10 October 2012
Science and stand-up collide in new Bright Club shows
Research might not be the most obvious source of mirth, but a group of academics from the Universities of Dundee and St Andrews are proving that the laughter of the lab translates to the stage.
The researchers will be experimenting with the world of stand-up comedy at a series of dates in Dundee. It will be hosted by the Bright Club, a movement established by scholars whose thirst for knowledge led them to hypothesise what might happen if research and comedy were mixed and left to ferment in front of an audience.
The gigs set out to dispel the stereotype of the stuffy academic with two hours of fresh and inventive stand-up.
Bright Club events have taken place across the UK, and the Dundee dates follow on from a successful debut in the city last year. The first of the series will be held at Braes, Perth Road, on Tuesday, 23rd October when experienced comedienne Susan Morrison comperes for the researchers.
Taking to the stage that evening to try and prove that their abilities are not confined to the lab and library are Dr Kate Cross (St Andrews), Chris Martin, Amrit Bhachu Mike Tatham, Richard Muszynski and Eddie Small (all Dundee).
Chris Martin, an applied computing researcher, said he was used to speaking in front of an audience of students, although they tended to have very different expectations of his performance.
"You try to make lectures enjoyable but, at the end of the day, if your students don't roar with laughter it's not the end of the world," he said. "There's something about everyone's job that they want to share with others, that they think they'll find funny. The trick is getting it across in a situation we're unfamiliar with.
"It's also important to remember that people are starting with zero knowledge of what you do. There might be something about a recursive acronym that me and my colleagues find hilarious, but it won't count for anything if the laymen are sitting around looking puzzled.
"What I've done is to think about the things my non-computing friends will find funny and consider how to get that across to a room full of people looking to me to make them laugh. Easy."
The first event hosted by Bright Club Dundee will take place at 8.30pm (doors open 7.30pm) on Tuesday, 23rd October. Subsequent nights will take place on 13th November and 18th December.
Tickets cost £5 and can be purchased by calling 01382 386660, emailing tickets@brightclubdundee.org or visiting www.brightclubdundee.org.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
