The Basement Theatre

Just had my 14 year old daughter’s birthday party at the 8:00pm show. Over 20 teenagers that did not stop laughing and were sooooo engaged the whole time. The actors went above and beyond to make it about the birthday girl (and another birthday boy that was there), and all in all, definitely when you take into account the more than reasonable cost of this fun night, it exceeded my expectation by far. Thank you so much Jstar, Kathy and Joe. It was a blast!

We celebrated a BD for our teenage daughter. It was so funny and her friends loved it. The best BD ever!!!

I may be a bit biased in this review because one of my friends is currently in their troupe, BUT I saw them three years ago also and they were funny then as well.
We went to the show last Thursday and it was great. I was in town for the weekend and my friend asked if I’d like to go see her perform in the improv show. The space is very small but they make the most of it, and it’s worth seeing.
You can apparently buy tickets online or at the venue, and they also have snacks and drinks available for purchase there too.
Great improv show to see if you’re in the area!

U can’t go wrong choosing The Basement for a fun evening with friends, a date or family! I moved here a month ago and have already been every week. Their laff-​per-​minute rate is super high and I’m a pretty tough critic! The cast is very welcoming and personable and they try to greet every guest by name. The 8pm shows are family friendly and I’ve seen kids as young as 10 or so there… the 10pm shows are definitely for adults and even more fun. Yay!
If you’ve not been before, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that u Google Earth the location ‘s Street View because it’s behind/​under a small office bldg…

An unpretentious, cozy, interactive theater in every way, The Basement is an awesome place to catch a show. I’ve been here a few times and the management (okay, J-​Star) already knows my name (okay, he called me Ryan, but he acted like he knew me, and that counts in my book). The theater has maybe thirty seats, and that makes for a very personal experience. This hidden gem is highly recommended!

I recently moved to Atlanta from Chicago, which has a huge improv presence. It totally reminds me of a little comedy theater I used to live next to called Gorilla Tango.
Pricey comedy shows with big headliners and 2-​drink minimums have their time and place, but the Basement Theater was exactly what I was looking for on a Friday night after a long week — low-​key, inexpensive, no-​hassle, and unpretentious. The creative $ 4 cocktails were and added bonus. Although the cups are small, the drinks are decently strong.
The 10pm Friday show that I attended wasn’t crowded, but I hope other comedy lovers discover this place too. The crew was funny and reached out to the crowd for sketch suggestions, but not excessively, awkwardly, or in ways to make anyone feel uncomfortable. The show was «rated R,» but went well beyond the tried-​and-​true penis jokes. They were definitely clever, entertaining, and talented.
The show lasted until almost midnight, and my one suggestion would be to cut it down to end at least by 11:30 pm to hold the audience’s attention. I would definitely recommend checking out a show here and I’ll definitely be back!

This place is very cool. I got my first taste of it on a Saturday night. I came for the 8pm show and stayed for the sold out 10pm show. If you’ve been to the Whole World Theater Improv it’s very similar. They take ideas from the audience and act them out.
Tickets are cheap $ 5-​$ 15 depending on the night. Drinks are cheap too, about $ 4. They only offer snacks like popcorn and candy so come full unless you want to be like me who had to run to Fellini’s across the street and get a slice.
Overall it’s a great atmosphere and great audience. You will have a great time!

Very funny show and was not a single dull moment during the show. We went Friday night at the 10 pm show and I am planning on going back this upcoming week. People there told me they go every weekend and its never the same.

Wow what a hidden gem. This small, quaint comedy club in the basement of an office building is a must if you are looking to have lots of laughs for the night. This club is very small, probably only seats about 30 – 40 people, they did improve and we laughed from start to finish. It is easy to find, easy to park and walked in for a good time. I was very impressed with the two comedians and will definitely be back. They involved the audience throughout the entire act and if you are not talking your kids I would definitely plan on attending the non kid friendly show that starts at 10. They have a small bar, don’t be planned on being blown away by the drinks, but again you are there for the show and to laugh your ass off.

