Lectures on Tap - "A History of Comedy: From Aristophanes to SNL"

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: "A History of Comedy: From Aristophanes to SNL"

🎤 Speaker: Dr. John J. Murphy

Humans have always been ridiculous—and, thankfully, we’ve always been there to laugh about it. In this fast-paced 45-minute tour through the history of comedy, historian and educator Dr. John J. Murphy traces the long, strange journey of what makes us laugh and why it matters.

Travel from ancient Greek and Roman stages, where playwrights gleefully roasted politicians, philosophers, and bodily functions, to the age of jesters, satirists, and fools who risked everything to speak dangerous truths to power. Move into the sharp wit of Voltaire and modern satire, the wild physical chaos of 1920s slapstick film, and today’s sketch comedy, absurdism, memes, and the delicate art of being very, very online.

Along the way, we’ll explore why comedy lives in the tension between entertainment, rebellion, cruelty, and truth—and what our jokes say about us. Dr. Murphy, whose work connects politics, culture, and art, will reveal how humor has reshaped societies, toppled certainties, and kept us laughing at power, the universe, and ourselves.

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.