Sydney's Comedy Stores close their doors
Is the closure of the Comedy Stores in Sydney and Parramatta bad news for the comedy scene or will it present an opportunity for a new club assume the mantle?
By Andrew P Street and Dan Rookwood
Sydney's comedy scene just got a lot less funny. Last week the news was made official: Sydney's best-known comedy club, The Comedy Store, was no more.
There had been rumblings: on Monday 21 July the Parramatta section of the Comedy Store's website had vanished. By Wednesday the entire site had been taken down with news that the Comedy Store Parramatta had shut its doors having only just opened them with a grand Gala Opening on Saturday 28 June.
Despite some initial suggestions that the Entertainment Quarter flagship venue would continue - there is currently a sign on the door that says it is "closed for maintenance" - the news just kept getting worse until everyone, from off-the-record insiders to comedy pundits and performers, acknowledged that it was all over bar the heckling.
Mick Roche, who bought the Comedy Store in 2003, is remarkably candid about what had transpired. "I have placed the company that controls Sydney and Parramatta Comedy Stores [Tearoc Pty Ltd] in the hands of a liquidator. This is as a result of a variety of reasons of which the main ones were that in the short period that Parramatta was open it was not projecting any signs of covering its operation costs on a weekly basis, let alone repaying any of the capital expenditure that was invested into the fit-out.
"And over the past eight months it has become obvious that the Australian economy has taken bit of a beating with interest rates, petrol and food produce prices continuing to climb whilst personal incomes have stagnated. I have watched revenues drop by 15 - 20 per cent, with indicators predicted a further drop of at least 10 per cent for the next 3 months.
"After placing Tearoc Pty Ltd into liquidation, several parties have expressed strong interest in purchasing the Sydney Comedy Store name and continuing its presence within the comedy scene."
The Comedy Store Parramatta opened up in premises formerly leased by the Laugh Garage, which is co-directed by local comedian Darren Sanders. "I don't think this [the closures] is about people not wanting to see comedy; it's about business," he said.
"I think at the end of the day there are business reasons that impacted on this," agreed Jorge Menidis, the man behind Sydney's Cracker Comedy Festival. "I'm not sure what the business reasons were behind what occurred - the operators had been in business for a while so it's not as though they were new operators who didn't know what they were doing.
"There's potentially more comedy now than there ever has been in Sydney and a lot more comedy being played in different rooms, but unfortunately the Comedy Store is such an institution and whatever the reasons behind it were, it's disappointing."
"I personally hope that someone will buy the name or fill the void," said Wil Anderson, a regular performer at the EQ venue. "Someone with a real love of comedy and a real understanding of business - but those things rarely go hand in hand.
Originally opened in Sydney in 1981, the Comedy Store brand is famous internationally. Such is the Comedy Store's standing that the news has already reverberated around the world. "I've only literally just landed from Montreal and the minute everyone over there [at the Just For Laughs comedy festival] heard, people were in shock a little bit, to be quite honest," said Menidis.
Not only is the Comedy Store Sydney's best-known name, it's also one of the few venues large enough for touring comedians. Just as importantly, despite venues like the Laugh Garage, the Fringe Bar and the Roxbury being firm supporters of comedy, the Comedy Stores were the only venues offering week-long runs for comics. "I just feel so bad for the comedians," laments Kim Shepherd, the Store's former publicist. "What are they going to do? It leaves such a hole."
"In the short term it will obviously affect who comes to town and how much work there is for working comics," said comedian Lehmo (Anthony Lehman). "It's a little like when the old mill closes and the town really hurts. What needs to happen now is that someone has to step up to the plate and breathe life into the Comedy Store name or present another premiere venue for this city."
The operators behind Laugh Garage look to be the people most likely to do that, especially as they are intending to open a venue on the corner of Park and Elizabeth Streets in the CBD in September.
So while this isn't likely to be a body blow for Sydney comedy, the general feeling about the closure of the Comedy Store can be eloquently summed up by Time Out reader Craig Murphy who sent an email on the subject with the simple, heartfelt message: "That sucks balls."
Reactions from Sydney comedians
"Oh. My. God. Way to break the news. I finally got my name above the door just before I left for the UK. But none of this is my fault. Is it? Not only was the Store was one of the best rooms in Sydney, it was my local, which is a bit depressing. But Sydney has a strong open mic scene, with new rooms opening all the time, so I don't think it's the death of Sydney comedy. Might be the death of decently paying local gigs, or it might be a chance for some grass roots renewal. I guess we'll have to see." Dave Bloustien
"It's a sad day for comedy in Sydney. The Comedy Store is - was - our only serious high profile purpose-built comedy room with the strength of brand and reputation to attract serious high profile international acts. It was our ‘humourversity' - that's where local comics aspired to perform, that's where they would learn from more established acts. Where do comics aspire to now?" Wil Anderson
"Standup comedy is cyclical, it has it's good times and it's bad times and I think it's having a dip at the moment. The crowds are going elsewhere at the moment but fresh, funny and relevant stand up comedians will always bring them back. You might find that "funny" younger potential comedians are getting their kicks creating videos online and not even contemplating stand up. It will rise again." Rosso (Tim Ross)