Bright Club No.1

Academics turn to standup comedy in this bold Festival event that lends some of Sydney's finest minds to the city's comedy circuit.  Hosted by James O'Loghlin, Bright Club is truly the thinking person's variety night.

In the late-night slot at The Famous Spiegeltent, Bright Club presents a thoughtful line-up of lecturers, researchers and PhD-types from the University of Sydney, all inviting the audience to laugh along with them as they mine their area of specialty for comic potential, presented onstage as an eight-minute stand-up routine. Be kind to them, they're new to all this!

Thankfully, our would-be comics will be well supported by experienced comedian O'Loghlin, before being unleashed on the Bright Club stage, alongside some live music and a performance by Mike McLeish to round things off.

Bright Club is raw and affordable comedy, the perfect way to round out a Wednesday night while nourishing the mind.

Tonight's theme: TESTOSTERONE 

Host: James O'Loghlin
O'Loghlin is one of Australia's leading comedians and media personalities.  He hosted The New Inventors on ABC TV (2004-11) and The Evening Show on ABC Local Radio (2002 to 2006).  O'Loghlin began doing stand-up comedy in 1990 and has performed thousands of times around Australia.  He has been a regular guest on virtually every national television program that has guests who think they are funny and/or clever on it, from Good News Week and Rove Live to Sunriseand Lateline.

O'Loghlin speaks regularly on creativity and innovation, teaches and coaches public speaking, and is author of Umm...a Complete Guide to Public Speaking. 

Comedians:
Mark Sutton: American literature
Mark Sutton is a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, studying English. His research is on American literature, with a focus on Bob Dylan. He also makes crossword puzzles.

Dominic Santagelo: Department of Media and Communications
Dominic Santangelo is a Doctor of Arts student who regularly teaches and does additional research work with the Department of Media & Communications at the University of Sydney. His doctoral research looks at aspects of collaboration within Australia's Indigenous media sector.

James Heathers: School of Psychology
James Heathers is a PhD student in the school of psychology at Sydney University.  His research is in psychophysiology - the interplay between the body and the mind.

Charles Areni: University of Sydney Business School
Charles Areni (PhD, Florida, 1991) is a professor of marketing in the University of Sydney Business School. His research focuses on gender stereotypes in the marketplace, and has been published in various academic journals, including the Journal of Advertising, Psychology & Marketing, Advances in Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Communications, Cognition & Emotion, Psychological Reports, and Marketing Letters. He is on the editorial review board of the Journal of Retailing, has served as an expert witness in federal cases involving trademark infringement and intellectual property theft, and has worked as a consultant for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball, the Australasian Performing Rights Association, among other clients.

Cabaret Performer: Mike McLeish 
Mike is best known to Australian audiences for his portrayal of Paul Keating in Casey Bennetto's hugely successful production of Keating! The Musical, directed by Neil Armfield.  Following three years of touring with Keating!, Mike appeared in Casey's A Largely Fanciful History Of The Spiegeltent in Melbourne as well as performing multiple roles in Eddie Perfect's Shane Warne The Musical.

More recently Mike has written and performed his own cabaret show, The World is Winning, playing to sold out audiences at the Butterfly Club and The Famous Spiegeltent in Melbourne, followed by the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

"You will laugh yourself stupid at the gut-wrenching awfulness of it all. Inspiring, funny and moving" Eddie Perfect (for The World is Winning)

Bright Club was originally created by UCL, London's Global University.

Bright Club is also on January 18 and January 25.