UA31316 Lumen Spring 2024 Final Digital - Flipbook - Page 26
Research
Not all research takes place in a laboratory.
Some of it appears on a stage.
Comedy, dance, music and theatre – and the cultural
impact of the performing arts – are the subjects of
current research work with multiple industry partners,
as highlighted by these snapshots.
Creative research
in progress
Comedy country: Australian
performance comedy as an
agent of change
By Anne Pender
When the Chinese-born Australian stand-up comedian He Huang
apologised for Covid on national television her comments went
viral: she was accused of exploiting stereotypes about Chinese
people and fended off a firestorm of protest. Many others
welcomed her intelligent sarcasm.
The apology in the comedian’s short routine offered comic
gold because it was potentially transformational. The relationship
between the two countries was frozen. This comedian personally
apologised for the virus, diffusing tension, although she was at
pains to explain to the audience that she was stuck in Melbourne
at the time. Audiences were forced to think about the relationship
between the countries more carefully as she shattered a taboo topic
and made them laugh.
An Australian Research Council Linkage project involving three
universities (Adelaide, Monash and RMIT) and a dozen industry
partners, is investigating the link between Australian comedy and
its power to change ideas from the 1940s to the present, as well as
the changes in the industry over the period.
In addition to exploring comedy and change, this four-year
project will also offer stand-up workshops to high school and
undergraduate students in order to allow them to learn how to
make a stand-up routine and to experience the connection
between comedy in performance and democratic expression.
The project examines many forms of comedy in performance,
including the significant impact of Indigenous comedy.
Hannah Gadsby’s one-woman show Nanette probed volatile
issues surrounding gender relations and violence and pushed
stand-up to its limits. Barry Humphries’ comedy upended the
cultural cringe that had dogged the country for generations as
he brought Australian humour to the world. Humphries even
convinced Prime Minister Gough Whitlam to appear in one of his
films, whereupon the regal-looking Whitlam conferred a damehood
on Humphries’ alter-ego, Edna Everage.
The researchers will examine the way comedy festivals have
evolved, the effect of the gig economy on the capacity for
performers to make a living, and the sustainability of festivals and
other government support for the creative industries over the long
term. Researchers and their industry partners will produce films
and podcasts, and curate exhibitions in Adelaide and Melbourne
as well as digital exhibitions on a transmedia hub.
Professor Anne Pender is Director, JM Coetzee Centre for
Creative Practice. Photo of He Huang by Teniola Komolafe.
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