UNE joins community groups in anti-violence initiative

December 04, 2007

The University of New England's School of Health is collaborating with local community groups in treating the disease of domestic violence with a dose of laughter.

In association with the Armidale Domestic Violence Steering Committee, Armidale and District Women's Centre and the Armidale Women's Comedy Festival, the School is presenting "The Healthy Relationships Comedy Show" in Armidale on Saturday 8 December. This presentation – a not-for-profit community initiative – will form part of the international campaign "16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence".

The Head of the School of Health, Associate Professor Jeanne Madison, said that, in addition to such practical involvement with community groups, the School was involved in research directed towards the prevention of violence in interpersonal relationships. "This is a substantial area of research interest for several of the School's staff and postgraduate students," she said.

While involving some UNE staff members behind the scenes, "The Healthy Relationships Comedy Show" will bring others out onto the stage. Jennifer Greaney (pictured here), an Associate Lecturer in UNE's School of Law, will perform stand-up comedy as part of the program, and Diana Helmrich from UNE's Information Technology Service Desk will act as Stage Manager.

"The Healthy Relationships Comedy Show" will be in the Auditorium at Armidale's C.B. Newling Centre ("the Old Teachers' College") at 2 pm on Saturday. Heading the bill will be the well-known performer and writer Denise Scott, winner of the The Age Critics' Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2003 and familiar to many from the ABC television program Spicks and Specks. The program will also include a stand-up performance by UNE Arts graduate Julie Brown.

Jennifer Greaney is a relative newcomer to stand-up comedy. Her first performance was in the 2006 Armidale Women's Comedy Festival, and she has since performed in the Armidale season of short plays called "Favourite Shorts", and at the Roxbury Hotel's "Comedy on the Rox" in Sydney. Later this year she will be working as a Mistress of Ceremonies at Queensland's Woodford Folk Festival.

Julie Brown's hilarious takes on husbands, children, poverty, religion, tertiary education and mental health have made her highly sought-after as a performer. She believes that humour is essential to everyone's mental health because, as she says, "laughter releases joy juices that are an incomparable antidote to negativity, anxiety and pessimism".

For more information on "The Healthy Relationships Comedy Show", contact Angie Smith in UNE's School of Health on (02) 6773 3676 or 0447 334 009. Tickets are available from Angie Smith (e-mail: asmith1@une.edu.au) and Jennifer Greaney (Phone: 02 6773 2282, e-mail: jgreane2@une.edu.au) as well as from Good Vibes Music and the Armidale and District Women's Centre.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at December 4, 2007 04:14 PM