{"id":994,"date":"2026-07-29T13:12:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/tbs\/?p=994"},"modified":"2026-07-29T13:12:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:12:58","slug":"what-happens-when-academics-trade-lecture-theatres-for-a-comedy-club-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/tbs\/2026\/07\/29\/what-happens-when-academics-trade-lecture-theatres-for-a-comedy-club-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"What happens when academics trade lecture theatres for a comedy club stage?\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Napier academics take the mic as The Provocateurs returns\u00a0to the Fringe\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since 2013, The Provocateurs\u00a0has\u00a0been doing exactly that as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. The long-running series takes some of Scotland’s leading academics out of lecture theatres and into a comedy club setting, where they transform complex research into entertaining, thought-provoking performances.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This August, several Edinburgh Napier University academics will swap PowerPoints for punchlines as they take to the microphone in the basement of The Stand Comedy Club. Covering topics as varied as artificial intelligence, midwifery, microbiology, wood science and more,\u00a0they’ll\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0that important research\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0always have to be delivered with a straight face.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We do a lot of public speaking on nursing and midwifery history but, this is very different.\u00a0Usually\u00a0we\u00a0have the security of PowerPoint and are behind\/beside a laptop. This time, we have no PowerPoint,\u00a0it’s\u00a0just ourselves, props and walk on music!” – Nicola Ring, Professor of Nursing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Combining expert insight with\u00a0humour, storytelling and sharp observations, these unique shows offer the chance to learn something new while enjoying a few laughs along the way.\u00a0<\/span>
\nFor a full list of Provocateurs shows,\u00a0and to\u00a0purchase\u00a0tickets for any of the events,\u00a0visit The Stand’s official page here:\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs Fringe 2026 – The Stand Comedy Club<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Friday, 7th August<\/strong>:\u00a0What’s\u00a0the point of trees? \/\u00a0Pax Physica<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Dan Ridley Ellis<\/span><\/b>, the Head of the\u00a0Centre for\u00a0Wood Science and Technology\u00a0at the School of Computing, Engineering & The Built Environment,\u00a0asks us about the future of trees in his upcoming set.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“My show is about the various different views on what forests are for – and what is important to consider when thinking about what kinds of trees to be planting for the future.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s\u00a0different from\u00a0his\u00a0normal lectures –\u00a0“It’s some arm-wavey public speaking – but the difference is that this time everyone will be waving their arms!”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

See Dan’s show\u00a0here:\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs: What’s the point of trees? \/ Pax Physica – Edinburgh, 7 Aug 2026 | The Stand<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Friday, 14th\u00a0August<\/strong>:\u00a0Midwife\u00a0crones\u00a0fightback \/ When superbugs kill<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why\u00a0were\u00a0Scottish\u00a0women\u00a0historically\u00a0gatekept from midwifery?\u00a0Professor\u00a0of Nursing\u00a0<\/span>Nicola Ring<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and Midwifery Lecturer\u00a0<\/span>Ness McHugh<\/span><\/b>\u00a0of the School of Health and Social Care\u00a0re-examine this dismissed\u00a0group\u00a0through the story of one Highland Midwife,\u00a0Mrs.\u00a0Christian Cowper.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Women-midwives working in the late 1700s\/early 1800s are portrayed very badly, often called ignorant crones who were said to have risked lives as they were poorly trained.\u00a0We’re\u00a0excited for the audience to hear about\u00a0Mrs.\u00a0Cowper as she challenges this poor\u00a0perception\u00a0and\u00a0represents\u00a0a large number of\u00a0women who were trained by Edinburgh’s man-midwife professors in the 1700s but who are historically invisible.” – Nicola Ring<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the\u00a0show’s\u00a0second act,\u00a0Microbiology\u00a0Professor\u00a0<\/span>Clare Taylor\u00a0<\/span><\/b>of the School of Applied Sciences\u00a0looks\u00a0at what happens when medicine stops working against superbugs.\u00a0Try not to be\u00a0terrified,\u00a0but these superbugs are\u00a0closer than you think.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This show is sold out, but\u00a0tickets for \u201cMidwife\u00a0crones\u00a0fightback\u201d on the\u00a027<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0August\u00a0are available here:\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs: AI & Economics \/ Midwife crones fightback – Edinburgh, 27 Aug 2026 | The Stand<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And\u00a0“When superbugs kill\u201d on the\u00a029<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0August\u00a0are also available:\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs: Hard drugs \/ When superbugs kill – Edinburgh, 29 Aug 2026 | The Stand<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, 16th\u00a0August<\/strong>:\u00a0No\u00a0booze, no boogie? \/\u00a0What\u2019s\u00a0the point of trees?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Dan Ridley Ellis\u00a0<\/span><\/b>returns with his set on the\u00a0future of trees. Get tickets for the show here\u00a0–\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs: No booze, no boogie? \/ What\u2019s the point of trees? – Edinburgh, 16 Aug 2026 | The Stand<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tuesday, 18th\u00a0August<\/strong>:\u00a0Performing Possibility \/ No\u00a0booze, no boogie?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Universities\u00a0promise bright futures, but\u00a0what do they actually deliver?\u00a0Professor<\/span>\u00a0Zack Moir<\/span><\/b>\u00a0is a Lecturer in Music as part of\u00a0the\u00a0School of Arts and Creative Industries.\u00a0He sees how students are encouraged to imagine change, but within a broken system they may not get what they\u00a0believed\u00a0they could.\u00a0Zack explores\u00a0how higher education\u00a0could\u00a0better\u00a0nurture justice\u00a0and\u00a0collaboration\u00a0instead, creating\u00a0a better future.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

