I recently did something that I never in a million years would have imagined myself doing, and that was Stand-up Comedy. I did not do any regular stand-up comedy; I performed stand-up comedy about my research! I like to give credit where it is due, and in this case, it is more than fair to say that my comedy escapade would not have been possible without Bright Club!
What is Bright Club?
“A weird and wonderful spin on public engagement training. By finding the happy medium where academic/research communication and comedy meet, participants hone their public speaking skills that make them effective with the audience whether or not it is of the same field as the speaker. Bright Club has been described as “a TED Talk, but funny”; we want to make people laugh, and then to make them think.” Marilena Pace, Bright Club Trainer and Senior Public Engagement Officer at the Centre of Life
Why I did Bright Club
I have always struggled with public speaking and two and a half years into my PhD, I realised that I was running out of time if I wanted to hone my skills before graduating. I decided to challenge myself by signing up for Bright Club as part of the North East Postgraduate (NEPG) conference. I did so despite thinking that I could not make a joke to save my life.
The dread of signing-up
I had to close my eyes to press the send button on the application form because while my head was all for the idea, my heart was not. I told myself that I could always withdraw my participation after the training if I did not find it helpful. I prepared as best as I could in between signing-up and the first training session by listening to previous Bright Club acts on youtube and watching professional stand-up comedy. I also tried but failed to identify humour in my research topic and experiences.
My experience of the training
At the first training, I met Marilena, who would be our instructor, and the other academics who attended the training. To my surprise, I was the only one who was to present at the NEPG conference. The others had only signed-up for the show at The Stand Comedy Club. During the session, Marilena gave pointers on storytelling, how to make a set interesting, and what makes something funny. She sent us home with an assignment to collate preliminary set material for a rehearsal session scheduled the following week. I was still not convinced that I could joke about my research, and of the perspective that my research was the exact opposite of funny. I contemplated sending Marilena an apologetic email saying that I could not follow through with the training because of my busy schedule, which would not have been a lie. I started to draft an email that I did not send. I followed my gut which signalled that I should leave it for a few days. Three days passed, and I still did not have any material except for loose ideas. I prepared for bed with a resolution that I would send that email to Marilena the following day. However, the outline of my comedy set came to mind in an “aha moment”, just before I fell asleep. I wrote it down to not forget.
Training and rehearsals
I was very excited the next morning and the following days as I worked on my outline and added details to it. My excitement was merely over having come up with material, never mind the quality. In my excitement, I arrived one hour too early at the training location to my and Marilena’s surprise. Six of seven participants returned for the first rehearsal: a biologist, a marine biologist, an astronomer, a forensic scientist, a linguist and myself. During the session, everyone presented their preliminary set material and got feedback from Marilena and fellow trainees. I was the last one to present and as the other participants presented, I could not help but think that my content was mediocre compared to theirs. They also provided excellent feedback that one would think they were professional comedians. Marilena’s feedback was GOLD. She has a way of deconstructing and reconstructing jokes while suggesting side jokes and changes to make them funnier. I was a wreck as I got up to present, but I reassured myself with the thought that the feedback was going to be worth it. I thought right! Because of the feedback, I realised that my set had great potential. Suddenly, it was as though my eyes were open, and various possibilities opened up that I did not and could not have seen before.
My set developed over the following three rehearsals before the NEPG conference. By the fourth rehearsal, I had memorised the set and could start working on the non-verbal aspects of my performance. Through it all, Marilena paid attention to every detail and provided meticulous feedback. From early on in the process, I stopped comparing my material with that of the other trainees after realising that we all had different premises and contexts from which to derive ideas. Moreover, we were all amateurs relying on each other, and Marilena, to get the most out of the experience. I was enjoying the process.
Presenting at NEPG conference and The Stand Comedy Club
I presented my comedy to a tough audience at the NEPG conference. Tough because everyone was exhausted because it was the last activity on the programme. Regardless, I got a few laughs and was relieved and immensely proud of myself. I used this experience to polish my act for the grand finale, at The Stand Comedy Club, by which time my confidence had quadrupled. I enjoyed being on stage, and I was more alert than I have never experienced before.
What are the benefits?
The benefits of Bright Club are too numerous to mention, and they differ from individual to individual. For me, the most significant benefit is the confidence I have gained. I can only recommend it! The next cohort starts on the 22nd of January. You will find details about the training programme including planned rehearsal dates at the end of this article.
What does the training programme entail?
The programme consists of one lesson and four rehearsals, one of which is a dry run before the final show. The Rehearsals are a space for constructing the set, starting from anything; from a few scattered ideas to proper paragraphs – generally speaking, you can get from Bright Club as much as you are willing to invest. Participants work as a team in giving feedback because not everyone has the same definition of funny, and it is incredibly useful to get to hear different opinions on the same subject.
Want to book a spot?
Email Marilena at brightclub@life.org.uk. Do not hesitate, the first straining session is noncommital.
When are the dates?
Training: Wed 22nd Jan 12 noon to 2 pm at Centre for Life
Rehearsals:
Tue 28th Jan 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Centre for Life
Fri 31st Jan 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Centre for Life
Mon 3rd Feb 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Centre for Life
Performance: Tue 4th Feb 8:30pm (dry run from 5:50pm) at The Stand Comedy Club. If performing is not for you, you can still support the initiative by going to the show. A ticket costs £5.