Established in 1922, the Barnstable Comedy Club is the oldest continually operating community theater on Cape Cod and one of the oldest in America. 

In 1899, Barnstable Village residents proposed a venue for community events and in August of 1912, the completion of the Barnstable Village Hall was celebrated with a gala opening and public dedication attended by many notables, including noted author Joseph Lincoln and US Ambassador to France Robert Bacon.  The owners of the new building, the Barnstable Woman’s Club, followed through with their intention that it be used by the community and over the years it was the location for elections, Boy and Girl Scout activities, concerts, dances, suppers, card parties, basketball games and lectures.  It was also used as a recreation center for the village children before a new elementary school was built.  In addition to these community activities, plays were presented by a theater group who were meeting nearby at the Old Barnstable Inn.

In 1922 the theater group presented Lady Windemere’s Fan, with the name Barnstable Comedy Club printed on the tickets for the first time.  Reserved seats for this inaugural production were 75 cents, including the newly required federal war tax.

 In 1961, the Barnstable Comedy Club theater group purchased the Village Hall from the Barnstable Woman’s Club. To honor the original owner’s request, the building continues to be known as the Village Hall and remains a village institution.  After the purchase of the hall, the theater group incorporated and in 1975 was granted the status of a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.

During the past one hundred years, the BCC has mounted 284 productions including: Our Town, Caine Mutiny, Death of a Salesman, The King and I, Carousel, The Lion in Winter, Private Lives, Grease, Calendar Girls, Mister Roberts and Anything Goes. The theater is known for its dedication to classic theater, with entertaining, diverse and humorous offerings chosen each year for the annual season of fall, winter and spring performances.

Open auditions are held for each play and draw from a wide community of people from many backgrounds – from talented youngsters to retired people with skills in many fields to people who just share a love for the theater.  In addition to community participation, the theater was home to renowned author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and to the leading American authority on ethnic dance, Russell Meriwether Hughes, known as La Meri, the “undisputed queen of ethnic dance”.

The BCC continues to hold to our tradition of high standards, to produce plays that are varied in theme, thoroughly rehearsed, and artistically staged.  BCC also continues our tradition of being an all-volunteer organization.

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