Comedy teaching students to 'Stand Out'

As a company, The Comedy Trust aims to include people of all ages and get them involved in the arts. When the charity was formed in 2002, the focus was to develop new talent so creating a course that can nurture that talent from a young age was the perfect starting point. ‘Stand Out’ is a course targeted at 11-18 year olds that aims to improve confidence through the medium of stand-up. The course runs in schools across the North West and lasts for 6 weeks. The first 5 weeks are a series of workshops held by professional comedian, Sam Avery, concluding with a stand-up show in the 6th week.

The workshops last 2 hours during which the kids will finesse their routines and improve various skills. There can be up to 20 people on the course at a time which means that Sam can give constructive and detailed advice to each student.So far, ‘Stand Out’ has helped 10,000 students realise their creativity and introduced them to the arts.

Over the 6 weeks, we note the progress that the students are making with a particular focus on their: confidence, communication, enjoyment and motivation. At the end of each course, an evaluation report is produced giving an indication of what went well and what can be improved. Stand-up may seem like an untraditional method of getting young people engaged in the arts but comedy and laughter have many benefits that can improve all aspects of life. The course allows students to explore other aspects of the arts as well, such as creative writing and drama.

The Comedy Trust are always working to improve the lives of our participants and enhance opportunities within the arts for all. This is why all four schools currently taking part in our Stand Out programme have been offered the opportunity to become a part of our World War I Comedy Project after being awarded £10,000 from Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). During this time, the students will research and explore key developments and events in popular culture during WWI and the vital role it held both for people at home in Britain and those fighting on the front line.

Students will be learning how to curate their own exciting exhibition at The Museum of Liverpool, develop and perform their own vaudeville piece, film a documentary and work as a team to understand and demonstrate the importance of entertainment and comedy in WWI.

For our regular ‘Stand Out’ course, we can offer an incentive by providing funding to schools who cannot afford the full price. We are able to reduce the price of our course to £900 instead of £1,800. Contact Charlene for more details at: charlene@thecomedytrust.com.

Or you can visit the ‘Stand Out’ page on our website at: http://thecomedytrust.com/courses/schools-and-communities/stand-out/