Historic comedy performances will come to life at the National Comedy Center.

On Wednesday, Tom Benson, National Comedy Center chairman, announced the partnership between the National Comedy Center and Hologram USA to create the world’s first Hologram Comedy Club. The holograms will grace a stage throughout the day in a classic comedy club environment so that audiences can have a lifelike experience with these acts that no archival film clip can provide. The comedy club will be one of the main attractions at the planned $18 million center that will be located on the corner of Washington and West Second streets in Jamestown. The groundbreaking ceremony for the comedy center is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 1, during the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival. The center is scheduled to open the summer of 2016.

”Of all the amazing things we’ve done with hologram technology, this is one of the most exciting ones,” said Alki David, Hologram USA chief executive officer. ”As a permanent home for this advanced form of entertainment, the (National Comedy Center) couldn’t be better. And I can’t think of a better way to experience America’s comedy greats than in the live setting they thrived in at their peaks.”

Benson said Hologram USA is headquartered in Hollywood, California, where he saw first-hand use of this state-of-the-art technology.

”There is an instant suspension of disbelief when you see these holograms on stage,” he said.

Hologram USA will supply the stage, projection system, content and maintenance, with comedy center officials owning and operating the technology. Benson said he couldn’t discuss the cost of the system. He said they received a discount because of the exposure Hologram USA will receive at the comedy center.

”It will be an outlet for what they can do,” he said. ”They will be able to showcase their technology in a unique and excitingly fun way.”

The Hologram Comedy Club will be located in a box to control the lighting and sound, and it will house up to 60 people, Benson said. He said they are working to gain the rights to 10-12 famous comedy stand-up routines. He said they want to start with the icons of comedy who are deceased.

”We want people to be transported back in time as they watch,” he said. ”We want to preserve forever the contributions (famous comedians) made to the world of comedy.”

Not only can the Hologram USA technology be used to show past performances. It can use telepresense technology to transport live images of people from one location to another. An example of this was shown nationally during an airing of the ”Jimmy Kimmel Live” show in November. Kimmel took holographic form in Nashville while simultaneously hosting his show from Hollywood. During Kimmel’s show, he holographically interviewed another hologram of country singer Kacey Musgraves during a post-Country Music Association Awards event in Nashville. To see Kimmel’s performance, visit www.hologramusa.com. Benson said this technology could be used by community organizations or businesses.

”You can interact with the audience from anywhere in the world,” he said. ”This opens up a tremendous amount of opportunity for the community at large to do things they couldn’t do before.”

Benson said partnering with Hologram USA is just another example like the $1.5 million it received from state officials of how people outside of the Jamestown community are recognizing the importance of the National Comedy Center.

”It is not just us anymore, the world is starting to pay attention,” he said.