Dez Reed’s Comedy Club

Tags: amateur comedians, Saskatoon, stand-up comedy, The Stand-Up Diaries, trevor dean

I want to talk about the comedy club, and all the work that has gone on in the last few months, and what you can expect when you go.  I know some of you who subscribe to this blog or follow it have never been.  Maybe that’s because one question keeps coming up more than any other.

Aren’t you guys at the Parktown?

um…..NOPE

It’s located in the basement of Joe’s Sports Bar downtown (beside The Pat).  The best way to keep up to date on the happenings within the club is to either “like” my comedy facebook page or to search for the comedy club on facebook under Dez Reeds Comedy Club.  “Like” that page and it will keep you abreast of the goings on.  Now, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of the club.  What should you expect when you show up?

First of all, the club is usually Thursday and Friday nights, for the summer the start times are usually 9:15 with the doors opening at 8:30 p.m.  There are different costs for the tickets for each night, but they will generally be a donation to the food bank (yes, you read that correctly), or a price ranging anywhere from $10 (on a regular night) to up to $20 (for a recognizable North American headliner).  Again, the best thing to do is to like the comedy club on facebook or send a friend request to Dez.  The prices and start times are best found when he posts it on Facebook.  Use this blog as a general reference tool for costs, but in the end, Dez will let everyone know about the prices.

You can reserve tables, it’s a good idea to do this if you come on a Thursday nightas that seems to be the popular night to come out.  People will start to trickle in around 8:45, and by 9:15ish it’s usually just about full, so get there early if you want to get a good seat.  Groups of several people are encouraged to reserve a table, usually by getting ahold of Dez through facebook, as the reservations are usually handled through him and the club’s manager. 

The walls and the tablecloths are a burgundy colour, thanks go to my friends who helped Dez paint the walls when we first got started.  You are usually greeted at the door by the host of the show and the candles are lit at the table when you sit down.  Full menu service is available as are either one or two servers assigned to patrol the club. 

The show usually goes til 11:00 at the latest, depending on how much time the headliner wants to do, which will generally be anywhere from a half hour to an hour.  I have never been to the comedy place in the Parktown, but from what I have heard, those guys aren’t that funny and the f-word is used quite a bit.  Well, I can tell you that with Dez Reed’s Comedy Club, there are a few differences bewteen us and the Parktown:

• our performers ARE local, the only exception to this will be when we bring in a headliner from out of town
• the comics from our club work clean for the most part (with the exception of the two new guys who have just started out. in their defence, they’re still finding their comedic legs and I’m sure once Dez has had a chance to hear them, will work with them to fine tune things)
• the place at the Parktown has only two comics, when you can get anywhere from 2 to 6 comics on any given night at our comedy club.

The club has approximately 90 seats, and once we can remove the bar behind the stage, we can add another dozen seats or so.  One of the other changes we hope to make is to have our own dedicated entrance to the club.  Right now anybody who wants to come into the club has to use the entrance to the sports bar, and head downstairs to where the washrooms are.  We want to have a roped off area with signage and red carpet for the entrance to the hotel.  When you head downstairs through this entrance, you will enter the club through the south doors at the back of the club.  This will eliminate everyone having to pass the kitchen and the washrooms/pool tables/VLTs, meaning you will bypass the odors, noise and drunks.  There also has been talk that maybe we can get our own menu for the club, with menu choices specific to only the comedy club.  There is no timetable for these changes, as several things need to line up for things of this nature to happen, but don’t worry we’ll keep you posted of what’s going on!

Lastly, I would like to talk about what happened on Thursday night at the club.  I hosted, there were around 80 people there that night, with several comics in addition to my hosting duties.  I did 15 minutes off the top, and everyone that followed did very well.  It seemed like each comic was able to build off the laughs from the previous performer and up the ante, so to speak.  There is this undescribable feeling that happens when it’s packed like it was and everyone is getting laughs onstage.  Sometimes the biggest laughs come from the other comics who are sitting at the back listening, and I think it’s maybe because we hear a joke differently so it’s funny to us in a different way.  I can’t explain it past that, but if you ever get onstage, you’ll know what I am talking about. 

So in short, the comedy club is growing and starting to get a following.  When the fall hits and everyone is back in school, we plan to hit the campuses of the city to get the word out about the club.  To everyone who has come out thus far, thank you for your continued support.

For those of you who have yet to come out, what are you waiting for?