To Comedy, or Not to Comedy? The Path of TC's Voyageurs

Local comedian trying to bring more standup to downtown Traverse City

By Ren Brabenec | Jan. 10, 2026

The lower level of the historic Beadle Building at the corner of Cass and Front Street has sat vacant since Mackinaw Brewing Company closed its doors in December 2022. In 2026, the venue will transform into a 50- to 60-seat comedy club with a full bar and a four-night-per-week comedy lineup.

But that’s only if Devin Keast, a Michigan-born, NYC-trained comic with a love for Traverse City, can partner with an investor who’s willing to help him make it all happen.

Bringing National Comedy Talent to Traverse City

For the last decade, Keast has lived and worked in New York City, enmeshed in one of the world’s best locales for standup, improv, ensemble, and sketch comedy.

A self-described “opening act,” Keast has done everything from managing clubs to producing shows to working behind the bar and in the green room, entertaining audiences between sets as a master pianist, and then, naturally, hopping on stage to open for big names like Ian Bagg and Lynne Koplitz.

From the Big Apple back to the Cherry Capital, Keast begins our discussion by telling us how he found the downtown venue.

“The Beadle Building was the second venue my real estate agent showed me, but just two or three steps into the space, I knew it was the one,” Keast says. “Comics from around the country and world want to perform in Traverse City, and the Beadle Building has the potential to be a home base for comedy in northern Michigan.”

It’s in the Beadle’s subterranean environment where Keast hopes to establish the comedy club. He describes its brick walls, seven-foot ceilings, and lack of windows as venue traits right out of the viral TikToks of NYC’s premier comedy clubs.

“Most residents don’t know it yet, but we’re sitting on a gem of comedy potential right here in Traverse City, from the venue’s location to the local and regional talent and the need for this unique form of entertainment downtown,” Keast says.

Looking for an Investor

After waxing poetic about the venue, Keast shifts gears and regales us with a different kind of poetry, the lament of one who is trying to do anything in showbiz without one key factor: funding.

“I feel like it’s July 2024 and I’m Joe Biden and my phone is blowing up with Nancy Pelosi and George Clooney calling me up and telling me to get the heck outta dodge,” Keast jokes. “But I’ve already signed a lease and I’m committed to this project,” he adds, showing us a pitch deck with information about the venue, the “Voyageurs Story,” layouts, blueprints, schedules, and planned offerings.

Keast’s dedication to his mission is fitting, given the name he’s chosen for the club. “Voyageurs” should be pronounced “voy·uh·shurz,” as the French would say it. The name is a callback to the French-Canadian voyageurs of the fur trade who, during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, navigated the Great Lakes in search of beaver pelts to sell in booming markets back in Europe.

To Keast, the French-Canadians had much harder jobs than comics do, but there are some similarities between the trades. “Voyageurs took risks, blazed trails, and brought communities together along the way,” Keast says. “But the voyageurs also knew how to party, and that same spirit of risk-taking, trail-blazing, hard work, and a willingness to have a good time guides comics every day.”

Aiming for April

Pending funding, Voyageurs plans to open in early 2026, with Keast saying he aims to be open in time for the Traverse City Comedy Festival in April.

Live, standup comedy will be Voyageurs’ main focus, but it’s not the only offering. Keast plans to use the fully equipped venue and its pro-level sound system and lighting array as a private event space for parties, fundraisers, and corporate gatherings. He also hopes to pencil in community programming throughout the week, including comedy workshops, storytelling nights, and other creative, performance-based pursuits. And of course, the full bar will serve beer, wine, and snacks every night Voyageurs is open.

A big part of Keast’s mission is to make comedy accessible. He plans to reserve a few free bar seats for comedians to attend shows, as watching other comedians perform is a big part of how up-and-coming comics learn the craft.

Open mic night (Wednesdays) will be a free-ticket event for all in attendance. Thursdays will feature primarily local talent at a discounted ticket price, and weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) will be full-price events with the stage reserved for nationally-recognized comedians visiting Traverse City on their comedy tours.

Comedy Is “Honest” and “Disarming”

Comedy is a unique trait of the human species, as almost all cultures engage in it. Keast says he thinks it’s a universal language of sorts.

To Keast, comedy is also the great equalizer, because anyone can learn how to be a comic, and everyone can enjoy comedy.

“And because comedy is honest, it’s disarming, and it brings community together and reminds us we’re a lot more alike than we’ve been led to believe,” Keast says. “I think comedy is more important to our society now than it ever has been.”

He adds that there’s also something special about live comedy shows, as opposed to recorded performances and the ever-increasing number of Netflix comedy specials.

“Live shows are powerful,” Keast says. “You’re watching a performance that is happening in the moment. Anything can happen during a live show. You’re participating in art that’s being made right before your eyes, and as it’s happening, the comedy is breaking norms and allowing people to express themselves and be honest, to engage in something that all humans do, to simply laugh and stop being so serious and rigid for a little while.”

Stay tuned on their progress at voyageurscomedy.com.