Wichita lost its only comedy club, the Loony Bin at 215 N. St. Francis, in the summer of 2023 after the owner decided to retire. At the time, the club had been operated for almost 25 years.
But soon, the Loony Bin Comedy Club will be revived under new ownership and at a new address.
Mason Thatcher, the owner of the Loony Bin’s Tulsa location, has decided to bring the club back to Wichita. He’s secured the old Villa Luna venue space at 8406 W. Central and says he should have the club open there no later than May or June. Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate represented the landlord of the building at 8406 W. Central in the deal.
Thatcher, who bought the 19-year-old Tulsa Loony Bin just over three years ago, said that he’d hoped to keep the Wichita club open when former owner Larry Marks decided to close it in 2023. But Marks needed to sell the building, so Thatcher needed time to find a new spot. “We knew we were going to bring it back,” he said. “Ideally, we were going to bring it back sooner. It’s just taken a little bit of time to find the right location.”
When he reopens the Loony Bin, Thatcher said, it will run differently than it did when it was downtown. For one, the club’s patrons will be able to get dinner and drinks while they watch comedy shows. The new Loony Bin will have a full kitchen putting out things like burgers, wraps, quesadillas, appetizers and desserts. It will also have a full bar.
The club will typically offer shows Wednesday through Sunday nights, and on a typical week, people will be able to see all types of comedians, from nationally known to up-and-coming to local.
“Our structure is to bring in well-known comedians, bring in comedians that may not be super famous yet, and bring in comedians that are super funny that are on their way to being famous,” Thatcher said.
