The Amateur Comedy Club was founded on April 18, 1884, by seven gentlemen amateur actors to produce comedies. They were all former members of the Madison Square Dramatic Organization which, as its name suggests, was devoted to the production of dramas, and they wanted a change. The Club’s first production took place a year later on February 13, 1885, at the University Club Theatre.

​Events came full circle when the “Comedy Club” dropped the requirement that it only produce comedies which, at that time, were usually light and forgettable things. In 1909, some “brash young members” rebelled, and since then the Club has produced comedies, tragedies, and musicals. But for that change, the Amateur Comedy Club might have disappeared years ago. Instead, it is now the oldest continuously performing theatrical company in the United States.