Deep Ellum Blog

Business of the Week: Dallas Comedy Club

September 30, 2022 | Deep Ellum Team

If we’re really lucky, we love the work we do. Maybe even luckier is getting to do that and share it with others, which is exactly what Rosie and Ian Caruth accomplish at Dallas Comedy Club.

“When I was going up here, I wanted to have access to comedy. I was aware of it, I really wanted to go see standup and it was just not around here in the ‘90s,” Ian says. “I wanted to give people access to that thing I wish that I had.”

It’s no secret this very spot on Elm at Hall used to be called the Dallas Comedy House. In fact, the Caruths got involved with improv theater there — something with which they were well-acquainted. Ian moved from Dallas to New York, working as an actor for 10 years, and met Rosie. They came back and found a home at Dallas Comedy House until the pandemic closed its doors.

“We saw an opportunity. I would drive by the building and think, ‘This is a theater now, and in six months it could be a bank, ’” Ian says. “So we took the plunge.”

The couple took the space and rebranded it the Dallas Comedy Club, which has just marked its first full year of business.

Today, you can see a schedule full of events, including stand-up, improv, sketch, family-funny, storytelling and podcasting. Some acts are purely local, and they bring in traveling talent, as well.

“We try to get the funniest people that we can get access to and get them into our space … we want to get them in front of people and show off this talent,” Ian says of the national tours.

“For the improv side, we’re really trying to develop our own talent and foster the comedy community in Dallas, not just be a school to learn, but we want to put up great shows and be just kind of a clubhouse,” he says.

And if you look at the patio or bar, you can see how it’s a pleasant place to hang out.

In an August Dallas Voice story , a comedian appreciated Dallas Comedy Club for promoting shows like Queer Factor. Look through their upcoming schedule, and you’ll see plenty of diverse offerings.

“We want to lift up all the voices in Dallas that we don’t get to hear as much and have been sidelined for a long time,” Ian says. “Our primary mission is doing comedy, but it turns out a lot of the funniest people are the ones who have not been able to put it out into the world, so I love to see people get on stage and make new discoveries about themselves.”

As Dallas Comedy Club dives into its second year in business, Dallas Observer readers named it the best comedy club in the area.

And pros agree.

“Comics tell us that they love our club, so I feel like we’re doing something right,” Ian says. “I just want people to come over and give us a chance.”

Dallas Comedy Club is at 3036 Elm St. and open starting at 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday through Friday and starting at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.