9/1 (Sat) Xiangsheng(相聲) & Stand-up Comedy (Host: Bernie)

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Bernie Chiu
YOYO member
文章: 3
註冊時間: 週五 8月 10, 2018 12:06 am

9/1 (Sat) Xiangsheng(相聲) & Stand-up Comedy (Host: Bernie)

文章 Bernie Chiu »

Hi everyone! This is Bernie

Did you know about Xiangsheng? It's a traditional Chinese comedic performing arts. Most of the time, it is in the form of duo dialogue between two performers which they talk about literally everything in our daily life and make fun of it. It's not just a fun show to watch, but it also provides a new perspective to social or even political issues and makes audience contemplate and reflect about something.

There's a similar performing arts which is more popular than Xiangsheng in western world called Stand-up Comedy. It's usually performed in one person only and the comedian tells many interesting stories and jokes. Nowadays, there are some people in Taiwan trying to do Stand-up Comedy as well, both in English and Chinese.

Despite there are so many video linked below, most of them are short and relax to watch.

Session 1
Who's on first?
Chinese version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoFhcYw89EE&t=21s
English version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcRRaXV-fg
A classic clip from Comedians Workshop(相聲瓦舍)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-rCP7_ZGJE

1.Share your thoughts and experiences of Xiangsheng or you can talk about the videos provided.
2.Compare Xiangsheng and those political program on TV, which one do you prefer and why? Given that they both comment on social and political issues.
3.Do you feel uncomfortable getting the jokes with the English version despite their speed?

Session 2
Stand-up set by Trevor Noah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v76B8GUYflk
Taiwanese doing stand-up (english)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exw1iM6KMic

1.Do you find these video funny? or you think it's just some manipulation of stereotypes.
2.Can you feel the background characteristic of time when watching these video?
3.what do you think when people in Taiwan seem to enjoy stand-up comedy more than Xiangsheng? Why?

********************************************************************************************************************************************
Agenda:
3:50 ~ 4:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
4:00 ~ 4:20pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
4:20 ~ 5:00pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
5:00 ~ 5:20pm Summarization (20 mins)
5:20 ~ 5:30pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 10 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
5:30~ 6:10pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
6:10~ 6:30pm Summarization / Concluding Remarks / Announcements(20 mins)

********************************************************************************************************************************************
聚會日期:列於該貼文主題內
聚會時間:請準時 4:00 pm 到 ~ 約 6:30 pm 左右結束
星期六聚會地點:丹堤濟南店
地址、電話:台北市濟南路三段25號 地圖 (02) 2740-2350
捷運站:板南線 忠孝新生站 3 號出口
走法:出忠孝新生站 3 號出口後,沿著巷子(忠孝東路三段10巷)走約 2 分鐘,到了濟南路口,左轉走約 2 分鐘即可看到。
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注意事項:
1. 文章是否需要列印請自行斟酌,但與會者請務必自行列印 Questions for discussion。
2. 與會者請先閱讀過文章,並仔細想過所有的問題,謝謝合作!

給新朋友的話:
1. 請事先準備2~3分鐘的英語自我介紹;會議結束前可能會請你發表1~2分鐘的感想。
2. 請事先閱讀文章以及主持人所提的討論問題,並事先寫下自己所欲發表意見的英文。
3. 全程以英語進行,參加者應具備中等英語會話能力,對任一討論問題,能夠以5到10句英文表達個人見解。
4. 在正式加入之前,可以先來觀摩三次,觀摩者亦須參與討論。正式加入需繳交終身會費 NT$1,000。
Iris Wu
YOYO member
文章: 894
註冊時間: 週二 5月 20, 2014 4:33 pm

Re: 9/1 (Sat) Xiangsheng(相聲) & Stand-up Comedy (Host: Bernie

文章 Iris Wu »

Fresh blood, fresh mind! A topic that we did not touch much in the past!

I am nostalgic when I think of Xiangsheng; the image of two persons with heavy Beijing accent making fun of each other using famous historical figures and events pops up in my mind with the background of a stage or TV programs in Chinese New Year eves.
The witty conversation, phrases and self-deprecating humors are something I like in this type of performing arts, maybe because I am too serious, just envy people who can think wildly about everything and put together a series of fun stuff. They are good at dwelling on their own shortcomings and joking about them, and they can “roast” others and amazingly, others receive it with laughter!

