The Buddy Club Children's Shows were born at The Other Cafe Comedy Club in San Francisco in 1987. The comedy club business was booming and the nationally famous Other Cafe was home to many of today's leading comedians, including Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Dana Carvey, Paula Poundstone, Elaine Boosler, Whoppi Goldberg, and many more.

After becoming a partner and manager of The Other Cafe, Scott Gelfand began producing children's shows at the club on Sunday mornings. They were an immediate hit. Parents loved to take their families to this famous comedy club for a one-hour show featuring the best children's entertainers from around the country.

The mission of The Buddy Club is to provide culture for our families, to give parents and their children a chance to sing, laugh, and enjoy high quality live performances together.

Series Overview

The Buddy Club dazzles audiences from October through April in three locations: The Randall Museum Theatre in San Francisco, The Berkeley Richmond JCC Theater in Berkeley and Centerstage at The Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael. The shows are targeted for children ages two through twelve and their parents. Show time is Sunday at 11 am and 1 pm -- the times of the week usually set aside for families to enjoy each other's company.

The Buddy Club features the most talented family entertainers nationwide: magicians, jugglers, singers, clowns, ventriloquists, acrobats, puppeteers and more. Each show emphasizes audience participation and tons of laughter. Magicians with amazing illusions use rubber magic wands that break, jugglers impress their audiences with breathtaking balancing routines and drop all the balls, and singers with original, upbeat tunes get their ABC's out of order ("A bee stung me on my knee, h, i, j, k, elephants have fleas...").

The Buddy Club entertains over 15,000 families a year and has produced shows in nine different cities throughout California. The Buddy Club is known as today's hottest spot to have your child's birthday party. Each of our locations has attractive party spaces that sell out at every show. Performers are also hired for corporate picnics and holiday parties, school fund raisers, events at shopping malls, fairs and festivals, and a week of performing arts workshops at the City of Berkeley's family camp near Yosemite National Park.