Category: shows

T-0: Science Week launches tonight!

Yes, National Science Week 2008 officially launches tonight at the MCG right here in Melbourne, and of course your intrepid Planet Nerd science reporter and all-round science fan, Ben McKenzie, will be right there in the thick of it. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have some photos and stories to share with you, and in the near future even some video of interviews with the stars of Australian science.

Of course I have a few events of my own during Science Week; here’s a quick reminder:

  • – my new comedy science lecture at the Royal Society of Victoria, celebrating the twentieth anniversary of that great unread classic of popular science literature: Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. It’s on the last few days of Science Week – Friday, August 22 is a special matinee, free for schools, and there are two evening performances on the 23rd and 24th. The Historic Theatre is a beautiful venue, but not very big, so be sure to book! Details are .
  • Not the Nobel Prize – Melbourne Museum’s comedy panel show returns for a third year! See me and three other comedians – Courteney Hocking, Sam Simmons and Charlie Pickering – try and sort fact from fiction in the stories presented by four actual, qualified scientists! This usually sells out, so make sure you book your tickets! Details are here.

Also during Science Week, but not part of it, are a few other projects of mine:

  • The Anarchist Guild Social Committee meeting #3 – Melbourne’s newest comedy sensation, a live sketch comedy show at the Bella Union, Trades Hall, on the third Sunday of every month. It features yours truly as a writer and performer, and always fills to capacity. Details here.
  • Set List preview season – an all-new improvised music comedy show premiering at Fringe, but you can catch an early preview at The Butterfly Club from August 21 to 24. I’ll be performing in the first show on Thursday, August 21. Details here.
  • Impro Sundae – top-notch improvised comedy with The Crew, second and fourth Sunday every month, also at the Bella Union. Details here.

Last days for the Melbourne Museum tour

The Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour finishes this week, and after some of the great reviews we’ve had from The Groggy Squirrel and UK comedy site Chortle, our last two nights are sure to be a great success. So come on down! Tonight, Ben McKenzie, Bec Hill and Sue-Ann Post will be your guides, and on Friday, Ben and Bec will instead be joined by Kent Valentine.

It’s the last days too for A Record or an OBE, the what if play about hit 70s British comedy group The Goodies. OBE plays this Saturday and Sunday, the 5th and 6th of April, and then every night next week until the 13th of April, with no show on Monday; there are also plans for a late show at 11 PM on Friday, April 11th; watch Shaolin Punk for details!

Museum Comedy Tour starts tonight!

The kicks off tonight, conducted by the Man himself, Ben McKenzie, plus superstar comedians Sue-Ann Post and Tommy Dean!

Note that due to other activities in the museum we will be using an alternate entrance tonight, so please arrive a little early if you can so you can find it (it will be signposted).

Tickets are still available for tonight, and the other nights, via the Comedy Festival web site, Ticketmaster on 1300 660 013, the Comedy Festival box office or at the door.

The Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour

The Man is back! This Comedy Festival Ben McKenzie hosts the Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour. Presented by Shaolin Punk and Melbourne Museum, the Man and his team of hilariously interesting comedians will treat you to an evening of science, history and laughter as you wander the spooky silent halls of Melbourne Museum after closing time. Head to the for dates, times and line-ups! Tickets are on sale now via the Comedy Festival web site.

It’s the end – but the moment has been prepared for…

Yes, the Comedy Festival is over, and so is . For now, at least. The Man would like to thank everyone who made Science-ology possible, including Lynn, Cath, Keiran, both Emmas, Neil, Fifi, Paul, Emily and everyone else at Comedy @ Trades, Scott Gooding, Melanie Kerr and a bunch of other people who are too numerous to mention.

Until the Man returns (and it’ll happen soon), you can relive the glory and the passion by reading these reviews, even the bad one (as a scientician, I must be fair and present all the evidence).

  • The Age – Tim Richards from The Age rather enjoyed Science-ology.
  • The Groggy Squirrel – the Squirrel reviewed Science-ology in both its incarnations: Lisa Clark saw it during the 2006 Fringe Festival, and Daniel Sheppard saw it in the Comedy Festival this year.
  • The Funny Tonne – in their bid to see as many MICF shows as possible, both Dani and Nathanael saw and reviewed Science-ology, and both gave it 8 out of 10!
  • The Pun – the annual comedy review magazine, distributed for free during the Festival, sent Brewster Hipik along to Science-ology.
  • Chortle – for an opposing view to those above, check out Steve Bennet’s review for the UK-based comedy web site, Chortle.