Comedy Caravan to be filmed, create laughs

Tom Sobel said he believes most IU students and Bloomington residents aren’t aware that one of the best places in the nation for stand-up comedy is in their own backyard.

“People aren’t aware of what has been a Bloomington institution for longer than most students have been alive,” he said.

Sobel, the owner of Comedy Caravan, said Bear’s Place is one of Bloomington’s hidden gems.

This year marks the 28th anniversary of the Comedy Caravan, a semiweekly stand-up comedy show at Bear’s Place.  

The first Caravan show at Bear’s Place was in April 1982. Sobel said the night didn’t go too well, but the show quickly evolved into the legendary event it is now. The show is so renowned that USA Today included it in its list of “The Ten Best Places to Sit Down and See
Stand Up.”
Sobel’s descriptor “legendary” seems especially fitting, considering the comedy greats that had their humble beginnings on the small stage at Bear’s. Comics from Sinbad to Bill Nixon and even Ellen DeGeneres all grabbed the mic to make the audience laugh in the Bloomington bar.

The goal of the Comedy Caravan is to help kick-start the careers of future comic geniuses, Sobel said.

“Our job is to know who the funniest people in America are before anyone else has a clue,” he said. “We help them reach their comic potential, provide them with an opportunity to learn and hone their craft.”

The impressive lineups at Bear’s create what local comic Tucker said is an environment unlike any other. Tucker is also the host of the Comedy Caravan.

On Feb. 12, a new milestone will be marked in the life of the stand-up show. IU Radio and Television Services will be filming both shows that night as part of a new comedy series for WTIU.

Senior Tricia McNutt is the producer of the series. With her co-producer David Gonzalez, she will coordinate the shoot to create a pilot for the show.

“Laughter is something everyone can relate to and something local programming doesn’t have yet,” McNutt said. “We hope to pick up more viewers and offer our current viewers something different.”

The show’s title is “LMAO: Comedy Showcase” and may not be too far from what comedy lovers see on television.

“The pilot will be shown throughout Bloomington and will be like Comedy Central but through Bear’s Place,” Tucker said.

McNutt said the community aspect of both television and comedy is something she loves. To Sobel, comedy is many things, from entertainment to a workout. He said hard science backs both the facts that students retain information and test better when they are entertained and that a 20-second belly laugh has the same aerobic effect as a 20-minute workout.

No matter the individual reason, there is one thing that comedy can elicit from its audience: the sometimes uncontrollable outburst of laughter.

“Bear’s Place is a magical room, where people can get their dose of humor therapy,”
Sobel said.