Learn comedy: help keep dementia at bay

Does dementia scare the bejesus out of you? *

Join Australia's most loved comedy coach, Bradford Oakes, and me Creativity's Midwife, to learn comedy writing techniques that turn your life experiences and observations into fun stories that bring joy to others.

Learn comedy: help keep dementia at bay is a unique comedy workshop designed to help you find your inner funny.

Reap the benefits of comedy writing, editing, theatrical improvisation, and stand-up comedy performance for your mental health and wellbeing.

Laughing, and making other people laugh, is not just good for your soul by fostering connection, empathy and warm fuzziness, it can also improve your brain and heart health.

Join us to put the WE back into Wellness!

*No offence intended to bejesuses or other deities.

The (not so) fine print:

• This 2-hour workshop is being offered as a "taster" ie; a tasty, morsel-sized sample of a longer personal development program in 2026
• Free and exclusive for people aged 55 years and over as part of the City of Port Phillip Seniors Festival 2025
• You don't need to live or work in the City of Port Phillip to attend
• No writing or performance experience is required. The only prerequisite is life experience
• Maximum 20 participants to ensure the workshop is interactive and fun

There are more answers to your questions in the FAQ section (keep scrolling past the photos)

Workshop Benefits

• Expert guidance: Led by experienced comedy coach Bradford Oakes

• Creative writing: Through the sharing of basic joke writing skills, participants learn techniques to transform personal experiences into joyful, shareable stories
• Health & wellbeing: Laughter fosters connection, empathy, curiosity, compassion and self-compassion
• Learn something new: Learning supports brain and heart health
• Communication skills: Gain confidence in conversations and witty banter

• Community: Make new friends in a supportive, fun, and inclusive environment
• Free and obligation free! (Attendees of Brad's comedy masterclasses usually pay $50 - $100. Just saying, this is an extremely good deal)

About the workshop trainer, Bradford Oakes:

Brad is a comedian, director, writer, teacher, comedy career coach, and public speaker.

A veteran of the Australian comedy scene, Brad has trained everyone from absolute beginners to some of Australia’s best-known comics. Over his 35 year career in comedy, he has heard more bad jokes than he has had hot breakfasts.

Brad is a man with a huge heart and has helped thousands of people find their inner funny.

He still gets a natural high from performing stand-up and is proud of all his students, especially those who have become more famous than him.

Read more: https://app.milestonespage.com/bradoakes-OVU1/profile/61

and: https://www.wordsworthproductions.com.au/brad-oakes/

Content warning

• Occasional course language

Banner photos by Michael Reynolds

About the event organiser

The workshop is produced and presented by me, Creativity's Midwife; I help bring creative projects to life.

After 35 years of working in arts marketing and communications, I have become a fledgling social entrepreneur to co-design and deliver impactful arts programs that enhance mental health and wellbeing. Throughout my events, I strive to put the “we” back into wellness!

For those who are insatiably curious, check out my LinkedIn profile.

I love to create and facilitate experiential events that foster community, healing, and peer support.

From December 2022 to June 2023 I ran 3 events playfully titled Friends: Cheaper than Therapy.

The fun and inclusive events combined elements of comedy, music, peer-support workshops, and an interactive Q&A to engage people of all backgrounds and ages in sharing their stories, challenges, and insights. My events are based on the premise that mental health and wellbeing are enhanced by a sense of belonging, purpose, and laughter; wisdom gained from past generations, and embedded in the cultures of our First Nations people.

Here are some photos of the first Friends: Cheaper than Therapy event featuring actor, director and comedian Claire Pearson held at Nice Guys Brewpub, Richmond, on 2 December 2022.

Photos by Stephen Beaumont

Below are links to some of my favourite helpful resources and evidence-based research from reliable Australian and international experts.

The Dementia Guide, 4th Edition, 2022, Dementia Australia

The Dementia Guide is the go-to resource for people living with dementia, their carers and family. Download, listen or order a free printed copy.

https://www.dementia.org.au/get-support/dementia-guide

ARA Wellness Guide, Alzheimer’s Research Australia

Learn how to reduce your risk of developing dementia and give your brain health a boost!

https://alzheimersresearch.org.au/wellnessguide/

Stand up for dementia: Performance, improvisation and stand up comedy as therapy for people with dementia; a qualitative study

J.Stevens, Southern Cross University, NSW

Dementia 11(1) 61–73, January 2012

(originally published online 22 September 2011)

The aim of this qualitative study was to describe and investigate the effects of a programme of stand up comedy and improvisation workshops on people with early stage dementia. Interviews from participants, their carers, and the comedian facilitator were analysed using constant comparative analysis. The findings indicated that dementia did not prevent participants from laughing appropriately or successfully creating and performing comedy. The data suggest that the programme may have therapeutic benefits as improvements in memory, learning, sociability, communication and self esteem were demonstrated. The study also develops a set of hypotheses for further research which includes: that active participation by people with dementia in performing to create laughter is more beneficial therapeutically than passively induced laughter.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254085798_Stand_up_for_dementia_Performance_improvisation_and_stand_up_comedy_as_therapy_for_people_with_dementia_a_qualitative_study

“Beyond laughter”: a systematic review to understand how humour interventions aid mental health and wellbeing

This comprehensive review synthesizes current research and concludes that humor interventions, including comedy-based activities, offer notable benefits for mental health recovery and general wellbeing, which are factors known to support cognitive function in aging populations.

Front. Psychol., 07 August 2023, Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings

Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1161703

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1161703/full

Humor and laughter in persons with cognitive impairment and their caregivers

This review explores the role of humor and laughter in adapting to cognitive decline, advocating for more holistic, multi-modal interventions—including the learning of comedy as a proactive tool for quality of life and possible cognitive protection.

Liptak A, Tate J, Flatt J, Oakley MA, Lingler J. Humor and laughter in persons with cognitive impairment and their caregivers. J Holist Nurs. 2014 Mar;32(1):25-34. doi: 10.1177/0898010113500075. Epub 2013 Aug 7. PMID: 23926217; PMCID: PMC4006667. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4006667/resources

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