Comedy club · Madison, Wisconsin

Comedy on State, Madison, WI: Shows, Open Mic and Booking

202 State Street – Lower Level, Madison, WI 53703

The short answer

Comedy on State is a comedy club in Madison, Wisconsin, at 202 State Street – Lower Level. Shows run Wednesday to Saturday; tickets $15–$54, 18 and over, two-drink minimum. For comics, it runs an open mic (Wednesdays, 8:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM)) and publishes how to get booked.

On stage soon

Lineups belong to the club and the comedians, and can change; the listing has the last word. More shows in Wisconsin on the Comedy Calendar →

For comics

Open micWednesdays, 8:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM) — The Mic on State — Sign up online only, Wednesdays from noon to 6:00 PM; about 20 spots, and 40–50 usually sign up; the list is read out at the club at 7:30 PM, not posted online, so you must be there; 3–5 minute sets; $5 admission source ↗
Getting bookedComedians or agents seeking booking: booking@madisoncomedy.com source ↗
ShowsWednesday to Saturday — the Wednesday open mic, headliners Thursday to Saturday; some Tuesday and Sunday shows source ↗
RoomShow seating 270 (venue capacity 300; banquet seating 180) source ↗

Per the club's own site, read 23 September 2026.

What the room asks of comics
The tape it wants
  • Contest audition requires a 3–5 minute video clip. source ↗
What you can say on stage
  • Contest judges mark down dirty or offensive material used for easy laughs. source ↗
Its other 12 rules
On stage
  • Regular shows feature professional nationally touring comedians. source ↗
  • Open mic sets run 3–5 minutes; most are 3. source ↗
  • All shows are 18+ (stated as the attendance rule). source ↗
  • Madison's Funniest Comic contest: comics must be based in Wisconsin. source ↗
  • Contest: use your allotted time; 1 minute over or under disqualifies. source ↗
Open mic and new talent
  • Open mic (The Mic on State): sign up online only, Wednesdays 12–6pm. source ↗
  • Signing up doesn't guarantee a spot: about 20 spots for 40–50 sign-ups. source ↗
  • Performer list goes out at 7:30pm, not online; you must be present to learn if you're on. source ↗
  • 2026 contest sign-up was online only, March 4–26. source ↗
House rules
  • Contest comics check in 30 minutes before showtime or are disqualified. source ↗
  • Contest: no notes on stage. source ↗
  • Contest: no repeat material; judges may dock points for it. source ↗

From the club's own pages, read 25 September 2026 — hover a rule for its exact words, or open its source. Where two of its pages disagree, both are here.

More stage time: Stage Time has open mics by night, and the Gig Board has calls for comics posted by the rooms themselves.

For fans

Tickets$15–$54 on the shows it listed (lowest price printed for each show) source ↗
Age18 and over; ID required even if not drinking source ↗
MinimumTwo-beverage minimum a person; $4 charge for each beverage not bought source ↗
PhonesPhones off or silent; no recording; some shows lock phones in Yondr pouches source ↗
ParkingState Street Capitol ramp on Carroll Street, behind the building; some free street parking source ↗

As the club's own pages give them, read 30 September 2026 — tap or hover a source for its exact words.

Club Etiquette: how to be the table the room loves →

Plan the night

The night planner builds an evening around Comedy on State: where to eat before, the trip there and home, and what the night costs.

Plan a night here → The club's site ↗

Open, according to its own website on 23 September 2026. Listed then: Mark Normand, 8–10 October 2026.

Near Comedy on State

Comedy clubs in Wisconsin → · The Club Directory, coast to coast →

The Club Directory is also in the back of the D.O.C. book, Stand-Up Comedy: From Writing to Touring — $29, over 1,000 pages.

Updated 2 October 2026 · the club's facts from its own site, read 23 September 2026; its rules for comics read 25 September 2026; fans' facts read 30 September 2026