KarunaNews Story

When John Tobin started working at a local comedy club in the early ‘90s, crowds and performers expected alcohol at comedy clubs like they expected popcorn at a movie theater. But three decades later, that has started to change, and show producers like Tobin and his business partner Norm Laviolette, who own and operate some of New England’s biggest comedy clubs, are taking notice. Last month, they launched SoBar Comedy, the country’s first sober-curious comedy club. For Corey Manning, who headlined and hosted the inaugural show, an alcohol-free night of comedy comes with plenty of upside. This December, he will celebrate 30 years of sobriety from drugs and alcohol.