GREATER DERRY’S GOT TALENT 2024

Click here to view a video of Greater Derry’s Got Talent 2019

Greater Derry’s Got Talent is an annual talent show that takes place on the 2nd Saturday of September. For 2024 the date will be Saturday September 14th 2024 from 2:00p to 4:00p.

The winners of the competition receive cash prizes as well as the opportunity to perform at Derryfest the following Saturday.  If you would like to become a sponsor for this show, please visit the Derryfest Sponsor Page.

This year, the event will be held at the Derry Opera House located in the Adams Memorial Building at 29 West Broadway Derry NH. There is no parking at the theatre but plenty of street parking as well as parking in the municipal lots. The signs may say 2 hour limit but that is only for weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm. Weekends are not enforced.

This is a fundraiser for the Greater Derry Arts Council so that we can support the arts in Derry. Admission is free but you may purchase vote tickets so that you can show your favorite performers some love. An explanation of how these votes are used can be found below.
We will also have snacks and water available for $1 each. (cash only, we cannot accept credit cards)

Derry Opera House Visitor Information (Click Here)

Admission

This is a fundraiser for the Greater Derry Arts Council so that we can support the arts in Derry. THIS SHOW IS FREE but we will be selling audience votes and concessions (cash only, we cannot accept credit cards).

The judges will pick the winners but in the event of a tie which sometimes happens, we use audience votes to break that tie.

We also offer a prize to an additional act that was not chosen by the judges using the audience votes alone.

Let everyone know to be there on Saturday September 14th @ 2:00p for GREATER DERRY’S GOT TALENT!

The winners will be announced that day after the show and will perform the following week at
DERRYFEST where they will be awarded their prize!

Prizes

There are 2 age categories plus an additional audience picked winner.

Adult: (16 years and older)

  • 1st place – $400.00
  • 2nd place – $200.00

Youth: (15 years and younger)

  • 1st place – $200.00
  • 2nd place – $100.00

Audience Pick: $50.00 (Selected by Audience Vote)

A panel of 3 judges will select the winners for each event and any ties will be broken using the AUDIENCE votes. There will also be an additional audience pick that will decided by the number of AUDIENCE votes. Any ties in audience votes will be broken by the judge’s votes.  This act will win the AUDIENCE PICK prize. Since this is a fundraiser to support the Greater Derry Arts Council, extra vote tickets may be purchased at the events. AUDIENCE PICK tickets are worth 1 point each and may be purchased for the following: 

  • $1 for 1 ticket
  • $5 for 8 tickets
  • $10 for 20 tickets

Performers Wanted

Do you sing? Dance? Play an instrument? Juggle? Yodel? Tell jokes? Do you have any talent at all you would like to share in front of an audience? We are looking for any, and all types of acts.

To be considered for the show you must first pass a screening process. This is like an audition, but we do not judge the quality of your act. What we look for is that your act is appropriate for ALL ages and also must be no longer than 5 minutes in duration.

A non-refundable entry fee of $20 will be collected when you sign up. There will be a link to pay online, or you can mail it in. This fee is per performer, not per act and is capped at $80 per act.
For example:

  • A solo performer is $20
  • 2 people in a single act is $40
  • 4 people in a single act is $80
  • 10 people in a single act is still only $80

Your entry fee will be returned if your act is deemed inappropriate for the show.

Please note the following:

  • We can only accept a limited number of acts, so sign up and submit your entry fee soon!
  • 1st place Greater Derry’s Got Talent winners from previous years are not eligible to compete unless they took first place in a different age category.
  • For the screening you must perform the same act that you will perform the day of Greater Derry’s Got Talent.
  • Winners are invited to perform at Derryfest the following Saturday and again must perform the same act.
  • If for any reason you cannot perform the day of Derryfest, let us know as soon as possible. We will fill your spot with the next runner up in your age category. (You still keep your prize)

Sign up is simple! Click on the link below and fill out the application. Once we have processed your application, we will send an email with payment information.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR “GREATER DERRY’S GOT TALENT“

Judging Information

Three judges will be selected by the Greater Derry Arts Council, to judge the competition.

Each judge will individually rate the acts using a scale of 1 to 10 for the following three criteria’s:

  • Talent – How well did they perform their talent?
  • Presence – How well did they engage the audience?
  • Selection – How was their chosen act suited to their abilities?

The scores from each judge are then tallied and the winners are chosen. 

Any ties will be decided using the audience vote.

Greater Derry’s Got Talent in conjunction with Derryfest is a program of the Greater Derry Arts Council. Proceeds from Greater Derry’s Got Talent are used to support and maintain the historic Derry Opera House.  Visit our website derryarts.org to learn more about the Greater Derry Arts Council.