When people first hear the name Humourversity, they often think it’s a joke. However they soon realise that the concept of 'higher education for humour' is only slightly ridiculous, and actually makes a surprising amount of sense.
The Humourversity offers genuinely unique and comprehensive training programs designed to change how people think about humour, comedy and laughter. From stand-up and public speaking to the development of a natural sense of humour, our programs combine structured learning, industry-informed knowledge and easy-to-learn techniques with live, interactive opportunities to apply them in a creative, non-judgemental environment.
New Chapter
For more than 50 years, the Humourversity existed almost entirely offline, built around live teaching, practical experience and Pete Crofts’ extraordinary body of humour knowledge.
Now, the Humourversity is evolving with new facilitators, digital learning resources and an expanding list of programs. What began as Pete’s one-man mission is now growing into a broader, collaborative home for humour education.
Pete Crofts - Founder
Pete Crofts left home at 18 to pursue comedy, working as a butcher by day and a joke-teller by night, before comedy clubs existed in Australia. He travelled the country, became a legend of comic legend in Kings Cross and appeared on TV many times, including The Don Lane Show and The Mike Walsh Show.
In 1973, Pete opened the world’s first bookshop devoted to humour, comedy and laughter. The shop became something much bigger. Over the next 50 years, he built one of Australia’s most respected comedy institutions. He spoke at humour conferences and international events such as the World Masters of Business, and trained iconic comedians including Russell Gilbert, Rachel Berger, Tim Smith, the late Dave Grant, Elliot Goblet and many more.
Pete and the Humourversity have also featured in articles by The Age, The Financial Review, Beat Magazine and many more. While no longer teaching, Pete remains active in an advisory role, while continuing to shape the broader direction of the Humourversity.
Gavin Baskerville - Program Director
Gavin Baskerville has been dishing out jokes for more than 27 years. Born in Perth and based in Melbourne since 2000, he cut his teeth in iconic rooms including The Espy and The Prince Patrick Hotel, developing the dark-edged wit and joyously sardonic style that have made him a well-respected favourite of the Australian comedy circuit.
His comedy moves easily from sharp social commentary to ridiculous anecdotes and silly puns. He has appeared on The Comedy Channel, The Project and Sunrise, worked as a script consultant on the feature film The Merger, and performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Hobart Comedy Festival and Perth Fringe World.
Since 2007, Gavin has taught stand-up workshops around Australia, helping nervous first-timers and experienced comics develop their writing, performance and stage confidence. He now brings that experience to the Humourversity's growing team.
Thomas Langley - Creative Director
Thomas first came to Humourversity as a student in 2001 and started performing stand-up the following month. He went on to perform regularly across Melbourne & Sydney at venues like the Comic Lounge, Last Laugh Comedy Club, as well as Comedy Festival shows at the Athenaeum Theatre, and being the MC for sizeable events such as Earthdance, Rainbow Serpent Festival and Menergy.
His comedy experience is complemented by a strong commercial background in sales and business development, program design and community engagement. He holds a Diploma of Transpersonal Counselling which also informs his sense of humour and approach to facilitation & coaching.
Thomas is a creative and visionary in his own right, being one of the first people to recognise Humourversity’s broader vision and the unique skills and perspectives it has to share with generations, now and to come. Like Pete, he sees a world where every major city has a Humourversity.