I highly recommend the family improv night. Upon arrival we were warmly greeted by the actors. They already knew our last name and were expecting us. The candy selection was excellent. They had airheads, ring pops, skittles, and atomic fireballs in particular. They had coke products. They even had peach crush! The show itself was hilarious. The actors had a lot of fun with puns, satire, sound effects. The audience participation was fun but it was a little scary when the actor would call on you! They paid special attention to my dad since this was his birthday year

First let me say this is truly in the basement. The location sets the mood giving the place a very laid back feel.
I did not know what to expect since this was my first improv experience. I loved it. We went to a 10pm show and Friday night. The actors and all the staff are extreamly friendly. The show was haliarious. I am still shocked that we had so much fun for so cheap! I will be back

This little venue (and when I say little, I mean teeny-​tiny) offers a more intimate comedy experience than most comedy places in the city. Seating only about 30, there is no such thing as a bad seat, and it’s easy to interact with the performers, but heaven help ya if you have to leave to use the restroom because the exit is practically on stage, making for a rather obvious and interruptive escape.
I’ve only ever been to their improve performances, so the material is hit or miss (as improve tends to be), but what the performers lack in «funny» they make up for in personality. A nicer, more crowd-​loving bunch you will be hard-​pressed to find! A group of friends and I visited on my birthday, and they gave me a tiara and incorporated my name into their second-​act skits– with a name like mine, I’m sure it was not easy!
The $ 10 price is pretty good, but it’s their creative little homemade cockatils for $ 4 that make Basement Theatre a fun and affordable Friday night activity!

I have to give major props/​credit to Chamberlain B. for introducing me to this gem of a place! Initially, I thought she was referring to The Basement in East Atlanta, but no, this Basement is located in Buckhead (towards Roswell Rd.) and is located in a very, very, nondescript building off Wieuca.
I’ll admit the building threw me off for a minute there, but once we reached the Basement entrance, I knew we were in for a good show and a fun night. The entrance is all bright lights and colors, and the same can be said for the interior — but it’s all in a good way. The «stage» area, is small and intimate, but not unbearably so. Right outside the stage area is the bar — both candy and alcohol, and I think this is where the Basement Theatre won me over. Like the rest of the space, it’s bright and colorful, the bartenders were super sweet and eagerly answered questions about the menu — speaking of, the cocktails are good. Really good. For me, mixed drinks are either much too strong or much too weak, they had the perfect balance, and for only $ 4 (!!!), you really can’t go wrong. I didn’t go for any of the candy (this time), but it looked like they had a serious arsenal.
Let’s not forget about the show, which was thoroughly entertaining. We attended on a Saturday nigh, which is their improv night; The first half of the show featured the house improv troupe (hilarious!) — and I’ll admit I was a little apprehensive about attending an audience interactive comedy show, but they were interactive and entertaining without being mean or making anyone uncomfortable. The second half of the show featured a touring improv group (the Lab Rats!), who were also hilariously entertaining, and the final act of the show was «Scrambled Eggs», which combined the improv talents of both groups… Needless to say, it was fantastic.
Wonderful entertainment at an astonishingly great price — I can’t wait to check out their next show!

First time going hit the 8pm show looked a little sketchy it’s literally in a basement of a building lol overall they had great people, comedians, and cheap drinks and concession snacks. There was a Top Atl Comic out of 6 comedians we chose 1, his name was Steven Know he was hilarious love Asians! Forgot to get a picture with him :(They were all pretty funny Jessica and Wellington as well overall had a good time!

We had so much fun at the 8pm show tonight! Try to come to this place with a open mind, it’s small and much different then what I expected.
The guys performing tonight did a outstanding job. The show was the perfect length with lots of laughs.

You gotta love The Basement for the intimate venue. No bad seats in the house!
I’ve also taken several classes with Jstar and attended workshops and all have been fantastic in developing my path to enjoying improv more and more.
You can’t beat the $ 10 price of the shows either!

