Derby comedy night celebrates women with stand out stand up on March 10

Lizzy Lenco, one of the two women who run Happy Tuesdays Comedy Night in Derby, promises “a fantastic night with TV comics, award winners and rising stars.”

Lizzy and Helen have been running the comedy night for three years and it’s well loved by the audience. They are also both award winning comedians in their own right. Helen’s “Arancini Productions” show was shortlisted for Buxton Fringe Best Show and Lizzy won an Edinburgh Festival award for “The Limerence”. Lizzy acknowledges that some people haven’t quite got used to seeing stand up from women, but states “women are funny, very funny and it’s time we all just accepted that and moved on.”

Lizzy’s comedy partner Helen Rice found her voice in her forties after moving to Sheffield and diving into the open mic scene. What started as funny songs and poems turned into stand-up.

Helen writes about everyday absurdities , alongside her friend Sarah (together they perform as Arancini Productions). “It just so happens that because we are middle-aged women, that’s part of the angle we see the world from. But we don’t write specifically ‘material for older women’ anymore than a young male comedian is writing for their own age and gender when they do a routine about tinder, although in some circles this is what stand up comedy is associated with. They’re writing about their life, so am I. Mine is just a bit more likely to involve dealing with mouldy bread or taking the kids swimming. There might be some who think that’s ’niche material’ but women make up half the population, so it’s a big niche.”

The pair know the circuit is competitive and around 70% of comedians are male — but Lizzy isn’t fazed. “I’m hilarious, some pretty dark things have happened to me and I’ve still managed to find the humour.” As a wheelchair user, inaccessible venues are often Lizzy’s bigger challenge, which makes their fully accessible night — complete with ramped stage — all the more important.

Lizzy draws on her obsession with heavy metal for her comedy, making her popular with bikers and music fans of all genders and ages. Helen emphasised that, while her work seems to resonate with a wide audience, much of what she does has special appeal to other women. She says; “And why not, there’s lots of us and we’ve not been well catered for in the past. Our time is now!

More women are going to gigs — and they want to see their lives reflected on stage. Happy Tuesdays will be doing just that on March 10th.

Headlined by multi-award-winning star Rachel Creeger – stand-up comedian, writer and broadcaster seen on BBC One and Amazon Prime. A regular on Sunday Morning Live and a Fringe favourite with four critically acclaimed shows, Rachel is one of the UK circuit’s most in-demand acts. Expect sharp writing, fearless honesty and laugh-after-laugh brilliance.

★★★★ The Telegraph

★★★★ Funny Women

“Laugh after laugh from the crowd." The Leicester Mercury

With razor-sharp support from:

Sallyann Fellowes – multi-award winner with wild wit and a brilliant neurodiverse edge. A must see, if you like laughing at Southerners. Leicester Sq New Comedian.

Rachel Page – warm, relatable, and voted Project Mayhem’s Funniest Act.

Louise LeVell- Beautifully daft tales of life and love .

Arancini – Helen Rice and Sarah Carrat are a bonkers double act: skewed sketches and spoken word from women who really should know better.

With the embodiment of a mid life crisis - Lizzy Lenco as MC, we predict a riot. Tickets are selling fast so we advise you to book in advance on Ticketsource. £6.50 in advance and £9 on the door

www.ticketsource.co.uk/comedy-writers-club