See Zack’s show here:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs: Performing Possibility \/ No booze, no boogie? – Edinburgh, 18 Aug 2026 | The Stand<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Monday, 24th\u00a0August<\/strong>:\u00a0Performing Possibility \/ 200 Monks, 1 Dead Frog<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

See Zack’s\u00a0show here:\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs: Performing Possibility \/ 200 Monks, 1 Dead Frog – Edinburgh, 24 Aug 2026 | The Stand<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thursday, 27th\u00a0August<\/strong>:\u00a0AI & Economics \/ Midwife\u00a0crones\u00a0fightback<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AI was promised to boost productivity,\u00a0wages\u00a0and make better jobs, but the reality is much more nuanced.<\/span>\u00a0Elena\u00a0Papagiannaki<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0Lecturer in Economics\u00a0from the School of Applied Sciences, cuts through the noise to see who is benefitting, where the job losses are coming from, and what is\u00a0actually becoming\u00a0“AI-washed”.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the second act,\u00a0<\/span>Nicola Ring<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Ness McHugh<\/span><\/b>\u00a0return for Midwife crones\u00a0fight\u00a0back.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Get your tickets\u00a0to Eleni,\u00a0Nicola\u00a0and Ness’ show\u00a0here:\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs: AI & Economics \/ Midwife crones fightback – Edinburgh, 27 Aug 2026 | The Stand<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday, 29th\u00a0August<\/strong>:\u00a0Hard drugs \/ When superbugs kill<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

See\u00a0Clare’s show\u00a0here:\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs: Hard drugs \/ When superbugs kill – Edinburgh, 29 Aug 2026 | The Stand<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, 30th August:<\/strong> AI & Economics \/ Forensic\u00a0jewellery<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

See\u00a0Elena’s show here:\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs: AI & Economics \/ Forensic jewellery – Edinburgh, 30 Aug 2026 | The Stand<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For a list of all shows, including more sets\u00a0from Edinburgh Napier University academics, you can visit The Stand’s event page here:\u00a0<\/span>The Provocateurs Fringe 2026 – The Stand Comedy Club<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Napier academics take the mic as The Provocateurs returns\u00a0to the Fringe\u00a0 Since 2013, The Provocateurs\u00a0has\u00a0been doing exactly that as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. The long-running series takes some of Scotland’s leading academics out of lecture theatres and into a…
Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[109],"tags":[242,243],"class_list":["post-994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-edinburgh-fringe","tag-provocateurs"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat happens when academics trade lecture theatres for a comedy club stage?\u00a0\u00a0 - The Business School<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/tbs\/2026\/07\/29\/what-happens-when-academics-trade-lecture-theatres-for-a-comedy-club-stage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What happens when academics trade lecture theatres for a comedy club stage?\u00a0\u00a0 - The Business School\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Napier academics take the mic as The Provocateurs returns\u00a0to the Fringe\u00a0 Since 2013, The Provocateurs\u00a0has\u00a0been doing exactly that as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. 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