LOVE this place and the people =D have gone a couple times now and each time I’m crying from laughing so hard! Cheap drinks, great candy/​snack selection, awesome set up!
This last time they really went above and beyond for my family and friends! My little brother was there to celebrate his 21^st birthday with a combination going away celebration since he’s leaving for the Air Force. They accommodated all 16 of us in our party and even made most the show’s focus on him! He was utilized in some shape or form throughout the show! Meant worlds to us to see him really enjoy each moment considering he’s quite the introvert haha.
I recommend going a million times over! Definitely a fan =D

Stopped by the other night for Improv Comedy Night for a birthday event. We pretty much took up the entire place that night. We got there around 9:45pm for the 10pm show, and it was amazing.
For Improv Night, everything is based off what the audience gives. Thankfully, the 20+ group I was with was hilarious to be around. The birthday boy went up and made sound effects at one point during the show, and it was down right hilarious.
It’s pretty cool how they can just hear one word. and make an entire show out of it.
AND. it’s ONLY $ 5 with a student I.D.
The 8pm show is family friend, and the 10pm show… not so much lol.
Definitely plan on going back with the roomies! :]

I went to the Basement Theatre to support some of my friends’ sets at Comedy Under the Stairs. Comedy Under the Stairs is stand-​up comedy and it happens on Thursday nights. Improv comedy happens on Friday and Saturday nights.
The night I went, there were 9 amateur comics (10 were originally scheduled, but one cancelled for some unknown reason) competing for the audience’s votes. The comic who earned 1^st place would be featured at the next Comedy Under the Stairs show and the comic who finished 2^nd would host the next show.
Tickets were only $ 5. What a great deal. The Basement Theatre is tiny. The place gets its name because it is literally located in the basement of a building off Roswell Rd. At night, it can be tricky to find. The Basement Theatre is located next to Wells Fargo. The sign for the place is small and located close to the ground. Free parking. The entrance to the theater is in the back of the building.
There is a small and colorful bar that you have to pass through before you make it to the theater itself. Part of the bar setup are these giant barrels. If you bring a «cool big sticker» for the barrels, you get $ 2 off regular admission price. The bar serves alcohol and various sodas including Crush. Sodas are only $ 1.
You also pay for your admission ticket at the bar. For Comedy Under the Stairs, we were also handed ballots and crayons to vote for our 3 favorite acts of the night. The show lasted approximately 2 hours. After the 9 comics finished their sets, two guest comics performed, one of which was the winner of the previous Comedy UTS competition.
At the show I went to, one of the comics, Joel Byars, got into it with the host’s (Jamaal Brown’s) mom. Joel made a funny remark about the way Jamaal introduced him. This sparked Jamaal’s mom to speak up on behalf of her son. The first five minutes or so of Joel’s act turned into Jamaal’s mom hurling insults at him from the crowd and Joel coming up with witty comebacks. He clearly had the upper hand.
It was the most entertaining thing I’ve seen at an amateur stand-​up comedy night yet. Jamaal understandably got upset with Joel and told him to «hurry up and get the f*** off stage!» After Joel got off stage, Jamaal and his family left and Jamaal did not finish hosting the show. Instead, the «Jew» from «A Jew and a Black Guy» finished hosting the show.
Regardless, I had a fun time at the Basement Theatre. Stand-​up comedy is a great and affordable way to spend an evening and have some pretty good laughs along the way.

I love the Basement Theatre. I really do. It’s a perfect venue to perform and view comedy. It’s dark, intimate and there is a candy bar. I never knew how much a stock of candy could add to a show, but it really does it for me. Way more than vodka.
While I am a standup lover, I have seen JStar (the owner/​operator) and others perform improv at the Basement, and they are friggin’ fabulous. They are amazing to watch doing their skits, and they do well with encouraging audience participation.
If the Basement served food, I’d give them five stars because that would be perfect, but on the other hand, people are messy and they might ruin this great venue by constantly dropping ketchup and french fries all over the floor.
By the way, the Basement really is in the basement of an office building. Look for the sign set out near the street on West Wieuca and follow the lighted arrows.
This place is perfect for a single person, couple, or group. I can’t imagine anyone not having a good time at a show. And I mean that.