New comedy performance and class venue to set the stage in Old Sacramento
A new comedy and performance venue will open in Old Sacramento early next year, supported in part by a Downtown Sacramento Partnership business development program.
Andy Sarouhan and Jessilee Windhaus, owners of Haus of Comedy, have signed a lease in the heart of the Old Sacramento Waterfront in the historic F.W. Fratt Building at 2nd and K streets. The venue, slated to soft launch this fall with a planned grand opening in January, will feature “high-energy improvised comedy in the style of ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway,’ as well as stand-up, sketch comedy, drag and other live performance.
The venue will also offer improv classes, improv for the workplace and private coaching, marketing itself as not only a hub for entertainment but for creativity, skill-building and community connection.
Haus of Comedy was the runner-up in the 2024 Calling All Dreamers program, a business incubation program that helps entrepreneurs develop plans and secure support for downtown storefronts. The owners are using $15,000 in program prize money to start their lease Sept. 1.
“It’s really challenging to capture just how helpful Calling All Dreamers has been for us,” said Haus of Comedy owner Jessilee Windhaus. “The team was and continues to be incredibly supportive and connected us with so many resources that we absolutely would not have had otherwise.”
Windhaus, a Sacramento native, said she has long appreciated Old Sacramento’s history, river views and family-friendly focus.
Haus of Comedy joins several other Old Sacramento-based alumni of the program, including Cerealism, Dipped N Color Splat Studio, Capital Tuk-Tuk, NEO Escape Rooms, Ecojoyous and the soon-to-open Pittador Brews Specialty Teas & Coffees.
Applications for the next Calling All Dreamers cohort are open through Sept. 1.
This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 8:18 AM.
