# Bright Club
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{{Short description|International series of comedy events}}
{{EngvarB|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2013}}
[[File:Lucy Porter Bright Club 1.jpg|thumb|Comedian [Lucy Porter](/source/Lucy_Porter) at Bright Club London in 2011]]
'''Bright Club''' is a collection of [comedy-club](/source/comedy_club)-style events in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia promoting [public engagement](/source/public_engagement) by scientists, academics and others with specialist knowledge. It has been described by ''[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)'' as "a 'thinking person's' comedy night",[{{cite news |title=Academics encouraged to share work with the public |author=Anthea Lipsett |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2010/dec/07/academics-public-engagement-comedy |newspaper=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) |date=7 December 2010 |access-date=9 December 2010}}] and by ''[Londonist](/source/Londonist)'' as "where funny meets brains".[{{cite news |title=Comedy Review: Bright Club @ Bloomsbury Theatre |author=Rachel H |url=http://londonist.com/2010/10/review_bright_club_bloomsbury_theat.php |newspaper=[Londonist](/source/Londonist) |date=28 October 2010 |access-date=9 December 2010}}]
==Format==
[[File:Lucie Green at Bright Club London.jpg|thumb|Solar physicist [Lucie Green](/source/Lucie_Green) talking at Bright Club London in 2011]]
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 [compere](/source/Master_of_Ceremonies), and usually musicians play a set halfway through and at the end of the evening.[{{cite news |title=Ionic, isn't it? |author=Matthew Reisz |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=417805 |newspaper=[Times Higher Education](/source/Times_Higher_Education) |date=20 October 2011 |access-date=28 September 2012}}]
==Development==
Bright Club started at [University College London](/source/University_College_London) as the brainchild of [Steve Cross](/source/Steve_Cross_(comedian)) and Miriam Miller.[{{cite news |title=Laugh and learn at Bright Club |author=Carole Jahme |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2010/nov/04/laugh-learn-science-bright-club |newspaper=The Guardian |date=4 November 2010 |access-date=9 December 2010}}] The first event was held in May 2009 and a Bright Club now happens in London once a month.[{{cite news |title=Academics Making Forays Into Stand-Up Comedy |author=D. D. Guttenplan |author-link=D. D. Guttenplan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/world/europe/20iht-educLede20.html?_r=1/ |newspaper=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |date=19 December 2010 |access-date=24 February 2011}}] Bright Club Manchester held its first event in May 2010 and now hosts events every few months. Bright Club Wales held its first event, in Cardiff, in November 2010.[{{cite news |title=New comedy night Bright Club hopes to banish nerdy notions |author=David Owens |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/theatre-in-wales/2010/11/27/new-comedy-night-bright-club-hopes-to-banish-nerdy-notions-91466-27724215/ |newspaper=[South Wales Echo](/source/South_Wales_Echo) |date=27 November 2010 |access-date=9 December 2010}}]
The [Centre for Life](/source/Centre_for_Life) in Newcastle upon Tyne launched their first Bright Club in July 2011, hosted by their Comedian in Residence, [Helen Keen](/source/Helen_Keen). Two more were held during 2011 and the events will continue into 2012.[{{cite web|url= http://www.nebusiness.co.uk/business-news/science-and-technology/2011/09/22/smart-people-bringing-their-work-to-the-stage-51140-29464870/ |title= Newcastle Journal article about Bright Club, Sept 2011}}]
Bright Club Edinburgh launched during the [Edinburgh Festival](/source/Edinburgh_Festival) with a show on the BBC@Potterrow stage on 24 August 2011 following a preview gig on 26 July.[Bright Club Edinburgh comprehensively launched https://brightclubedinburgh.blogspot.com/2011/08/bright-club-edinburgh-comprehensively.html] Regular shows take place at the Stand Comedy Club.
