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Comedy for a Cause to benefit Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County

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Comedy for a Cause to benefit Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County
Amos Atkinson, Craig Smith, Andrew Rynning and Jim Flanagan will perform January 30 at Comedy for a Cause to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County. Photos supplied.

Three local and one national comedian will take the stage at 8 pm on January 30 at the Madison Club to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County.

Local comics Andrew Rynning, Amos Atkinson and Craig Smith will perform as national touring comedian Jim Flanagan will headline the Comedy for a Cause show. Organizer Patrick Rohde will host.

Comedy for a Cause started in 2019 when Rohde, a member of the Alzheimer’s Association board of directors, was “looking for a different, unique way to fundraise for (the Alzheimer’s Association’s) big fundraiser, and came up with the idea of hosting a comedy show.” 

It made sense for Rohde, a comedy connoisseur who served as a judge for Madison’s Funniest last year.

“Madison has become a bit of a comedy hub,” he said. “There’s actually a ton of small shows around the city that go on weekly or monthly. So I just thought, if I do one that’s real concentrates a couple times a year, and it’s no easier than putting on a gala and all this other stuff.”

Rohde now puts on three or four Comedy for a Cause shows every year, with the proceeds benefiting different local nonprofit organizations. 

“The idea is to spread awareness and to fundraise as well,” Rohde said. “I don’t make any profit. I don’t even handle any of the money. It just always gets funneled to the charity. I just create and promote the show.”

The comedians do get paid, but at a “pretty heavily discounted” rate.

When choosing the charities he works with, Rohde said he favors those that make an impact in Madison and Dane County.

“I want to make sure that the funds stay local. Boys and Girls Club of Dane County have a lot of impact … we’ve always gotten really good support from the people involved with Boys and Girls Club.”

Rohde said most shows raise $3,000-$6,000 for their causes through ticket sales and sponsorships, but last year’s show to benefit the BGCDC brought in $15,000.

He said most Comedy for a Cause shows bring in 60 to 80 people, but for this one, he and the BGCDC are aiming bigger.

“This is the first one we’ve done at a larger venue with a little more promotional effort,” he said. “Normally, we get between 60 and 80 people. This one, we’re trying to get 180.”

Tickets for the show are $75, which includes high-end hors d’oeuvres crafted by Chef Adam Struebing. A table of 10 is $1,100 which also includes wine and elevated hors d’oeuvres.

Tickets are available now at this link.