Confidence in the face of high expectations

“Smart but not elite, shocking but not crass, and cheap but not cheaply done. Think Monty Python or Fry and Laurie: the kind of comedy that the Brits have been making us laugh at for decades.”

That’s how Heli Simpson – University of Melbourne medical alumna, seasoned performer and director of sketch comedy troupe Boss Octopus – describes the posse’s style of entertainment. 

In April, Dr Simpson, medical students Will Burrage and Yianni Efstathiadis, engineering student Clifford Myers and science alumnus Nathan Murfey ditched their stethoscopes, microscopes and scrubs to make their comic debut at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The ensemble formed after Burrage, Efstathiadis and Murfey performed together in last year’s ‘Med Medleys’ Medical Revue: a musical sketch comedy show performed and produced by students steeped in the rich history of the Melbourne Medical School. Mr Efstathiadis directed last year’s show and played an instrumental role in bringing together the Boss Octopus team to perform in the MICF. 

“We were all suffering post-revue depression – a real condition – and we thought it would be fun to do a raw, sketch comedy act in the Comedy Festival to test ourselves,” he says. “Heli had directed the 2011 Revue and we have continued to collaborate since. It all just came together.”

Dr Simpson points out there is a strong history of great comedy acts coming out of universities, due in part to an established culture of creative collaboration across disciplines. 

“Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) started performing at Oxford University’s club shows and Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson all started out at Cambridge,” says Simpson. “Rob Sitch started in the Melbourne University Law Revue, and describes university revues as ‘giant breeding grounds for upcoming comic writers and performers’ – which sounds about right.”

Dr Simpson graduated from the MBBS in 2011 and is now working in obstetrics and gynecology at the Mercy Hospital for Women. She is is a seasoned theatre and television performer and something of an anomaly in the medical profession, best known for playing Veronica di Angelo in ABC’s The Saddle Club for three years during high school. 

Throughout the years Dr Simpson has juggled her passion for science and biology with her love of writing, performing and producing comedy. She landed her first major television role when she was 13, later guest-starring on several adult dramas including Blue Heelers and Stingers. At the age of 17, she returned to school full-time to focus on her VCE. Academically gifted, she was accepted into the highly competitive training program for the International Biology Olympiad. During this program she was mentored by several medical students and found herself fascinated and challenged by the material – an experience that ultimately influenced her decision to pursue a career in medicine.

Dr Simpson insists she has found many parallels between the medical profession and the worlds of comedy and theatre. Although she finds it incredibly challenging to balance her rigorous schedule and long hours as a medical resident with her comedy performances, she says she also finds these parallels beneficial to her work in both fields. 

“If you’re going to walk onto a stage, the audience is going to expect you to be impressive and entertain them. The only way you will succeed is to bubble with confidence. The same goes for when you are seeing a patient. The patient, their family, and I’d go so far as to say society in general, have high expectations of you. Fake or real, you have to convince them of your confidence to be able to get through.”

In the near future, the talented group has its sights firmly set on one thing: a good night’s sleep. After that, the group is looking ahead to other opportunities to perform – on any stage. 

“I never want to stop performing. In fact, I keep trying to think of ways to squeeze more of it into my life,” Dr Simpson says. “At the moment I’m fascinated by the field of obstetrics and gynecology – a very dramatic field, it should be said.”

www.bossoctopus.com