Apply for the Science Comedy Program Today!

The Science Comedy Program

The Science Comedy Program will help you discover and master storytelling techniques to connect with audiences, hasten promotion opportunities and help secure new funding.

If you’re interested, please fill in our quick EOI form. It is always open (it is available here), and we fill each program on a first come, first serve basis.

This program operates across Australia, but availability within the program in each city is strictly limited.

Tickets and show info is here.

Participants in the program complete five workshops and then perform a 10-minute talk that is 80% science and 20% humour in a major arts festival.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will open new doors for you. You’ll be a more engaging speaker, enhance your career prospects and gain new skills to pitch for funding proposals.

EOI here

How it works

You will join a group of scientists in your city for the 5-week program, make new friends, learn the science behind humour, improve your stage presence, and then give your talk to a live audience.

There are five workshops included in the program; three are dedicated to speechwriting and two are dedicated to stage presence.

In 2024 we will have opportunities for scientists and researchers in every capital city throughout Australia, as well as select towns and cities in regional NSW. Programs are linked to major festivals and only run once per year.

Our activities include: Adelaide Fringe (February), Newcastle Fringe (March), the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (April), the Brisbane Comedy Festival (May) the Sydney Comedy Festival (May), Vivid Sydney (June), the Darwin Fringe (July), as well as in ACT, WA and Tasmania for Science Week (August).

Who can join?

The program is available to anyone who has a background in science, social science, academia or a technical area such as engineering, IT, finance, sanitation, development and many more. Our speakers have given talks on cancer, emojis, toilets, communicable diseases, ecosystems, energy, astronomy, psychology, and many, many, more.

Speakers are from a range of organisations including universities, non-profits, government and the private sector. The demographic is mixed - about 1/3 of participants are not born in Australia and over half are women.

This course is designed for complete newcomers who are interested in upskilling their communications ability. Almost all of the people in our program do not have experience in comedy. Most are not advanced public speakers.

The program does incur a fee. Over 90 per cent of participants obtain workplace funding to cover the fee. We will help you to obtain workplace funding. Self-funding is also an option.

Those who are unable to obtain workplace funding and do not wish to self fund are encouraged to join our other Science Comedy show, titled So You Think You Can Ig Noble. By joining this show, you will gain access to a 3-hour science comedy workshop for just $30. The EOI form is the same.

What are the benefits of science comedy?

The science comedy program has several key benefits including:

Strengthening your public speaking and communication skills

Improving your stage presence when at conferences and speaking with funding bodies
Increasing your ability to think quickly on your feet
Improving your speechwriting skills
Learning how to harness humour to win over audiences
Boosting your profile and career opportunities

Want proof that participants love this program? Please see our testimonial page. Feel free to contact the researchers directly!

Additional info about our training & courses

Testimonials from program particiants

"Incredibly professional and helpful. Performing was unreal. "

Hannah Kunst
"Great program connecting scientists to amused audiences."

Sally Hurst
"Super fun and I learned heaps! Great experience."

Lorenzo Logi
"Dave is a really nice and supportive facilitator."

Taylor Szyszka
"I learnt a lot and had an awesome time doing it!"

Joel Raymond
"It was fun and a great way to meet diverse, intelligent people!"

Amanda Khoury
"A blast! I highly recommend this program"

Lachlan Gray
"A very cool way to learn some skills for future presentations."

Zoe Xirocostas
"This program helped me get on the National Science Quiz!"

Paige Erpf
"Very fun to present my research in this way."

Toby Kovacs
"This program gave me so much! I can apply these tools to any talks."

Inna Osmolovsky
"So much fun to weave jokes into my science talks."

Faraidoon Haghdoost
"Such a unique experience being able to feature in a comedy show."

Tanja Rosenqvist
"I really enjoyed the experience - would recommend it!

Kovi Rose
"This was a lot of fun. Great way to learn some new skills."

Jared Bergman
"A great way to present my science and research."

Levi Tegg

FAQs

The program is designed with a busy working professional in mind.
We will teach you as much as possible in the shortest amount of time so that you’re feeling confident for the show.
Your time will be spent attending several workshops and working on your presentation..
There are 5 workshops that focus on different elements such as storytelling, joke writing, body posture when presenting, thinking quickly on your feet, managing nerves, and even how to hold a microphone like a pro!
Workshop 1: 3.5 hours (group)
Workshop 2: 1 hour (private)
Workshop 3: 30 minutes (provate)
Workshop 4: 90 minutes (group)
Workshop 5: 1 hour (group)
The program is $440 including GST. This covers almost two months worth of training and all elements related to the show.
This program is significantly cheaper than any similar public speaking program.
It is the only program under $1,000 that includes personalised 1:1 training for you with two facilitators.
It is the only program that guarantees you entry to a major festival.
There are no hidden costs in this program.
No you don’t need to be funny in day-to-day life or have experience using comedy on stage to be part of this program.
There is a science behind telling a joke, and you will learn this as part of the program.
Our talks have a methodology and structure, which you will learn throughout the program.
You will be given tools that will instantly make your talk humorous and more easily understood by a wide array of audiences.
Everyone in our program generates laughter from the audience. Our bespoke 1:1 training will help you to generate an engaging and funny presentation.
The point of this program is to push you outside of your comfort zone, so it’s natural to feel nervous.
You will learn that you’re actually quite funny! Seriously – we don’t make the jokes up for any of the researchers and you can see from our YouTube Channel that they are all hilarious!
All of them felt nervous and worried that they weren’t funny.
This program will give you tools to harness your ideas. You’ll learn that as long as you follow the science behind joke-telling, and our formula to weaving humour you’re your talk, that you will be able to make any audience laugh.
Throughout the program you will be heavily supported by the facilitators and the other scientists within your cohort.
No you don’t.
Most people in our program do not have a lot of public speaking experience.
The program is designed for those who are interested in upskilling their speaking ability.
We find that having less public speaking experience can be an asset, as those who are later in their career with lots of public speaking exprience sometimes have habits or entrenched views that make it harder for them to follow our science comecy formula.
It’s very easy - fill in the EOI if the idea of combining science and comedy is of interest to you.
When a program opens in your city, we will be in touch.
The EOI takes about 60 seconds.
We generally contact applicants on a first come, first serve basis.
Enthusiasm is one of our most valued criteria.
We recommend you apply early.
Shortlisted applicants will have a short 10-minute interview to ensure alignment.
Not all applicants will be shortlisted. We do not provide feedback to those who are unsuccessful.
Now.
The EOI only takes 60 seconds.
We contact applicants on a first come, first serve basis.
We will contact you as soon as a Science Comedy Program opens in your area.
If there is significant demand in your area, it will increase the likelihood that the program will run there.