I Took Part in This Year’s Lancaster Bright Club
I took part in this year’s Lancaster Bright Club! Bright Club is a stand-up comedy night featuring sets written and performed by professionals working in Higher Education. It’s a novel way to share the research and work that universities do with the wider public. It was such a great event; my fellow comics were funny, insightful, and wonderfully supportive.
How it work
We had around a month to write and prepare our sets, with training and guidance from Dee Hennessey (Lancaster’s own Beyoncé) and Steve Cross — a bona fide comedian and the original founder of Bright Club. In between, there were open sessions with past participants, so there was plenty of space to get feedback and refine our material. On the big day, we spent a full day warming up before stepping on stage in front of a live audience.
What I Learned
Writing comedy is really hard. It’s nothing like just telling a joke to a mate.
It’s okay to mess it all up. I went on stage and, 30 seconds in, completely forgot everything I was meant to say, literally my worst nightmare! There was an awkward pause, and then I blurted out something about how no one else following me had to worry, because the worst had already happened. Everyone laughed and clapped (the Bright Club audience really is the kindest audience), and I managed to continue to the end of my set.
I make some truly fantastic faces when I’m presenting.
It was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I’ve had, equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. Huge thanks to everyone involved in organising and supporting Lancaster Bright Club.
If you ever get the chance to take part, do it. You’ll learn more about communication, confidence, and creativity than you’d ever expect, and you’ll have a lot of fun along the way.
Photo credit: Steve Cross
