Tom Bruce is serious about combining comedy with worthy causes.
Bruce runs the Wisecrackers comedy club in State College, which features talented comics — most from the New York market — every weekend from January through March at Celebration Hall, with some early shows elsewhere in the region.
Bruce said his goal is to make every show a fundraiser. He’s not quite there yet, but the comedy fundraisers are getting more and more popular, he said.
“The magic is it’s a generous payback for a fun night out,” said Bruce.
One such bit of magic will happen Saturday, with a comedy fundraiser for Joel Pighetti, a State College High grad who is battling cancer.
The fundraiser will help defray medical expenses for Pighetti, 59, who with his brother is a self-employed landscaper, according to Dave Miller, a friend and former classmate who is organizing the event.
The 7 p.m. show will feature comedians Rodney Laney and Mike Burton. Before the jokes start flying, there will be a silent auction starting at 5:30 p.m. The event will also feature a 50-50 drawing. (There will also be a regular 9 p.m. show.)
Among the items up for auction will be an autographed picture of former State High and Penn State star Matt Suhey and Chicago Bears teammate Walter Payton, along with other memorabilia and gift cards, Miller said. A jersey from Pittsburgh Penguins’ defenseman Kris Letang was also expected to be among the items up for auction.
“We’ve been taking donations and ticket sales,” Miller said. “We’re trying to get as close to capacity as we can.
“We’re getting a really nice response from community, which does not surprise me.”
Bruce said the effort to help is a “special heartfelt type of thing,” noting that Pighetti has “lots of support from friends and family.”
Tickets to the shows at Wisecrackers are $20, which include a hot appetizer buffet. There is also a cash bar.
Fundraisers get $5 per ticket for the first 100 sold, $6 per ticket more than 100 and $7 per ticket beyond 200 sold. The club has a capacity of 260.
The escalating share “really helps people get fired up,” Bruce said.
The fundraisers, which range from youth sports leagues to Relay for Life, the American Heart Association and PAWS animal adoption agency, are a win-win, Bruce said.
MONEY AND EXPOSURE
In addition to generating money for worthy causes, the fundraisers offer exposure to the club — and the comedians — to people who might not otherwise have attended a comedy show.
“We surprise people because the comedians are so good,” Bruce said.
One of those comedians is Bruce’s brother Scott. Scott Bruce started Wisecrackers in 2001 and also has clubs in Allentown and Wilkes-Barre.
Scott Bruce has been a headliner in places such as New York and Las Vegas and does bookings throughout the Poconos and lower New York state.
“My brother knows who the funny comedians are,” Tom Bruce said.
The club tailors shows to its audience and “we don’t hire lewd or crude comics,” he said.
In addition to the Friday and Saturday 9 p.m. shows at Celebration Hall, Wisecrackers often does a 7 p.m. Saturday show elsewhere in the Centre Region, often in places like fire halls, legions and VFWs.
Wisecrackers’ local season runs each weekend, January through March. The last scheduled show this year at Celebration Hall is — appropriately enough — Saturday, April 1. The headliner? Scott Bruce.
Because State College is a small market, comedy is “more of a winter sport,” when people here are more likely to go to a club, Tom Bruce said.
“We keep the marketplace hungry for our most excellent product.”
FUNDRAISER
Who: Comedians Rodney Lane and Mike Burton
What: Fundraiser for Joel Pighetti
When: Saturday, March 25, 5:30 p.m. (silent auction), 7 p.m. (show)
Where: Wisecrackers, Celebration Hall, 2280 Commercial Blvd., State College
Tickets: $20. Contact Dave Miller at (814) 574-3675 or dmil_58@comcast.net, or Jane Neil Orelli at (570) 971-7211 or janeo4@verizon.net.
