Our Mission
The Duke Comedy Theatre helps Hudson Valley adults discover their voice, build connection, and heal through the joy of comedy — from beginner classes to professional monthly shows.
Our story
Here's how this started. My husband TJ has been making strangers laugh since before it was cool, or profitable, or anything other than just something he absolutely had to do. Years of improv at UCB, Reckless Theatre, and The P.I.T. Running parallel to that, a stand-up career where he learned to own a room armed with nothing but a microphone and a point of view. The man is basically a comedy Swiss Army knife.
Me? I spent my career as a documentary producer making films and series for platforms like Disney+ and Hulu. I found real human stories and figured out how to make them matter on screen. Turns out, comedy and documentary filmmaking have more in common than people think. Both are really just about paying attention to people, finding the truth in ordinary moments, and trusting that your story is worth telling.
When we moved to the Hudson Valley we found something we weren't expecting. A community full of warm, creative, genuinely funny people with nowhere to go. No stage to stumble onto. No class to wander into. No room that would look at a total beginner and say yes, you belong here.
So we built one.
The Duke Comedy Theatre is the place we wish had existed here sooner. It's for the person who has been told their whole life that they're not the funny one. It's for the teenager who needs somewhere to be exactly as weird as they actually are. It's for the adult who moved here not knowing anyone and needs a reason to show up somewhere every week.
We run classes, workshops, and monthly shows because we've both seen up close what happens when someone finally lets themselves play. The self-doubt quiets down. The friendships get real. The stories that felt too strange or too small suddenly become the best material in the room.
That's what we're building here. Come find out what happens when you say yes and follow the fun.
XO
Caroline (and TJ)
Driven by passion
We didn't open Duke Comedy Theatre because it made sense on paper. We opened it because we couldn't stop thinking about all the people in this valley who hadn't found their people yet. TJ brings two decades of stage time, a stand-up career built one open mic at a time, and an improviser's instinct for finding the funny in any moment. Caroline brings a producer's eye for story, structure, and the kind of human truth that makes an audience lean in. Together we treat every class, every show, and every student like they matter because they do. This isn't a side project or a passion hobby we're cute about on the weekends. It's a real creative home that we're building brick by brick, laugh by laugh, for this community and for keeps.
TJ Del Reno has coached our nine-member improv comedy team for over a year, and in a short amount of time, he has transformed us all into well-rounded, skilled performers.
TJ quickly determines what each performer needs to improve on, and provides valuable and supportive feedback that pushes us to be better.
I highly recommend TJ whether you want to take classes, a workshop, or to coach your team.
TJ has created an Improv community in Beacon to be funny, laugh, take risks, and collaborate with others.
— Michelle L.
I’m very grateful to The Duke for prioritizing investment in funny women as part of their mission.
Down-to-earth coach TJ Del Reno goes out of his way to make sure everyone in his groups feels safe, comfortable, included, and most of all that we are having fun.
— Kris L.