Speakers

Speakers include humorists and entertainers, writers and directors, and psychologists and sociologists. We’ll hear presentations on the role of humor in our mental health and group dynamics, and the creation of humor, and get a chance to test our humor mettle.

Presenters

Keynote Speaker Merrill Markoe

Rod A. Martin, Ph.D.
The Second City
Gary Alan Fine, Ph.D.
John Vorhaus
ComedySportz^TM
Jim Lyttle, Ph.D.
Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D.
Ed Dunkelblau, Ph.D.

After Hours

Rubi Nicholas
"Who Iced the Princes?"
Improv This!
Get involved

Keynote speaker

Merrill Markoe  (bio)

It’s My F---ing Birthday. How to Be Hap-Hap-Happy Like Me. What the Dogs Have Taught Me. These are just a few of the books by Renaissance woman Merrill Markoe: artist, author, screenwriter, actor, and radio talk show cohost. As the original head writer of Late Night with David Letterman, Ms. Markoe garnered five Emmies; as a performer-writer, she earned a Writers Guild Award for Not Necessarily the News (HBO, 1989). You may have seen her in 2005 in The Aristocrats. (Penn Jillette, one of the movie’s executive producers, dubbed her “the smartest aristocrat.”)

To jump-start the weekend and get your di-jest-ive juices flowing, Merrill Markoe will present the keynote address. Gear up for an insider’s view of how to use humor to get your message across and captivate your audience.

Rod A. Martin, Ph.D.  (bio)
Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario, Canada
Current President of ISHS (International Society of Humor Studies)

The Evolutionary Role of Humor

Evidence suggests that humor and laughter are evolved adaptations that likely have contributed to our survival as a species. What is humor? What functions does it serve in human life? Is a sense of humor essential for maintaining one’s sanity in a crazy world?

Dr. Martin will present a conceptual model of humor that incorporates emotional, cognitive, interpersonal, and behavioral aspects. He’ll explore theoretical and empirical evidence for several psychological functions of humor and laughter, pointing to possible evolutionary origins such as the cognitive and social benefits of humor-induced positive emotion, the role of humor in coping with stress and emotion, and its use for interpersonal communication and influence. He’ll discuss some of the implications of these ideas for our personal lives and summarize recent research on the role of humor in mental health, including forms of humor that are potentially detrimental and those that may be beneficial.

Director’s Forum: The interactive analysis and disussion of performance comedy

Watch and learn as directors from The Second City—Chicago’s premier sketch comedy company that launched the careers of such comic greats as John Belushi, Mike Myers, Bill Murray, and Gilda Radner—put professional actors through their paces. See them perform and re-perform sketches… until they’re perfect! You’ll get a step-by-step description of directing decisions—and what works and what doesn’t.

Questions about the direction? Join the post-forum discussion or save your questions for the panel discussion.

Gary Alan Fine, Ph.D.  (bio)
Department of Sociology, Northwestern University
Evanston, Ill.

Joking Cultures: How Groups—Even Mensa—Develop a Humor Identity

Every social group develops, over time, a joking culture: a set of humorous references to which members can refer that serve as the basis of further interaction. Joking, thus, has a historical, retrospective, and reflexive character. Group joking is embedded, interactive, and referential. These features give it power within the group context. Elements of the joking culture serve to smooth group interaction, share affiliation, separate the group from outsiders, and secure the compliance of group members through social control. While such processes describe humor within Mensa meetings, Dr. Fine relies on two detailed examples of continuing joking: one from mushroom collectors and one from professional meteorologists.

John Vorhaus  (bio)
Film and television writer
International creative consultant

John Vorhaus, teacher of numerous aspiring comedians and writer of prime-time sitcoms, will present two programs. In The Comic Toolbox, he will introduce us to his tools, techniques, and tips for writing comedy. Prepare yourself for “rules, tools and a good, swift kick in the motivation.”

Be sure to grab a front-row seat for Vorhaus’s second program, The Comic Toolbox Looks at Coupling. Although the American remake of Stephen Moffatt’s “Coupling” was, well, unfortunate, the British version remains a classic of intricate storytelling, cringe-worthy characterizations, and ultra-high jokes per minute. Unabashed fan John Vorhaus will walk you through a typical episode and reveal such comic secrets as:

• Comedy is truth and pain
• Comic perspective is the engine of character
• A thing isn’t funny to the person it’s happening to
• Inappropriate response drives the jokes

Vorhaus is author of the seminal comedy writing manual, The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You’re Not, as well as Creativity Rules! A Writer’s Workbook. He travels the world teaching and training writers, and has created sitcoms and aided TV program development in 19 countries on four continents. Join John Vorhaus for a raucous look at what some consider the greatest sitcom ever.

