Social Event: The Comedy Night

Last week, as part of our weekly social programme, I accompanied a group of students on a visit to a stand-up comedy night in a local pub. Although I have been to lots of comedy shows before, the students had never attended such a night. It was their first experience of live stand-up comedy in London, and one which I am sure was not only fun but also good for their English.

First of all, what is stand-up comedy? It is very popular here in the UK as well as in other English speaking countries, but as far as I know it is not so common in other countries. So, if you are not familiar with stand-up, let me briefly outline its features:

It is performed by one person each time: a stand-up comedian who stands up on stage and talks to the audience
The only aim of the performance is to make people laugh
The comedian doesn't use a script (unlike in theatre plays), and they often improvise and ask the audience questions
Sometimes the comedian will pick on members of the audience, but it is just for fun
They share personal stories and experiences with the audience, as well as talking about recent news stories or politics
The night is hosted by a compere or MC who introduces the acts and warms up the crowd

Secondly, what was our comedy night like? Well, at the beginning of the evening we went to a lovely pub which is in walking distance from school and had a drink. There we talked and shared information about our different cultures. I was curious about the role of comedy in the cultures of other countries. I was interested to see what they would think about the performance and whether they would understand everything. The students were also curious about what the comedians would say, and how much of it they would catch. Then we walked to the comedy venue where we ate some food and waited for the performance to start. The show took place in a small room in a pub, where there were rows of seats for the audience, a small stage, a light and a microphone. The students were a little bit nervous because they were worried that the comedians might ask them difficult questions.

During the show, the students laughed and had a good time. I was pleased because they managed to understand quite a lot, although when a comedian from Scotland took the stage, the students didn't understand a word because of his strong accent. He was very funny though, particularly his slapstick routine about London pigeons. One of the comedians did ask the students some questions and I was glad to see that they answered without being too shy. What a confidence booster!

It was great to see the students enjoying some real British entertainment, and it really was a good way to practise their English. In my opinion, if you can understand stand-up comedy, you will be able to understand all the nuances and subtleties of English as a spoken language, and it comes with another reward - laughter.

So, in conclusion, I highly recommend that learners of English experience some stand-up comedy for themselves. Not only is it good for your listening, it is also a great insight into the culture of the English language, and a fantastic way to enjoy yourself while doing it.

If you would like to find out more about stand-up, then you can click here to listen to a conversation I had with a friend recently.

To find out more about stand-up comedy shows in London, click here.

a script = the written words of a performance (used in plays, films, television shows)

to improvise = to perform without any preparation, to make it up on the spot

to pick on someone = to make fun of someone, to say things about someone in order to make other people laugh

compere or MC = the person who hosts an entertainment event and introduces the other performers. MC means Master of Ceremonies

to be curious about something = interested in learning more about

to catch something = hear and understand

didn't understand a word = understood nothing

slapstick = physical comedy

a routine = a part of a comedy performance

pigeons = birds which are very common in London, as well as in many other cities

a confidence booster = something which 'boosts' (pushes and improves) your confidence

nuances and subtleties = specific little details

a reward = a good thing you get as a result of doing something difficult/worthwhile

insight = a deeper understanding

brave = courageous

elsewhere = somewhere else

Image: www.dailycomedy.com

Courses

Every week at the school we have new courses starting. This week the Young Lawyers courses started. It’s a three week course designed for newly qualified lawyers and law students, to give them the specialised language that they will need for their careers. It's the second time we have run this course this year and it's usually very popular.

Also at Holland Park this week we’ve been running Communication Skills for Bankers. This intensive one week course is for experienced banking and finance specialists who receive English language skills training within the context of banking and finance.

At our Westcroft Square centre, a new seven week Intensive General English course started, as well as a seven week English for University course. We have also just started a six week IELTS preparation course. The course is designed to prepare students for the IELTS exam, which includes practice of the test and strategies which will help them to succeed.

Training the Trainers

At the London School of English we often have Teacher Development sessions.  These are an opportunity to share ideas and improve the way we, the trainers, deliver our lessons.  Today Ben and I led the session which was all about using technology in the classroom.  In the picture above you can see Ed and Andy, two of our trainers, checking out http://www.sporcle.com/, a website I previously wrote about here.

We think this is a really important part of what we do at the school, because anything that can make learning English more interesting and stimulating improves the learning experience. 

It's quite strange teaching your peers.  No matter how much experience you have teaching English, nothing quite prepares you for being in a classroom full of other trainers!  Here's a picture of our handout, showing some of the tricks of the trade that we shared today.

I personally found it all quite nerve-wracking, but overall Ben and I thought it went well.  I think that our colleagues found it useful and productive, and hopefully the results of our work will soon be seen in a classroom near you!

Glossary

to lead a session/workshop  to be responsible for teaching/organising something.
to check out   to look at/study something (informal)
peers  people who do the same as you e.g. workmates or classmates
tricks of the trade  useful information or skills based on a certain area of work
nerve-wracking  something that makes you nervous or anxious