Sometime last year, I started seeing promos for a stand-up comedy show at Turks Head Cafe.

“We hadn’t heard of anywhere else in the borough hosting a comedy showcase like this,” says Philadelphia comic, West Chester resident, and Turks Head Cafe regular Ryan Roe who hosts the monthly standup event. “Yet we knew that there were tons of comedy fans living in town that probably didn’t want to drive all the way to Philly to see a live show.”

As it turns out, that was a good call. Ryan hosted his first Turks Head Comedy Showcase in October 2023 to an immediate enthusiastic response. Soon their shows were selling out and similar events started popping up at Artillery, Bierhaul, and Lacava. Was West Chester having a comedy moment? I went undercover to find out.

“When you can cram a decent amount of people in a room so that it feels intimate, the audience can really connect with the performers and the laughs just bounce off the walls.”

Ryan Roe, Comedy event host and producer

West Chester’s new stand-up nights

The most popular format I have seen is the stand-up showcase which features several local comics each doing a short set. There is usually a headliner who will do a slightly longer routine – 25 minutes to everyone else’s ten.

Ryan says he prefers this format because it lets people see comics they have probably never heard of. “It feels like we’re showing off the hidden talent around us,” he says. I like it because if they are awful, and I’ll be honest, the talent is all over the place, they are only on for 10 minutes.

Comics at these events are typically from the Philadelphia area. We saw Philadelphia-based comedians Missy Hall at Artillery in October and John Deary at Turks Head in November. (Both were great. Missy, in particular, seemed a level up. While she may not have had the breadth of material of a national headliner, you could tell she was a professional.)

Ryan also likes to save a few minutes for aspiring comedians. “We’ve had several WCU students reach out to us about giving stand-up a shot,” he says. “We’ll often let [them] do a 5-minute set at the top of the show.”

Stand-up vs. Improv

While stand-up is still getting its footing, West Chester-based improv troupe Better Than Bacon has weathered comedy ups and downs for the past 14 years.

“Audiences wax and wane with what’s going on in the world,” says BTB Founder Lauren Henry. She reports the troupe is back on an upswing after seeing attendance drop before the election. “I think people were dealing with uncertainty and didn’t want to go out for entertainment.”

She has also seen performers come and go. People get married, move away, have kids. “Life happens,” she says. Unlike stand-up, improv is more of a team sport. Better Than Bacon can and does source locally because, while stage time is important, most of the improv work is done off-stage.

“It takes time to make sure that person will click with the troupe and add something new to what we already have,” says Lauren.

Future of West Chester Comedy

“Our goal when we started the show was to build an audience of comedy fans that would sell out a room and fall in love with the cafe,” says Ryan. “But we also wanted to give people in the Borough a fun event that might expand their view of stand-up comedy beyond what they see on Netflix.”

The premise seems to have resonated and maybe we shouldn’t be surprised.

“Both forms of comedy are great for stress relief and I think everyone needs as much stress relief as they can get right now,” adds Lauren.

Amen, to that.

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Originally published on Jan. 31, 2025

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