Bright Club Glasgow was launched on 17 November 2011 at The Admiral Bar. In 2012, Bright Club participated in [Glasgow International Comedy Festival](/source/Glasgow_International_Comedy_Festival)[{{cite news|title=Bright Club injects some spark into Glasgow Comedy Festival|url=http://entertainment.stv.tv/onstage/301051-bright-club-injects-some-spark-into-glasgow-comedy-festival/|newspaper=STV News|date=26 March 2012}}] and shows were also included in the programme for [Glasgow Science Festival](/source/Glasgow_Science_Festival). Regular shows take place at [The Stand Comedy Club](/source/The_Stand_Comedy_Club).[{{cite web|title=Bright Club Glasgow|url=http://www.brightclubglasgow.org|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130718000009/http://www.brightclubglasgow.org/|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 July 2013|publisher=Bright Club Glasgow}}]
There has been a one-off Bright Club in Brighton[{{cite news |title=Bright Club at the 2010 Brighton Fringe |author=Steve Bennett |url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/shows/misc_live_shows/b/17908/bright_club/review |newspaper=Chortle |date=15 May 2010 |access-date=9 December 2010}}] and a small number of 500-seater Bright Clubs in the [Bloomsbury Theatre](/source/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.][{{cite news |title=Comic communicator wins science award |url=https://manchestersciencefestival.blogspot.com/2010/10/comic-communicator-wins-science-award.html |newspaper=Manchester Science Festival blog |date=21 October 2010 |access-date=9 December 2010}}]
Bright Club Bristol began in September 2011[{{cite web |title=Bright Club Bristol #1 - The First Time |url=https://brightclubbristol.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/bright-club-bristol-1-the-first-time/ |work=Bright Club Bristol |date=27 September 2011 |access-date= 3 April 2013}}] and operates on a quarterly basis. It is produced by Sounds of Science[{{ cite web | title= Sounds of Science work| publisher=Sounds of Science | url= http://sciencepodcasts.wordpress.com/work/ | access-date=3 April 2013 }}] team who created [Geek Pop](/source/Geek_Pop).
Bright Clubs have also been held in Australia. Bright Club events were held in Sydney in January 2012 as part of the 2012 Sydney Festival[{{cite web | title=Bright Club No. 1 | publisher=Sydney Festival | url=http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2012/Talks/Bright-Club-No1/ | access-date=3 April 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412192516/http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2012/Talks/Bright-Club-No1/ | archive-date=12 April 2013 | url-status=dead }}] and Bright Club Melbourne started in April 2013. The first Bright Club Melbourne event was part of the [Melbourne International Comedy Festival](/source/Melbourne_International_Comedy_Festival) and took place in the [Howard Florey Institute](/source/Howard_Florey_Institute).[{{ cite web | title=Brains Collide | publisher=Melbourne International Comedy Festival | url=http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/brains-collide-thinky-stuff | access-date=3 April 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323192213/http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/brains-collide-thinky-stuff | archive-date=23 March 2013 | df=dmy-all }}]
[https://brightcluboxford.blogspot.co.uk/ Bright Club Oxford] began in October 2013, running three times a year at the [Jericho Tavern pub](/source/Jericho_Tavern).
Bright Club St Andrews began in February 2014,[{{cite web| title = Bright Club St Andrews| url = http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/pgstudents/stleonards/community/news/title,241223,en.php| access-date = 11 Feb 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150211163451/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/pgstudents/stleonards/community/news/title,241223,en.php| archive-date = 11 February 2015| url-status = dead}}] running bimonthly during university term time.
Bright Club events have been running in Ireland since 2015.[{{cite news |title=The first rule of Bright Club is you have to make science funny |author=Claire O'Connell |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/the-first-rule-of-bright-club-is-you-have-to-make-science-funny-1.2077397 |newspaper=Irish Times |date=29 Jan 2015 |access-date=5 February 2015}}] Shows take place in Dublin, Galway, Cork and other locations,[{{cite web| title = Bright Club Ireland| publisher=Bright Club Ireland| url = http://brightclub.ie/| access-date = 12 May 2020}}] and are centrally coordinated by director [Jessamyn Fairfield](/source/Jessamyn_Fairfield).[{{cite news |title=Scientist who sees funny side of physics wins Somerville medal|author=Kevin O'Sullivan|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/scientist-who-sees-funny-side-of-physics-wins-somerville-medal-1.3149926|newspaper=Irish Times |date=11 Jul 2017 |access-date=24 Nov 2017}}]
==References==
{{Commons category|Bright Club}}
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
Category:Comedy clubs in the United Kingdom
Category:Organised events in London
Category:Culture in Manchester
Category:Culture in Cardiff
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bright Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright_Club) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright_Club?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.