. Within its first few months, Keg Stand Up’s attendance has ballooned. The show now brings more than 200 people to the brewery and routinely sells out.
Check out the full article here: http://milwaukeerecord.com/comedy/no-club-no-problem-comedy-producers-fill-void-with-shows-in-breweries-bars-and-basements/
friendly competition? Guests enjoyed some beer and Milwaukee themed trivia, presented by the one and only Matt Kemple of 
I had the unique opportunity to work with a fun group of women, the 