Bright Club
Encyclopedia
Bright Club is a number of comedy-club
-style events in the United Kingdom promoting public engagement
by scientists, academics and others with specialist knowledge. It has been described by The Guardian
as "a 'thinking person's' comedy night", and by Londonist as "where funny meets brains".
, and musicians play a set halfway through and at the end of the evening.
; the brainchild of Steve Cross and Miriam Miller. The first event was held in May 2009 and a Bright Club now happens in London once a month. Bright Club Manchester held its first event in May 2010 and now hosts events every two months. Bright Club Wales held its first event, in Cardiff, in November 2010.
Bright Club Edinburgh launched during the Edinburgh Festival
with a show on the BBC@Potterrow stage on the 24th August 2011 following a preview gig on 26th July.
There has been a one-off Bright Club in Brighton and a small number of 500-seater Bright Clubs in the Bloomsbury Theatre.
Steve Cross won the Joshua Phillips award for innovation in science engagement in a ceremony at the Manchester Science Festival in October 2010.
Comedy club
A comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, magicians, ventriloquists and other comedy acts...
-style events in the United Kingdom promoting public engagement
Public engagement
Public engagement is a term that has recently been used, particularly in the UK, to describe "the involvement of specialists listening to, developing their understanding of, and interacting with, non-specialists" .-Origins:The tradition of a decision-making body getting inputs from those with less...
by scientists, academics and others with specialist knowledge. It has been described by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as "a 'thinking person's' comedy night", and by Londonist as "where funny meets brains".
Format
Every event has a number of speakers, normally university researchers, each of whom gives a short, funny talk related to their area of knowledge and a theme for the night. There is a compereMaster of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
, and musicians play a set halfway through and at the end of the evening.
Development
Bright Club started at University College LondonUniversity College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
; the brainchild of Steve Cross and Miriam Miller. The first event was held in May 2009 and a Bright Club now happens in London once a month. Bright Club Manchester held its first event in May 2010 and now hosts events every two months. Bright Club Wales held its first event, in Cardiff, in November 2010.
Bright Club Edinburgh launched during the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
with a show on the BBC@Potterrow stage on the 24th August 2011 following a preview gig on 26th July.
There has been a one-off Bright Club in Brighton and a small number of 500-seater Bright Clubs in the Bloomsbury Theatre.
Steve Cross won the Joshua Phillips award for innovation in science engagement in a ceremony at the Manchester Science Festival in October 2010.