They say laughter is the best medicine.
Yet, for the better part of a decade, there’s been no dedicated comedy club on the East End. This proved challenging for Sag Harbor resident and comedian Joe Winchell, who sometimes had to travel well into Nassau County to earn his comedic chops at venues like the Governor’s clubs in Bellmore, Bohemia and Levittown. But as of last year, there’s a new place much closer to his Hamptons home to hone his craft, and to get a dose of laughter, too.
Sticks and Stones Comedy Club in Southampton made its 2023 debut on July 4th weekend as the first Hamptons-based comedy club in over three decades, providing top tier comedy acts and entertainment for the public nearly every week, year-round.
For club owner Abby Russell, it’s all about creating a sense of community for residents across the South Fork. “I’ve always had a strong connection to the arts scene out here,” she says, noting she started coming to the East End as a kid to visit her grandparents at their Water Mill house, which she now lives in.
No stranger to the comedy world, Russell created the HBO-sponsored Hamptons Comedy Festival back in 2000, but it was during the over-the-phone conversations during the COVID-19 quarantine with a friend that the idea for Sticks and Stones was ultimately born.
“The intention wasn’t to start a comedy club,” Russell says. “But during the pandemic, I kept thinking ‘God, I wanna go out!.’ I love to laugh, I mean who doesn’t? And I’ve always loved comics, so I thought, ‘maybe there could be another comedy club out here.’”
Operating out of the Southampton Cultural Center, Sticks and Stones brings high caliber talent from New York City, Los Angeles and beyond making Southampton a more than worthy stop for comics on tour, while also featuring local, lesser-known acts, like Winchell, who are trying to get their foot in the door. Since opening, Russell has ensured the comedy club puts on at least two or three shows each month, year-round with as many as four nights of comedy weekly during peak season.
Headline comics who have performed at Sticks and Stones over the past year include Vanessa Hollingshead, Carmen Lynch, Rob White, Eddie Brill, Jordan Rock and Sherrod Small. Winchell performs often and acts as host on a regular basis. Tickets for each show are about $35 per person.
“This has become a home for comics in the area and for greater Long Island,” she says.
Now in its second year, Sticks and Stones has branched out, offering live music and concessions before each show for ticketholders to enjoy. “It’s very social,” Russell says, noting “that was my impetus for the whole thing—to bring people together and to bounce that energy off each other.”
Russell and her team also aim to offer comedy workshops for both kids and adults on a regular basis and just recently hosted a comedic act spoken entirely in Spanish. The club also collaborates with local restaurants to offer a deal on dinner and a show for both tourists and residents alike in the off season.
“We want the venue to be all inclusive,” says Russell. “We’ve really got a nice, warm community vibe happening here.”
Sticks and Stones is located at 25 Pond Lane in Southampton. For more information call 917-855-4828.
