Get ready for laughs as Canton Cultural Center Theater adds comedy shows to lineup

CANTON − The Canton Cultural Center Theater is hosting its first comedy show, ushering in a new era for the venue.

Former TV sitcom writer Dennis Regan will perform Saturday at the Canton Cultural Center for the Arts, which also houses the Canton Museum of Art, Canton Ballet and the offices of ArtsinStark.

Regan has appeared on Jay Leno and David Letterman's late night talk shows, as well as on Showtime and Comedy Central. One of his YouTube videos with Dry Bar Comedy has tallied more than 5 million views.

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The Tampa, Florida, resident spent multiple seasons as a writer for the hit sitcom "The King of Queens."

Regan's performance at the Cultural Center for the Arts is an example of the new mixed use approach ArtsinStark has taken with the facility. The Cultural Center, 1001 Market Ave. N, is next to the Canton Memorial Civic Center.

In October 2022, then ArtsinStark CEO David Whitehill announced the Cultural Center Theater spaces would be made available for local performing arts groups, as well as for children's theater productions and dance shows. Whitehill, who resigned as CEO this past fall, also had said there were plans for regional and national entertainment at the venue.

Players Guild Theatre previously had used the Cultural Center theater space for decades before relocating Kent State University at Stark in Jackson Township.

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Emil Alecusan, interim president and CEO of ArtsinStark, said the organization is continuing to open the theater to more uses while availing it to the community.

"We're getting more inquiries from people and from the community and other areas just because it's now open and they really like the environment in there," he said.

The Women's Board of Aultman Hospital fashion show took place at the Cultural Center Theater last year. The event used The Great Court inside the Cultural Center for vendors and to serve hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

"Some people still think the Players Guild is there (at the Cultural Center) and it's not open to the community," Alecusan said of the two theater spaces. "So now the word is getting out there more."

"It's really worked out pretty decently now that it's become more community-oriented and more multi-purpose," he said. "And more people see kind of how attractive it is and it's still that intimate setting."

Additionally, Chris Ketler, owner of Krackpots comedy club, which booked Regan's performance at the Cultural Center, now has the option of scheduling comedians at a venue with more seating capacity than his Massillon site, Alecusan noted. The Cultural Center Theater Main Stage holds around 400 people while the Cultural Center Fry Theater accommodates 140.

Alecusan said the idea is not to compete with other local venues such as Canton Palace Theatre, Canton Memorial Civic Center and The Auricle Venue + Bar, but rather to complement and grow the overall entertainment offerings downtown.

Dennis Regan: From bagging groceries to big stages

During a recent phone interview with The Canton Repository, Regan said he was excited to be the first comedy show at the Cultural Center. Highlights of the interview follow.

Regan had tried out a variety of jobs − waiting tables, killing bugs and bagging groceries − before discovering his passion for telling jokes on stage.

Open mic nights led to standup gigs in the late '80s in Miami. But he was still working a day job as a partner in an asphalt company with his father when the son decided to pursue comedy full-time in New York City.

Driving together in a truck, he broke the news to his dad.

"It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing," Regan recalled. "He said, 'Dennis, if I could make a living making people laugh, that's what I would do.'"

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"He was giving me a shove in that direction and a pat on the back."

Success followed, including performances at the Improv, Comic Strip, Comedy Cellar, Catch A Rising Star and Dangerfield's, as well as eventual stints on cruise ships and performances overseas.

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Many of Regan's jokes are about relatable, everyday occurrences such as riding on airplanes, customer service, shopping for clothes, ordering fast food and memories of being a schoolkid.

"I show up sometime (for comedy shows) and they market it as clean," Regan said. "I don't like when they promote it like that; it doesn't pull anybody in really. Maybe some, but it keeps some people away who would like this show.

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"People get the wrong perception," he added. "... They think it's not more grown up or adult. I like to do a show where people don't feel like they have to take a shower after the show."

Regan's brother, Brian Regan, is also a successful comedian.

"Most comedians wish they had gotten to a higher level," he said. "And I'm no exception. Brian is no exception. You strive, so there's elements of jealousy whether it's your brother or a friend or somebody you didn't like or didn't respect their act and they've had major success."

There's no brotherly rivalry, however.

"It's not a competition ... (and) Brian is about as sweet of a guy as you would imagine," Dennis Regan said. "And he doesn't hold anything over anybody."

Regan was a writer for the hit TV show 'The King of Queens'

"The King of Queens," starred Kevin James and Leah Remini and aired from 1998 to 2007. Regan joined the writing room towards the end of the show's run.

"I didn't have any experience doing that," he said. "I wasn't pursuing the job, (but) I think they saw my set on Letterman where I talked about being married and the show was about being married. I worked with Kevin James once but didn't know him.

"I wrote Kevin and his manager a thank you email recently ... not thanking them for the job, but I wanted to express to them that the job made me a better comedian. There were 12 writers around me ... and I was exposed to different comedian minds."

How to get tickets for Regan's Canton show

Lou Santini is the opening act for Regan's Canton performance. Doors open one hour before the 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets start at $25 for general admission and cost $65 for reserved gold circle seating.

Tickets are for sale at https://culturalcenterforthearts.com/ and https://www.krackpotscomedy.com/events.

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com

On X (formerly Twitter) @ebalintREP and on Instagram at ed_balint

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Comedian and 'The King of Queens' writer Dennis Regan has Canton show