DOVER – New Hampshire comedian Erin Feeley has been busy growing Dover’s comedy scene. Feeley is the funny woman behind the monthly Comedy Night at Fury’s Publick House that she produces and hosts: a free stand-up showcase featuring local and nationally touring talent.
This month, she’s hosting headliner Jim McCue – the founder of the prestigious Boston Comedy Festival, who’s been featured on Comedy Central, Comcast’s Comedy Spotlight and NBC’s Last Comic Standing.
Catch McCue at Comedy Night at Fury’s this Monday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. Fury’s Publick House, which is located at 1 Washington St. in Dover. The show is free, but donations are appreciated/encouraged. For more information, you can contact Erin via her website https://erinfeeley.com
The show has made a name for itself among the locals since its inception in February, growing a loyal following.
“It’s a fun time, and it’s been heartening to see that once someone comes, they usually come back. Comedians who play it also often ask me to come back, because it’s such a great room for comedy,” Feeley said.
Feeley is no stranger to performing comedy herself, having started stand-up in 2015. She’s performed all around New England, including at Laugh Boston, Comix at Mohegan Sun, in the Portland Maine Comedy Festival and as a 2021 semifinalist in New England’s Funniest Comedian competition. In January she started an open mic night at The Brick, in February she started Comedy Night at Fury’s, and in June, she started the Seacoast Comedy Festival.
In addition to creating space in the community for the performing arts – her open mic night at The Brick in Dover is not exclusively for comedians; musicians, magicians, poets and storytellers are welcome, too – Feeley’s endeavors also benefit the businesses of the community, exposing out-of-town talent to what Dover has to offer.
Feeley said that when someone she hasn’t worked with asks for a spot in her Fury’s show, she’ll ask them to come through the open mic at The Brick. Several comedians have told her they’ve returned to The Brick for dinner with their families after being introduced to it through the mic.
“For the festival I created a show at The Woodman Museum called The Dover400 Humdinger, which featured Frank Santorelli from The Sopranos. The Woodman Museum is over 100 years old and it was their first comedy show, which felt like an honor. But I was mostly tickled that I got the Dover Chamber of Commerce to endorse an event called ‘The Humdinger’,” she said.
Feeley said she’s always grateful for the audiences that come out, since there can be no performing arts without people to perform for. But the audience members have expressed it’s a symbiotic relationship and that they’re grateful too. “People need laughter. It’s important to get out and enjoy yourself sometimes.”