Canned Comedy Darwin

A new movement to harness the power of local comedy for charity is making its way to the Top End.

By Tamara Howie

Canned Comedy, where attendees donate canned food instead of a cash entry fee, has arrived in Darwin.

The second Thursday of every month will see a rotating line-up of local comedians take to the stage all in the name of charity.

Local comedy-queen Amy Hetherington will produce the Top End events, after being inspired by Perth comic Sean Conway.

“Sean started it about six months ago in Perth and when I went down for Perth Fringe and saw it, I thought it would work really well up here,” she says.

All the canned goods will be donated to Foodbank NT to distribute to local services and those in need.

Hetherington says so far the community support for the monthly charity event has been overwhelming - so register your spots fast!

“At the moment there’s a bit of a ground swell of momentum about looking after people in need,” Hetherington says.

“It’s taken away some of that fear about trying to make a difference.

“You can feel really overwhelmed and insignificant about all the problems in the world, but the simple thing is people need food, and this is something simple that everyone can do.”

The new event also fills up yet another Thursday evening with comedy - joining First Thursday Comedy at Happy Yess and LOL Thursdays at The Beachfront Hotel.

“We’re getting more and more comedians, especially after RAW Comedy, but we’ve only got a couple of places you can perform so it becomes competitive to get that stage time,” Hetherington says.

“There’s enough comedians now to service three monthly events and it entrenches the idea that Thursdays are a funny day to enjoy a laugh.”

Canned Comedy Thu 11 Apr | 7-9pm | The Deck Bar | Canned Food Donation | facebook.com/AmyHetheringtonComedy