Here is one similar to “Who’s on first?” and was out maybe more than a decade ago. Many of you may have seen it, but it still cracks me up every time I watch it, so just to share it one more time:

“HU is leading China!”:
Iris Wu
YOYO member
文章: 894
註冊時間: 週二 5月 20, 2014 4:33 pm

Re: 9/1 (Sat) Xiangsheng(相聲) & Stand-up Comedy (Host: Bernie

文章 Iris Wu »

The other one is a stand-up comedy, I think I shared it before. It was done by Joe Wong, a Chinese immigrant with Ph.D in Biochemistry, but became a stand-up comedian and was invited to RTCA (Radio and TV Correspondents’ Association) annual dinner held in Washington D.C. in 2010:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buSv1jjAels
(*** Complete transcript available in the first comment.***)

Because of cultural, language and political barriers, we may have a bit hard time to appreciate this type of comedy, such as nightly talk shows, but lately I found it is so much easier to follow and enjoy the jokes in these programs (for example, Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show"), and it is all because now they have a common theme, which is roasting Donald Trump! :)

One more, so sorry to spam the forum, but cannot help myself wanting to share, it's fun to watch this one....

A more recent Asian stand-up comedian, Jimmy O. Yang, who plays a role in HBO "Silicon Valley", had a great interview at "Talks at Google". It's a long interview, but I really like his naturally funny story telling about his own journey into this field:
Janice Wang
YOYO member
文章: 79
註冊時間: 週六 3月 25, 2017 7:45 pm

Re: 9/1 (Sat) Xiangsheng(相聲) & Stand-up Comedy (Host: Bernie

文章 Janice Wang »

Bernie,

You really amazed me with your topic selection. It’s hard not to pose a question to you - How did you cross path with this traditional Chinese comedic performing arts? As you are obviously one of the youngest members at YOYO; however, your topic is a perfect reminiscence of some collective fond memory of a sequel- 那一夜,我們說相聲 and evoking my then craze with Xiangsheng!

Looking forward to your debut ,taking us down memory lane with Xiangsheng and exploring the relatively new trend of stand-up comedy tomorrow.
最後由 Janice Wang 於 週五 9月 07, 2018 9:15 pm 編輯,總共編輯了 1 次。
Kooper
YOYO member
文章: 2725
註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: 9/1 (Sat) Xiangsheng(相聲) & Stand-up Comedy (Host: Bernie

文章 Kooper »

This is a hilarious and relaxing topic. Thanks to Bernie, I believe people will have a lot to share, particularly their favorite Xiangsheng plays or stand-up comedies, and we will have much fun today.

I myself couldn’t stop watching Jimmy O. Yang’s interview before bedtime because he's such a funny guy. It also aroused my interest in the HBO series “Silicon Valley,” so I found a YouTube compilation of Jimmy’s best scenes in the series (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JTx8llpBxQ ) to watch. It’s gut-bursting! I will definitely try to find a season of it to binge-watch. As Jimmy didn't have many lines in season one, starting from season two or three might be a better idea. :mrgreen:
Kooper
YOYO member
文章: 2725
註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: 9/1 (Sat) Xiangsheng(相聲) & Stand-up Comedy (Host: Bernie

文章 Kooper »

It was no exaggeration that 那一夜我們說相聲 revived Taiwanese’ interest in the traditional art Xiangsheng and saved it from oblivion. The show, an instant classic, hit the big time and was central to my childhood memory. My brother and I listened to the tapes for so many times that we committed the whole dialogues to memory and could mimic the whole play. My only regret is that I didn't get the opportunity to watch the show in person. :ccry:
Kooper
YOYO member
文章: 2725
註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: 9/1 (Sat) Xiangsheng(相聲) & Stand-up Comedy (Host: Bernie

文章 Kooper »

Attendees(15): Bernie (host), Blithe, Christine Hsiu, , Debby, Gloria, Iris Wu, Jane (newcomer), Janice Wang, Kooper, Luis, Ramesh, Steve Cheng, Tashi, Tim, Way
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