Komedia

Komedia Bath is a live entertainment venue in Bath, England, dedicated to stand-up comedy, live music, cabaret, spoken word, club nights and community events. It occupies the historic Grade II listed Beau Nash building at 22-23 Westgate Street, which originally opened in 1908 as the first cinema in the West of England. After standing derelict for many years, the building was transformed by the owners of Komedia Brighton, who were invited by Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) to create a mixed-use live entertainment venue. Following extensive renovation, Komedia Bath opened in November 2008 and won the National Constructing Excellence Award for the Best Renovation of a Listed Building in the UK. Since opening, Komedia Bath has become a key part of Bath's cultural fabric and one of the region's most important live entertainment spaces. It hosts over 600 live events every year, including its award-winning Komedia Comedy Club every Saturday, live music, cabaret, club nights and family events. The venue operates two performance spaces: the Main Auditorium, with a capacity of up to 780 guests, and The Electric Bar, a cosy setting for grassroots music, emerging talent and smaller comedy nights. Its Wall of Fame celebrates past performers such as Buzzcocks, Joe Lycett, Katherine Ryan, Russell Howard, Greg Davies, Band of Skulls, Brian Fallon, The Mary Wallopers, Peace, Kosheen and The Damned. In 2017, the owners transferred ownership of Komedia Bath to the local community, making it one of the first entertainment venues in the UK to adopt the Community Benefit Society (CBS) model. The move was inspired by grassroots campaigns that saved pubs through community ownership, and it aimed to protect the venue's long-term future and establish a model for other independent arts venues. Several venues, including Bristol's Exchange, Le Pub in Newport and UPP Oxford, have since adopted similar approaches. Komedia Bath launched a community share offer with a target of £350,000, allowing people to invest from as little as £250. Today, Komedia Bath continues to operate as a community-owned venue, offering a diverse programme of entertainment for local residents and visitors to Bath's nightlife. It remains a leading destination for touring entertainment in the region.

Komedia Bath occupies the historic Beau Nash building at 22-23 Westgate Street in Bath, which originally opened in 1908 as the first cinema in the West of England. The building later stood derelict for many years. In 2007, the owners of Komedia, the well-known arts and entertainment venue in Brighton, were invited by Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) to transform the Grade II listed building into a vibrant mixed-use live entertainment venue. After extensive renovation, Komedia Bath opened in November 2008, winning the National Constructing Excellence Award for the Best Renovation of a Listed Building in the UK. From its opening year onwards, Komedia Bath became a key part of the cultural fabric of Bath, offering a diverse programme of stand-up comedy, live music, cabaret, spoken word, community events and more. The venue quickly established itself as one of the most important live entertainment spaces in the region. It hosts over 600 live events every year, including its award-winning Komedia Comedy Club every Saturday, and operates two performance spaces: the Main Auditorium (capacity up to 780) and The Electric Bar. In 2017, the owners made the bold decision to transfer ownership of Komedia Bath to the local community, making it one of the first entertainment venues in the UK to adopt the Community Benefit Society (CBS) model. At the time, many pubs were being saved by community ownership, but no similar model existed for independent arts venues. Inspired by the success of these grassroots campaigns, the team believed community ownership was the best way forward for protecting Komedia's long-term future and establishing a model that other independent venues could follow. Since then, several others—including Bristol's Exchange, Le Pub in Newport and UPP Oxford—have adopted similar approaches. Komedia Bath launched a community share offer with a target of £350,000, allowing people to invest from as little as £250, with smaller donations also accepted.

• 2017

  Ownership is transferred to the local community under the Community Benefit Society model, one of the first UK entertainment venues to do so.

• 2008

  Komedia Bath opens in November after extensive renovation, winning the National Constructing Excellence Award for Best Renovation of a Listed Building.

• 2007

  Owners of Komedia Brighton are invited by BANES to transform the derelict Beau Nash building into a live entertainment venue.

• 1908

  The Beau Nash building opens as the first cinema in the West of England.

Community-owned live entertainment venue and the region's leading destination for touring comedy and music.

• Komedia Comedy Club

  Award-winning weekly stand-up comedy show every Saturday, featuring four top professional comedians.

• Main Auditorium

  Fully equipped, flexible performance space with capacities up to 780 guests.

• The Electric Bar

  Cosy, atmospheric setting for grassroots music, emerging talent, acoustic sets, and smaller comedy nights; also serves as daytime box office and bar.

1. 1Komedia - Live Music and Comedy in Bathkomediabath.co.uk
2. 2Community Benefit Society - Komedia Bathkomediabath.co.uk
3. 3About Komedia - Komedia Bathkomediabath.co.uk
4. 4Contact Us - Komedia Bathkomediabath.co.uk
5. 5Komedia - Wikidatawikidata.org