ComedySportz^TM   (bio)   

Since 1987, ComedySportz has provided accessible, clean, side-splitting comedy for audiences in Chicago and around the world. The ComedySportz Training Center will present a series of improvisation workshops, giving participants a chance to try their hand (and head) at the art of comedy.

• “Play, Fear, Courage, Truth…You Know, the Easy Stuff.” Improve interpersonal communication, leadership, and general teamwork skills.
• “Yes! And... Creating Your Healthy and Productive Environment.” Discover a healthy and happy alternative to stress management, the spirit of play, and the joy of laughter within a team or group.

Jim Lyttle, Ph.D.  (bio)
Assistant Professor of Management, Long Island University (Brooklyn campus)
Researcher, International Society for Humor Studies

Humor in Advertising: Where’s the Beef?

Humorous ads win Clio awards, but do they deliver sales? The effectiveness of humorous appeals depends mainly on the type of humor used, the type of product being advertised, the medium through which it is being sent, and the demographics of the target market. We know a lot about the demographics of our target markets (but can we afford to offend others who will be exposed to the advertisement?). If the right kind of humor is used to sell the right kind of product to the right target market, it may work. But does it work any better than any other type of appeal, which might be simpler to execute and less risky?

Jim Lyttle has taught organizational behavior at the Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University since 2001, been a researcher affiliated with the International Society for Humor Studies since 1998, and has been a member of Mensa since 1981. His research focuses on the effective and responsible use of humor in persuasion, such as with advertising, teaching, and counseling. He offers an online course for California psychologists on the use of humor in therapy and operates the “Philosophy of Humor” Web site.

Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D.  (bio)
Licensed psychologist and "mirthologist"
Former President of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor

We have all heard that "laughter is the best medicine." Is there evidence to support this widely accepted claim? Learn facts and fiction about the health benefits of humor. Explore the research on the physiological benefits of laughter and learn how therapeutic humor changes cognitions and emotions, resulting in improved health. Steven Sultanoff will present an integrative model that outlines the healing power of humor and strategies to increase your "humor quotient."

Ed Dunkelblau, Ph.D.   (bio) 
Colloquium 2007 Adviser and Panel Discussion Moderator

Ed has been known to state, “Not enough people take humor seriously.” Armed with two master’s degrees and a doctorate, Ed is definitely serious about humor. Ed speaks at venues all over the world about how humor helps us, both physically and psychologically, and how to bring humor into our lives. He works with corporations as well as with school systems, where he develops social and emotional skill-building programs for children in grades K–12.

Ed will moderate the panel discussion that winds up the Colloquium. This discussion by our panel of expert professors, practitioners and creators is your chance to get questions answered from several different perspectives. See how these viewpoints intersect and diverge.

After Hours

Rubi Nicholas  (bio)
Nick at Nite’s Funniest Mom in America

Get up close and personal with Mensan Rubi Nicholas, winner of "Nick at Nite’s Search for the Funniest Mom in America 2," a TV competition similar to “American Idol” for comedians. Ms. Nicholas, a first-generation Muslim of Pakistani descent, was born to a culture steeped in the tradition of the quiet, compliant female, but she broke the mold. In her performances, she demonstrates how her unique point of view, friendly style, sense of timing, and charisma bring people together as they find common ground. Rubi Nicholas’s humor incorporates her ethnic heritage, her family life as a corporate woman whose husband is a stay-at-home father, and the antics of her two little girls. From parents to parenting, culture clashes to kids, Rubi understands what makes us laugh.

"Who Iced the Princes?"  

A history-mystery-comedy by Dave Lloyd (a Mensan) and William Shakespeare (should have been a Mensan).  Based ever-so-loosely on the story of Richard III and the missing Princes in the Tower, the play introduces a cast of suspects, rolls out bad Shakespeare puns — and the mystery is solved by one of Chicago’s Finest, with the help of the audience!

Lloyd also directed and stars in this production of his play.

Improv This! Featuring The Alan Smithee Players  (video)

Improv is about believing in yourself. There’s no time for fear; just jump in with both feet and believe in yourself and your teammates.

Improv is about embracing the unexpected. No script. No plan. No time to prepare. Sometimes the best improv moments come from teammates handing each other the unexpected.

Improv is fun. Enough said.

Our Very Own

Watch Mensans strut their funny stuff in an IQ-studded variety show. Multitudes of others from our ranks will bring out the belly laughs and tickle our funny bone. If you’d like to perform, email Talentherd Mary Redmond Widmar. Tell her you’d like to tell jokes, sing, perform a sketch, do an impersonation, relate your funniest or most embarrassing experiences, or find another way to make us laugh. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!