Failing an exam at The University of Queensland is no laughing matter.
That is, unless the failed exam is being lampooned and parodied to a packed Schonell Theatre in the annual Corrs Chambers Westgarth UQ Law Revue.
Every year, the revue has thousands of law students, alumni, legal professionals and members of the public chortling, and in 2010 it won Australia’s best university law revue sketch.
This year, GPA V: The UQ Law Revue, is set to be another evening of clever humour, if its Behind the Seens preview video is a guide.
However, revue convenor and fourth year Law and Journalism student James Jessup said the production had a serious side for law students, with their notoriously demanding workload.
“Legal students suffer rates of depression three times higher than those of other students,” he said.
“The UQ Law Revue plays a vital role in fostering a positive environment. It definitely has a grounding effect on those who sometimes get lost in the competitiveness of the degree.”
Mr Jessup said it was ironic that a serious area of study like law continuously produced people who went on to careers in professional comedy.
“Nearly every Australian comedian was a law student,” he said.
The 2015 revue video director Nicki Murray said the production highlighted the importance of recognising the shared difficulties of studying law.
“Seeing the everyday stresses of law school parodied on stage and in videos shows students that they aren't alone, and it can really make students feel part of the law school community,” Ms Murray said.
“Plus, a good belly laugh is a great way to boost mental health – laughing releases a lot of feel-good endorphins!”
The production involves an extensive cast, a video team, a band, backstage assistants, set builders and costume and make-up artists, who all come together to form a tight-knit community.
Past revue audiences have been graced with the presence of “Tony Abbott”, “Kim Jong-Un” and “Snoop Dogg”. So, what can audiences expect this year?
“Absolute hilarity,” Mr Jessup said.
“We have a lot of jokes on politics and observational humour. We have an amazing band, and each one of our chorus members sings better than Susan Boyle.
“Our videos have a high production value this year as we are now partnered with College Humor Australia.” (Watch here: GPA V: The UQ Law Revue, Behind the Seens of the Music Video).
“We are working on making our content relatable to all students,” Mr Jessup said.
GPA V: The UQ Law Revue will play at the Schonell Theatre 18-21 August. Book tickets here.
Media: James Jessup, j.jessup@uqls.com or Shannan Casey, s.casey@uqls.com
