Comedy Shrine To Move To Fox Valley Mall In 2020

AURORA, IL — Aurora's iconic Comedy Shrine theater is about to get a total revamp — in a new location. The comedy theater, which opened in 2005 at a storefront in Aurora's Plaza Square, plans to open a new, larger venue when it relocates to Fox Valley Mall in 2020.

"Comedy Shrine has outgrown our current location," the venue's owner, David Sinker said in a statement. He added, "When we began looking for a new venue, the changes taking place at Fox Valley Mall really caught our eye.”

The new Comedy Shrine will take up 14,000 square feet of space on the second floor of Fox Valley Mall between J.C. Penney and Macy's. The new venue, which will be about two times larger than the current Comedy Shrine space will feature three separate theaters. The largest of these will seat roughly 400 guests, which means the Comedy Shrine may be able to attract some big-name comedians.

The other two theaters will host improv shows and other events, including murder mysteries, variety shows, and plays by up-and-coming artists.

According to a news release, the new Comedy Shrine also plans to host classes for children and adults and will feature a museum with audio and video relics dedicated to the history of comedy.

Fox Valley Mall Senior General Manager Scott Samson said in a statement, "Adding an iconic entertainment venue like Comedy Shrine to the mall’s tenant mix is indicative of the kind of changes we have in store for Fox Valley 2.0. Something big is happening at Fox Valley Mall, and this is just the beginning."