Interview with Denver Comedy Underground Founder Ben Bryant
By Krysti Joméi
Published Issue 137, May 2025
From a back room in the late Irish Snug pub to a non-denominational church basement, Denver Comedy Underground finally found its new home — above ground — this year in the heart of the historic Five Points neighborhood. Nestled between California and Welton on 22nd Street, an unassuming tinted glass door opens to an atmospheric mid-size venue reminiscent of an iconic comedy club the likes of NYC, but with an undeniable Denver air. The ambient lit space is warm and intimate with thick brick walls, a long wooden bar, a front-and-center stage, and truly no bad seats in the house.
Colorado local comic and Denver Comedy Underground Founder Ben Bryant explains there’s still more work to do since the grand opening of the new venue in January — like lowering the ceiling to perfect the sound for performances and album recordings, finishing their classic comedian photo wall of fame, putting up extra signage and some other minor renovations. But as is, the club is an unparalleled gem, serving up top-notch laughs in the evenings, plus a Sunday comedy brunch, for a fraction of the typical cost.
With a roster of local talent and on the rise national acts, the average ticket price is a purposeful $20, as Ben is committed to keeping comedy accessible and affordable in Denver. He believes patrons should be able to have a night out where they can keep their focus on the hilarity on stage instead of worrying about their bank accounts, as he’s way too familiar with the latter.
“I can’t get it out of my head, at the real inception [of Denver Comedy Underground], pre-moving to the church, I was basically living on the same $300 week to week that we would make from four or five shows, which is thin living. And thank God it’s not quite that anymore,” he reminisced. “But that’s been part of the journey. And I am very grateful to what it has allowed me to pursue within my life and my comedy and with the club, to be able to create community and to provide a national level of service for lack of a better word … So I want to make comedy accessible to people. There’s ways to make it work financially, communally without outright gouging people like it feels like at some other places.”
Considered one of the most successful independent comedy venues in the city, Denver Comedy Underground is rewriting the narrative in real time of what a typical club business model should look like by doing things their own way. This includes no standard two-drink minimum, a happy hour-esque priced beverage menu, and the crème de la crème, free pizza — yes, free pizza. “People like comedy. People LOVE pizza,” Ben said. After a local franchise stopped donating pies to DCU, he explained that “people were so mad we didn’t have free pizza. So I was like, Okay, I guess we’re the free pizza place. I wish I could say I’m a marketing genius here, but it was just sort of circumstances and keeping an open mind and open network.”
That seems to be the theme in Ben’s life. By remaining receptive and adaptable while continuously pursuing comedy, Ben dubs the creation of Denver Comedy Underground as a “happy accident.” The club is an accumulation of his personal experiences and lessons gained on and off stage, from memorable lows — like bombing at a dab lounge in Colorado Springs after an a cappella rapper unexpectedly overtook the intro of his set — to victorious highs — like his work appearing on Adult Swim or having one of his shows voted one of the “Best Comedy Nights in America” by The Interrobang. Even more, he credits Denver — the city itself — to his DIY grit and the club’s ability to exist in the capacity it does today.
“I think Denver itself and Colorado as a whole has a very DIY-like bloodline that runs through it both in necessity and value. Denver has very much had to build itself away from being a cowtown and I think we’ve seen that so much within the music and the comedy scene. To me, the quintessential Denver thing is just having to have to make stuff happen. We’re not some small state in the Midwest, but we work like we are, we work like we’re still putting on house shows for emo bands.” Ben said, continuing:
“Out here, it really just feels like comedy Disneyland. For both the good and the bad because I think there are a few people who get a little complacent, because who doesn’t have fun at Disneyland? But there’s also really, really high level talent out here. Traveling for festivals and seeing so many different scenes over the years, I think the only people who can consistently beat us pound for pound is New York. But that’s different because of course you’re going to have a few more skilled singers and dancers in the Broadway capital. Same thing with comedy. You’re going to have a few more skilled comics in the mecca of where that happens. But, what we’re doing is strong and a lot of it is on our own. There is no industry here, and we have to either build it ourselves or get so sharp that eventually the industry is like, Oh wow, is this a training camp of Dagestan wrestlers that have just been preparing in the mountains?”
There’s a saying that in life that you need two things: thick skin and a sense of humor. It’s safe to say Ben has both. And what’s more, he’s here to share them, his resilient spirit and the elixir that is laughter through a fun, artist-driven, community-centered venue, which is needed more than ever.
“Comedy is counterculture. But also it’s this weird time where it’s both counterculture and it’s also kind of like the more common version of theater. Comedy really is, to me, the accessible. It’s what theater used to be. It’s live, it’s so tangibly live that it fits a very cool social and artistic moment right now. That’s the hope anyway.”
Focusing on comedy albums and recorded specials this year, Denver Comedy Underground aims to further their reach and provide access to “Denver’s Best Comedy” to people and communities outside of the city. Though, where it’s truly at is the in-person experience: the real people, the real laughter, the real hot free slice of za.
Ben concluded, “This year I’m just super grateful to Colorado and to Denver and to the arts and comedy scene for their support and for the people who come and see us, who just come out to watch a great show.”
Head to Denver Comedy Underground’s Website for Shows + Tickets + More. Stay up to date and follow them for more on Instagram.
Krysti Joméi is the co-owner and co-founder of Birdy Magazine. Creating in Colorado for the past decade plus, she’s lived all around San Francisco, by Houston’s NASA, on an island across from Seattle, near the WA/Canadian border, and under the Nandi Hills in Kenya. She loves outer space, the ocean, running in nature, anything written by Trent Reznor, and adventuring with her partner, Jonny, husky and black cat.
In case you missed it last month, check out Krysti’s debut interview series Draw Your Answers with Chicago-based illustrator Jason White and her Tattoo Talk with renowned Russian tattoo artist Valeriia Volokhova aka Ooqza, or head to our Explore section to see more of her past interviews.