Actor and comedian Dane Cook headlined the opening night show of The Laugh Factory’s newest location in Covina to support the Writers Guild of America on Wednesday.
All proceeds from the sold-out show were donated to the WGA and the Entertainment Community Fund, with Wednesday marking 50 days since WGA members began striking.
The city of Covina acquired the historic theater in December 2022 before transforming the over 100-year-old building into the Laugh Factory. Housing an audience of around 200 people, the city hopes the new addition will bring marquee comedy acts for San Gabriel Valley residents to enjoy.
“One of the great qualities of life is humor,” said Covina Mayor Walter Allen. “This is so exciting because not only does it bring humor to Covina, it also serves as an anchor to our downtown.”
Although the Covina club is quite a distance from the flagship Hollywood location, city officials believe the addition will bring much-needed star power to entertain those who aren’t able to travel to L.A.
“We’re all hoping that we’re going to be an anchor tenant bringing people here Thursday through Sunday, 7:30 every night with an additional show at 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays,” said the club’s general manager Harry Basil.
Officials said tickets for Cook’s opening night show sold out in 12 hours. Cook explained the decision to donate all proceeds to the WGA is in support of a cause that’s close to his heart.
“There’s that great saying when you hear a director or writer say, ‘The story just jumped off the page’ right? That’s writers. Everything that you love in film and television starts with the brutal keyboard time that a writer sits there and cultivates character and story,” explained Cook. “We want to make sure what’s fair is fair. We want people to have a deal that protects them, protects their family.”