With its new location opening at the Twin Palms Hotel on Thursday, Outliars Comedy Club hopes to bring a new form of professional entertainment closer to ASU students in Tempe. (Photo by Dominic Valente)With its new location opening at the Twin Palms Hotel on Thursday, Outliars Comedy Club hopes to bring a new form of professional entertainment closer to ASU students in Tempe.
Outliars has four other locations in Scottsdale, Gilbert, Chandler and Glendale, but Dave Thurston, the owner and director of the club, is looking forward to the new location.
"We are shooting for something fun for ASU students to do," Thurston said.
Thurston said the goal is to bring shows that are of "high quality" and at a "really cheap" price.
"We wanted someplace where students can enjoy themselves with high-quality shows that (aren't) too far," Thurston said.
The improv-only club, comprising 25 cast members, will be opening with a "Best Of" show, inviting back veteran performers. Thurston said they are even trying to get ASU's very own Barren Mind Improv to perform.
"They have a really sharp cast and will have a great year," Thurston said.
Pat Thielen-Warren, the Twin Palms Hotel general manager who was last year's Miss Senior Arizona and performed standup comedy as her talent, said she hasn't met Thurston face-to-face yet but will see him when she attends the opening.
"He asked to have the club, and I'm like, 'Yes, let's do it,'" Thielen-Warren said. "Maybe I'll get to do a few jokes. I don't know. Maybe we can compare funny bones." At the end of October, Outliars will be celebrating their one-year anniversary with Maribeth Monroe, who plays curt office manager Alice Murphy on the Comedy Central TV show, "Workaholics."
Thurston said he met Monroe while she was teaching a comedy club in Chicago and thought she would be a good fit for the anniversary, because he wanted a well-known comedian to perform.
"I had to look her up on IMDB (in Chicago) and said, 'Oh my gosh. She's on Workaholics'," Thurston said.
At first, the new location will strictly be holding performances, but Thurston expects to eventually hold improv classes there. Until then, he tells his students to attend the Wednesday classes at their Scottsdale location.
Christine Boisson, an art history freshman and the newest member of Farce Side Comedy Hour at ASU, said she plans on attending a number of shows at Outliars.
"I think it will be great to see people perform comedy at a more professional level and help me grow as a comedian," Boisson said.
Outliars Comedy Club will have their official opening at the Twin Palms Hotel at 225 East Apache Boulevard on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ASU students will be able to get in for $1 with their school ID. Otherwise, tickets are $10. To make reservations and receive your ticket, call (480) 784-7258.
Reach the reporter at kfaller@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @katiefaller
