'Comedy Caravan' celebrates 18 years

To Tom Sobel, Monday nights are a laughing matter.\nEvery Monday night since 1983, people pack into local bar and club Bear's Place, 1316 E. Third St., to watch Sobel's master plan, Comedy Caravan, unfold.\n"Within the comedy community, Bear's Place is a legendary Monday night," said Sobel, president of TSM Entertainment, which manages comedy shows across the country. "Not only is it the longest running Monday night in standup comedy, but the only place in the world of comedy where two shows are done every Monday night, every week."\nSobel attributes the continuity of Comedy Caravan to many factors, namely the unique structure of Bear's Place and the support of the community. But he said what makes the longevity of the show special is the support Bear's Place and its audience provide to comedians.\n"Comedy Caravan was created to provide stage time, which is the device that comics must have to be able to develop their art," he said. "Musicians can rehearse in their room, (and) bands can rehearse in the garage. A comedian can write by himself, but can only rehearse with a live audience."\nRay McConn, who owned Bear's when Comedy Caravan became Bloomington's steady Monday night date, said he knew the comedy show was right for the area.\n"There's no reason Bloomington shouldn't have its own comedy show," he said.\nMcConn met Sobel in 1983 in Lexington, Ky., at a comedy show. One month later, his bar was the venue for Sobel's brainchild.\n"We did one show the first Monday, one show the second and two shows ever since," McConn said. He said since its inception, Comedy Caravan has packed the house -- despite its main competition, Monday Night Football.\n"A comic can tell jokes any place. The difference between having a comedy show and what we do at Bear's is that Bear's has an audience," Sobel said. "Empty seats don't laugh."\nEighteen years later, Sobel considers Comedy Caravan an institution. Not much has changed since the beginning: still two comics and, at $4, still less than a movie ticket.\nBut Sobel is making one big change.\nBecause Bear's offers such original entertainment to a community that has welcomed the club with open arms, Sobel wanted to take the next step and introduce Comedy Caravan to those who cannot enjoy Bear's -- students who are under 21. Starting Jan. 26, Comedy Caravan will put in an additional performance at 10 p.m. every Friday in the Indiana Memorial Union Gallery, sponsored by Union Board.\n"We wanted to bring the same caliber of shows to campus," he said. "It's remarkable to think that for less than a $5 bill, you can see people in such an intimate setting. This is not something that exists in other college towns."\nAlumnus Kevin Burke has been performing at Bear's on Mondays for 14 years. He will be headlining the second show at the IMUG Feb. 2.\nBurke said he supports the Union Board shows because the alcohol laws prevent most college students from attending the comedy shows at Bear's. \n"That certainly shouldn't mean they should be excluded from stand-up comedy," he said.\nTo Burke, comedy is a universal necessity. Both Burke and Sobel remembered when comic Spike Rizzo convinced a basketball player attending the Monday night comedy show to stick with the program, despite former coach Bob Knight receiving his pink slip.\nNext morning, that player announced he would stay.\n"Comedy is about more than dirty jokes," Burke said. "It's about social commentary."\nSobel said he thinks comedy and laughter can reduce stress and improve health. But, he said Bear's also provides the perfect atmosphere for a first date.\n"No awkward silences, as both sit amused by the comedy," he said. "When the show's over you've learned something from each other's sense of humor, you have something in common to talk about and you both tend to be in a good mood."\nMcConn, who sold Bear's last year and occasionally attends shows, said he was happy he could contribute to the comedy masterpiece for so long.\n"To say 17 years later that I thought it would last 17 years ... no, I never expected that," he said. "But I'm not surprised either"