For the first time in more than two and a half years, Philadelphia comedy collective We Do will say goodbye to the Medusa Lounge in Center City to start a new era of weekly stand-up comedy shows at the Art Dept. in Fishtown this Saturday, June 11.

Robert Ecks, Pete Steele and Garrett Smith began We Do in the fall of 2013 as a troupe with open mic nights, but collectively have 16 years of experience between the three of them.  

The search for their new home began knowing they wanted to leave the bar scene for a smaller, more intimate setting.

“It’s a very common place to do comedy, especially open mic nights. We wanted this to be more of a performance space and less of a neighborhood bar,” Steele said.

The men of We Do are no strangers to Fishtown. Garrett Smith and Pete Steele used to call the neighborhood home.

“I had been to the Art Dept. before for galleries and it stuck out to me right away. It’s a great space — small, intimate, very modern looking. The location is great in the heart of Fishtown. It’s a neighborhood that’s taking off and full of young people, which is our demographic. We hope that by moving to Fishtown, we will be drawing a strong contingent of the neighborhood itself.”

The Art Dept. is conveniently located near Live Nation’s Punch Line Comedy Club, set to open in July, which could mean big business for We Do’s weekly showcase.

“We will be a ten minute walk from Punch Line, so I think that’s going to help us a lot because they’ll be getting big names right down the street. It’s possible that it might draw some interest from the crowds of people who enjoy comedy or the big name comedians who perform there. One of the interesting things about comedy is that when big names are booked by clubs, comedians are sometimes also interested in the smaller scene too, like the clubs or just talking to people, so they will sometimes stop by a smaller venue to do a set.”

Previous high profile comedians who have made appearances at We Do’s shows include Maria Bamford and Todd Glass.

Not only is We Do calling a new space home, they are revolutionizing the way they do comedy. We Do began as an open mic forum for upwards of 40 amateur comedians per show. A showcase featuring four or five comedians per night will be shorter and more intimate, a better fit for not only the space, but for the neighborhood crowd and the comedians themselves.

“It’s a way to give comedians more time and longer sets. Not only is it a great opportunity for them to practice, but it’s a more desired format. At open mics you usually only have five minutes but I like seeing a longer set so the comedian can relax into the set and be more comfortable. I think the audience appreciates that and so does the comedian.”

As a part of the underground comedy scene in Philadelphia, We Do hopes to bring comedy to a neighborhood of young comedy lovers with organic talent.

“I’m hoping that people will realize what we know, which is that there’s a surprising amount of talent in the city of Philadelphia just in standup comedy alone. When most people think of stand up, they think of a Netflix or HBO special and rattle off a few comedians who they like but may not realize they might enjoy someone down the block. They may think it might not be as good as someone on TV but some of the best comedy they may ever enjoy will be performed their neighbors, and that’s what we want to bring here.”

Check out We Do at the Art Dept. every Saturday night at 8 p.m. and on Soundcloud.