Serena Terry launches new comedy club in Derry
Serena Terry is launching a brand-new regular comedy club in Derry in partnership with Castle and Cove this November.
The comedian and writer, who is currently finishing writing her third book and just kicked off the UK leg of her UK stand-up tour, Therapy, to a sold-out crowd in Edinburgh last week, has been working hard behind the scenes on a new and exciting local project, Danny’s Comedy Club.
The bi-weekly club will host carefully curated comedy nights featuring a mixture of big names, touring comedians and exciting new acts, with Terry using her own experience on the circuit to build the kind of club that both performers and audiences want to come back to.
For Serena, it’s always been an ambition to make Derry a hub for comedy.
“I’ve always thought Derry and the North West deserves a brilliant regular weekend comedy night of its own, somewhere comics are excited to play and audiences know they’re going to get a great night out. I actually tried to launch a club when I was 21 but I was nowhere near ready or had the right experience.”
“There’s so much incredible comedy talent across Ireland and the UK, and I want to bring as much of it as possible to Derry, while also giving newer comedians a proper stage to develop on.”
“I also think we need more options for a weekend night out that aren’t entirely built around drinking. You can come to Danny’s, have a few pints if you want, have a water if you don’t, be 20 or 70, it doesn’t matter. The whole point is that you’re there to laugh and have a brilliant Friday night out.”
The name Danny’s has a particularly special meaning for Terry. The club is named in honour of her late brother Danny, who was himself a comedian and ran club nights.
“Comedy was a massive part of who Danny was. He ran his own comedy nights and it was his dream to become an established comedian, so calling this Danny’s just felt right.”
“There’s something really lovely about his name being above a room where people are getting together and laughing. As long as he doesn’t try to haunt the place, actually, that could be quite funny.”
As a touring comedian herself, Terry says the experience for performers will be central to the club.
“I want Danny’s to have a reputation amongst comedians as somewhere you want to play. Great audiences, properly looked-after acts, a brilliant atmosphere and a room that really cares about comedy.
“If we get that right, everybody wins. Great comics want to come to Derry, new talent gets opportunities, and people here get consistently brilliant live comedy on their doorstep.”
Terry, who has built an audience of millions online, written two Sunday Times bestselling novels and become the first female comedian to sell out Belfast’s SSE Arena, hopes Danny’s can become a permanent fixture in Derry’s entertainment scene.
But despite her own career, she says Danny’s isn’t intended to be a vehicle for her own performances.
“I’ll obviously be around to MC as much as I can and yes it will selfishly give me somewhere to work out new material before tours, but I don’t want Danny’s to be ‘the Serena Terry comedy night’. I want it to become its own thing.
“The aim is that eventually people say, ‘What are you doing this weekend? Danny’s is on,’ without even needing to know who’s on the bill. They just trust they’re going to have a great night.”
“We’ve also got some great plans for promoting the club and visiting comics via a new YouTube series which will include a few fun video formats that we’ll record before and after shows and push across socials so I’m really excited to get that side launched as well.”
Castle & Cove’s Micheal Mc Ivor echoed Terry’s desire to establish Derry as a dedicated hub for comedy saying,
“Danny’s is something we at Castle & Cove are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Serena on. From the very first conversation, it's been clear how much thought and care she’s putting into every detail, from the line-ups and the room itself, right down to how the audience's experience will feel on the night. She knows exactly what she wants this club to be and the standard she wants to set, nothing is being done by halves.
Derry has always been a hotbed for arts and culture and we believe a dedicated space for comedy can only add to that culture. We’re looking forward to opening the doors and creating a new home for comedy with Serena in the heart of Derry City.”
Danny’s Comedy Club will run bi-weekly in Derry from November, with the first line-ups, dates and ticket information to be announced shortly.
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