A childhood with seven siblings and an academic career were the perfect training grounds for stand-up comedy.
In the comedy business, says Associate Professor Justine Rogers, you can’t say that you’ve studied law.
“People think, ‘Oh, not another lawyer who thinks they're funny.’”
Comedy wasn’t a pathway Justine considered while doing her PhD at Oxford, where she completed an anthropological study of barristers in London.
It was after her return to Australia that she first stepped onto the comedy stage while pursuing her academic career with UNSW Law & Justice. Her subsequent adventures in stand-up came as a surprise both to Justine and those who knew her.
“I wasn’t a child who was always on stage. I can’t sing, I can’t act. But when I was at Oxford, I was sometimes asked to do speeches or to host the talent nights because I can riff.”
Justine’s first gig was a competition. Someone else signed her up. It was a thrilling but terrifying experience.
“As I was going up, I was thinking, ‘You must have some self-loathing going on, because it’s crazy that you would do this to yourself.’ At most gigs, you can at least see the first four rows, but this one was pitch black. It felt like I was in this liminal state. I don’t know what kicked in. I just grabbed the mic. I got my first laugh and then thought, ‘I can do this.’”
Justine made it through to the final round, and Kitty Flanagan chose her as Judge’s Pick.
It was the beginning of life, for a few years, as a gigging comedian alongside her academic work.
Community and collaboration on stage and at work
Part of the attraction of comedy, Justine says, is the sense of community and drawing on the energy of other performers and the audience.
“It seems like a very self-absorbed thing – to be on stage with the mic, asking people to look at you. But it’s most enjoyable when I feel like we’re all in it together, me and the audience. I go in thinking, ‘I can’t wait to meet these new friends.’”
Justine says the immediate feedback from audiences is part of the appeal of both stand-up and teaching.
“When you do a journal article, you spend three months to three years writing the paper and going through peer review. I love how in teaching and comedy it’s in the moment.”
Justine’s research and teaching focus on ethics, justice and new technologies. She says she draws energy from the collaborative aspects of that work.
“I like being in a group. I love conversations. I particularly like learning through talking with and observing people.
“I really love when students have breakthroughs. That’s why I love teaching both ethics and theories of justice, because they ask students to reflect on themselves as future lawyers and as moral and political selves.”
Earlier in her career, and with the help of UNSW's Professor Jess Grisham, Justine brought her comedy and academic communities together at a monthly event, Nerd Night.
“I’d get three academics to come and share their work in an accessible way. I wanted to connect with people and make academia less cloistered.”
She produced and hosted a larger version of the event, called Nerd Gala, at the Sydney Comedy Festival in 2013. She was also busy performing her own show.
“The show was about the psychology of shame. It was kind of bookish, but I made it very open and accessible.”
From a tough dinner table crowd to Sydney Town Hall
Justine grew up as a middle child of eight children. It was invaluable experience for life as a comedian.
“I got my 10,000 hours’ practice at a table and having to think of retorts on the spot – being grilled and being roasted. If you could withstand the scrutiny and the teasing of all those people, you could probably manage a crowd on stage.”
Comedy has taken a backseat in recent years after the birth of her daughter and with the demands of her academic career.
Her first step back onto the stage came earlier this year at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, where she appeared in The Great Debate at Sydney Town Hall.
“I was nervous because it was in front of 2000 people, and I felt totally out of how to be a comedian on stage, but I really liked being up there again.”
Justine is slowly starting to write comedy again. She also runs a regular writers’ group to connect with creative people in her community.
“I love creating and making things and seeing them happen. I like to be part of a group – learning together, sharing wins, supporting each other, going to each other’s events, collaborating. That excites me and energises me.”
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Writing is rewriting.
What might surprise your colleagues about you?
I was in a Middle Eastern dance troupe during my overseas studies.
What makes you happy?
Seeing live performances, meeting new people, loose chats with friends, my daughter and our two dogs, writing with my husband, family gatherings, bookstores. And the ocean – always.
What day in your life would you like to relive?
Any day from my time as an exchange student in the South of France at 14. I was out in the world on my own for the first time. Everything felt bright blue and honeyed, and full of possibility.
What’s the best thing you’ve seen in the last year?
Iliza Schlesinger’s stand-up show at the State Theatre. The word-to-laugh ratio was unbelievable.
Main image credit: Jeremy Belinfante
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