The funny side

It was a barrel of laughs at the Museum in the autumn of 2009 thanks to a range of different comedy events aimed at 15 to 25 year olds, held in connection with our ‘Comedians: From the 1940s to Now’ exhibition (15 August to 10 October).

For those young people who’ve always fancied themselves as comedians we held an ‘Open Audition’ from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Saturday 26 September. Anyone who wanted to come along and perform their stand up or comedy performance was invited. Those who were selected were given the chance to perform at a special event being held at the Museum on Friday 2 October.

'Funny Side Up' was a one-off evening event for 15 to 25 year olds. Organised by our youth forum, The Core, this was no ordinary comedy night, with a marathon Monty Python screening, Red Dwarf and Mighty Boosh-themed competitions and a 'Comedy Conveyor Belt' or open stage for young people – including those who successfully auditioned on 26 September – to showcase their talents. The evening also featured professional comedians, local theatre company Stiltskin and the Dynamic Youth Dance Company who performed a Charlie Chaplin-inspired dance.

Comedy workshops for schools and an additional special event called 'Laugh A Minute' also took place during the exhibition run. Youngsters were able to work with professional actor, Andy Blackwell, on comedy and drama activities inspired by the exhibition. The sessions included impersonation, joke telling and timing – and an opportunity for any keen jokers and pranksters to test out their best material!