Alistair Scotland and Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Alistair Scotland and Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Strathclyde Business School PhD researchers Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers and Alistair Scotland have been busy this August promoting their research with a very special type of 'presentation' – they have been promoting their research through stand-up comedy in Bright Club Scotland's show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers, PhD researcher in the Department of Human Resource Management, has been involved with Bright Club Glasgow since March 2012, performing at the Stand in Glasgow and Edinburgh on a number of occasions. She researches the post-redundancy job transitions of middle-level public sector employees in Scotland and Canada. Rachelle emphasised that Bright Club has helped her to articulate her research to diverse audiences. She said, "Being able to explain complicated concepts in an easy to understand manner is an invaluable skill to develop. Bright Club gives you a crash course on accessible public speaking."
Alistair Scotland, PhD researcher in the Department of Management Science, has been involved with Bright Club Glasgow since May 2012, performing at the Stand in Glasgow. His research explores the facilitation of virtual teams, through running causal mapping sessions over videoconferencing software. "I joined Bright Club to talk about my research in a different context and to improve my public speaking skills", he said. Alistair added, "After performing in comedy clubs and the Edinburgh Fringe, academic presentations are a piece of cake!"
Performing in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and promoting the show on the Royal Mile has provided the researchers with a wider audience with whom they can discuss their research. Speaking about the experience, Rachelle explained, "When I tell people while flyering that my research looks at layoffs and organisational downsizing, the response I get is two-fold: firstly, they are intrigued as to how I can turn that content into stand-up comedy, and secondly, they want to know more about the actual research."
Alistair added, "There is a great buzz around Edinburgh in August. There's a real appreciation for shows that do something different, such as Bright Club's unique blend of academia and comedy."
The Fringe show has performed to packed audiences, and been well received by festival critics, who highlighted Bright Club as "intelligent comedy" (One4Review, 2013) and a "hugely enjoyable way to boost your knowledge while having a laugh" (Fest Mag, 2013).
The performers clarified that Bright Club performances are not improvised, but involve the deliberate crafting of your set, not unlike writing for your thesis and for publication. The time restriction, the need to communicate your research to a wide audience and the requirement of being funny means that your writing and delivery must be accessible, succinct and "pleasingly tongue-in-cheek" (Fest Mag, 2013).
Bright Club brings together researchers from all fields of study and at all stages of their career to support them in transforming their research into stand-up comedy. Performers are provided with training and rehearsals. Regular shows are held in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, and throughout the UK.
For more information and to get involved, contact Bright Club Glasgow at brightclubglasgow@gmail.com