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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

New Comedy Venue Joins Budding Long Island City Laugh Scene

HUNTERS POINT — Long Island City is in the funny.

A new laugh palace is set to open in Hunters Point, the third to open in the neighborhood in recent years, as the comedy scene gains popularity in the area.

The Laughing Devil Development Stage will be opening at the Breadbox Café on 11th Street this week — the brainchild of The Laughing Devil Comedy Club, which opened in December last year and organized the first ever comedy festival in Long Island City in May. 

Combined with a third venue — The Creek and The Cave on Jackson Avenue — Hunters Point is now hosting dozens of shows every month, with both emerging artists and seasoned stand-up comedy pros entertaining crowds.

“The ability to have another stage allows us to do more experimental stuff,” said Steve Hofstetter, the owner of Laughing Devil. 

While “people expect to come and get polished material from comedians they’ve seen on television” at the original venue, the new stage will be open for the less experienced people trying out their stuff.

At the new Laughing Devil, there will be more open mic nights, independently produced shows and improv. “The point of that room is for a comic to say: what hasn’t been done yet,” Hofstetter said.

The Laughing Devil Comedy Club — at 47-38 Vernon Blvd. — already offers at least 10 shows a week and it's hard to jam any more into the evenings.

Starting this Thursday, the Breadbox Cafe, which closes at 6 p.m., will turn into a comedy club at night. For now, there will be two shows a week — at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Tickets are free.

At 5 p.m., there will also be a workshop for amateur comedians run by Mike Blejer from the Laughing Devil Comedy Club.

Pros will perform there as well.

During the first show, the audience will get to yuk it up with Kevin McCaffrey, a writer for "The Late Show with David Letterman" and a regular at the Laughing Devil Comedy Club, Hofstetter said.

Hofstetter hopes to soon add more nights at the new venue with the intention of expanding to seven days a week.