Joystick Arcade, the popular underground comedy club located below Studio 13 in Iowa City, will soon be a venue with more than just stand-up and karaoke.
This weekend's show, headlined by comedian Brittany Brave, will be the last show under the Joystick name at the venue.
After the performance, the bar's name will officially change to “Alley Cat.” Jason Zeman, CEO of Corridor Entertainment Group, said the rebrand was a decision to pay homage to the previous name of the building adjacent to the ground level.
This transition is the second in the venue's history. After nearly 30 years of operation as a live music venue named Yacht Club, the venue changed its name to Joystick in 2021. At the time, Zeman saw a vacancy for a comedy barcade downtown and felt Joystick could fill it.
“We were looking for something different, something that wasn't [in Iowa City]” said Zeman. “There were no comedy clubs. There were no arcades yet.”
But in the three years since bars went joystick, Iowa City's downtown district has seen other establishments fill those niche spots. In 2022, arcade bar Double Tap opens in Pedestrian Mall. While there are no other venues dedicated to live comedy, many existing venues are adding stand-up events to their calendars.
Mr Zeman said Joystick's patron community also wanted other forms of entertainment at the venue.
“We also realized that five-a-week comedy is comedy-heavy, and comedy saturation during that time. [the pandemic],” he said. “So we thought we should change the space and make some adjustments.”
On May 3, the venue will have its grand opening as Alley Cat. Travis Coltrane, the venue's talent booker, said the upcoming weekly event schedule will see more genre diversity than just comedy.
On Wednesday nights, Alley Cat hosts performances by local improv groups, one-off shows, and audience participation events such as musical bingo.
The venue will continue to host one of its Thursday night staples, the open mic comedy event Joke-E-Oke. But on Friday night, live music will be reintroduced to the underground venue for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As well, the venue will feature local bands in its own “Battle of the Bands” competition on Saturdays. Coltrane also said the venue will introduce a new drag show dinner event once a month on Sundays.
In preparation, the interior of the venue will also be redecorated. In addition to new furniture and modern lighting, Alley Cat will reconfigure his own kitchen and dressing space for his room.
Coltrane feels that rebranding the venue to Alley Cat is necessary for the venue to thrive.
Related: Hancher presents a creative and collaborative contemporary opera with “Fierce”
“I think things will take their course and Alley Cat is just the next step for this venue,” Coltrane said. “We can bring back nostalgia while providing the city with more entertainment than comedy and arcade games.”
Zeman said venues such as Joystick, Studio 13 and Gabe's that are open to patrons 19 and older are important to Iowa City students, half of whom are under 21.
“We provide an alternative to just going to a bar for a drink,” Zeman said. “Obviously alcohol is what you pay for and that’s how this business works, but we pride ourselves on the fact that we provide a space that’s focused on entertainment and experience.”