Open For Business

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Los Angeles? Closed.

New York? Closed.

South Florida? Open for business. And now, officially, so are we.

ApplauseBreak.com fills the need for levity following one of the most trying years in history by highlighting, celebrating and promoting South Florida comedy.

“We have a great pedigree down here,” said Bret Ernst, a veteran South Florida comic currently enjoying a recurring role on the Netflix series Cobra Kai.

Our mission is to accentuate the humorous people, routines, sketches and other forms of entertainment that is so abundant in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast but rarely recognized.

In recent months comedy heavy-hitters Ernst, Jimmy Shubert, Flip Schultz, Dean Napolitano and Greg Hahn – all formerly New Yorkers or west coasters – spent significant time in South Florida because they could find stage time.

While it’s not surprising to see those names headlining established theaters like the Palm Beach Improv, they also performed at non-traditional venues like the Biergarten and Arturo’s in Boca Raton, and Tin Roof in Delray Beach.

“I’m just happy to be working again after six months of sitting in my home in Los Angeles.” said Shubert, who performed at the Improv, private parties and various other stages over the past month.

Shubert’s Dec. 28 headlining performance at the Tin Roof, a show that saw Ernst make a guest appearance, was likely that day’s comedic highlight nationally.

Arriving in South Florida, established comics encounter a group of young comics cultivating and thriving within a suddenly vibrant scene.

“Coming back now there are so many comics,” said Schultz, who launched his career as a stand-up comic in South Florida during the early 1990s and recently returned after living for years in California. “They are very welcoming in this community and they seem to be very supportive.”

Applause Break will connect comedy fans with the area’s best talent and top comedy shows. Our crew combines content creation specialists, comics, and promoters – all of whom are veterans of Florida comedy – to create a site that will be invaluable to comics, their audiences and venue owners.

The Events calendar on Applause Break will keep comedy fans abreast of the latest bookings, becoming a one-stop listing for comedy shows in South Florida.

As the site grows we’ll add our own podcasts and videos, while pointing readers to stand-up comedy podcasts we enjoy. We’ll also spotlight videos from other entertaining comics.

We intend to be the cement that binds the South Florida comedy community.

We’ll get there. And the ride will be hilarious.

So let’s have some fun. You’ve earned it.