Greater Jamestown AM News
Posted by Scott Sawyer
NATIONAL COMEDY CENTER UPDATE
Journey Gunderson, Executive Director, provided an update on the National Comedy Center which has broken ground and is anticipating a 2017 opening. As she qualified the date, she indicated, "There are a lot of moving parts and while substantial funds have been committed, we are are still in fund raising mode."
Currently, the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum & Center for Comedy, circa 1996, is open seven days a week and continues to be a popular destination for the "Lucy enthusiast." Lucy related subjects receive over 40,000 internet inquiries a month with Desi also searched largely. Ms. Gunderson went on to explain that with that kind of interest the trade name LUCY/DESI has tremendous market value. Further, that Jamestown has earned credibility in the comedy world by its pedigree of attracting top comedians in the comedy world as evidenced by performers such as Jay Leno, Bob Newhart, Paula Poundstone, Martin Short and Jerry Seinfeld. With this synergy to build on, the National Comedy Center will finally fulfill Lucy's comedic legacy.
The National Comedy Center incubation period began with two national consulting firms that specialize in tourism and events. They, along with a brain trust of comedic royalty - Carol Burnett, Poundstone, Seinfeld, Dan Aykroyd and Lucy Arnaz among others are steering the National Comedy Center to capture Lucy's wishes and the wishes of the comedic art world. The end result will be a center that targets the craft and artistry of comedy. Staying true to Lucy's wishes, the center will not be a comedy hall of fame or repository of Lucy artifacts (although the museum will continue to house her memorabilia), but instead the center will be a place where comedy is celebrated and encouraged, instead of building a shrine to her memory which would wane with time. It will be a personalized experience for attendees with cutting edge interactive exhibits. The interaction will be personalized to reflect a participant's interests. There will be an archive of comedy genres to choose from: Vaudeville, radio, TV, cinema, live performances, internet.
Ms. Gunderson is an engaging speaker and clearly articulated the vision for the National Comedy Center, while also regaling her listeners with some great Dan Aykroyd stories. For our Best of Friends in Canada, Dan Aykroyd was born in Ottawa!
In the photo (L to R): Journey Gunderson and Scott Sawyer, president.