The Pickle, Every Saturday at 9 pm. Someone in the audience will go home with a free jar of pickles at the end of the night!

By Jeffrey Shwom

This is the second of three articles in a series titled “Laughing around town: Somerville’s comedy scene”

A gray, partly cloudy afternoon meet-up with Union Comedy co-founders Ben Scurria and Pat Kearnan turned out just the way we wanted … a meet-up at Forge Baking Co first (such tempting pastries) with an informal invitation to Union Comedy’s current space across the street at 593 Somerville Ave. Ben and Pat were excited to show and share their post-pandemic success story in building a strong enough community to move onward and upward within Somerville.

Per Emily Holland, marketing director, Union Comedy’s mission is “to provide the highest quality local improv comedy shows, as well as the training, resources, and opportunities necessary for artists to thrive, both creatively and professionally.” We have heard informally from multiple community folks that Union Comedy boasts some of the best long form improv around.

Pat and Ben met, like many folks within the scene, at ImprovBoston in Cambridge (closed December 2023). Pat told me, “We started looking for a spot in 2017. It is hard to find a theatre space. (Local cities and towns) are taking down spaces that would be great for the arts and turning them into housing,” which he agreed was a valid use. “There is an art space and housing crisis, for sure.”

The current space is a cozy black box theatre where every square inch is used. They built a vestibule a year ago to create a separate entry way. Ben shared that the 563 Somerville Ave. space “used to be a psychic. Even here, we have limitations. We only do shows Fridays through Sundays and we have to be done by 10 p.m.” Pat chipped in that after most shows, “we have to kick people out on the street,” literally.

Enter 73 Bow Street (above Hot Tomatoes) and the possibilities of a richer, more comfortable spot. Union Comedy recently signed a new lease and are using Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/unioncomedy/next-stage-for-laughs-union-comedys-new-home?ref=project_build) to fund their new theater build in Union Square, with “a larger audience capacity, a green room for performers to gather pre-show, and bar and lounge.” It also means operating up to seven days a week and later at night. Pat has been happier with the city and how they have made things easier with the regulations. “They did some meet and greet (with) people who were interested in recovering. They asked, ‘What is the situation and what can we do to help?’ They put the effort into listening and adjusted the permitting and zoning and liquor stuff.”

The most resounding story we heard was the progression of building community pre-, during and post-pandemic. Ben explained, “we did … the Union Improv Festival at The Rockwell. Deby (Xiadani, Artistic Director & General Manager) is awesome. It’s coming back in November 2025. It is the fifth year doing … (but it’s the) first year where we have a true community. Not just people taking classes. Not just people performing and leaving. Most have come through our classes. A couple of anchor performers have been around for a while. There is a mix of those (performers, amateur and professional) that have saturated to a place where it is ‘I did this before the pandemic and now I am doing this after.’ It took a while for everything to mix together again.”

From Pat, “improv, it is new every time. It rewards experimentation and stretching yourself out, your limits. My college buddy started taking classes … that is what he loves. People do it for a lot of different reasons. He does it for the hang.” Ben met his wife doing improv. Whatever the reason, the new space will offer more shows, more classes, and more chances for theatre and connection.

“We are doing our thing, The Nova Comedy Collective is doing their thing…People are doing art and that is the most exciting thing. All good art is done in a community because you are surrounded by art,” Ben eloquently remarked.

As hope abounded, Pat brought us back to the reality of building out a new space with municipal, state and federal building codes and permitting. Pat relayed, “Any space that is alive is blood, sweat and tears. I have respect for anyone doing art stuff. It is not easy. It is the love of the game.”