Research Report

Giuliana Montes | 42501962

MECO211: Research Report

Peter Doyle | Fri 3pm – 5pm

Giuliana Montes | 42501962MECO211: Research Report

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1. Objective:

My final creative arts journalism article will profile Sydney amateur comedian Victor Lee in

light of his upcoming solo debut show featuring as a part of Sydney Fringe Comedy. The

central theme of the article will be upon Lee’s comedic practice and its interplay with his

professional career in physiotherapy and rehabilitation. As I discovered when interviewing

him, his main motivation for performing stand up stems from the empowerment which

laughter, positivity and happiness can provide to people (ie. the various patients he has seen)

during difficult times. The article will explore how Lee’s comedy routine for his upcoming

show, and how his creative practices in general, are all founded upon creating a relationship

with the audience which goes beyond simply entertaining; it’s to promote messages of

positivity and mental wellbeing in the face of life’s challenges.

2. Research Portfolio

I have collated various pieces of research in this research portfolio which will aid me in

writing the final article in terms of themes and writing structure/style.

Interview with Victor Lee

The focus/angle of my article derives from the interview which I conducted. He was very

sincere in the answers he gave, which could possibly allow me to take a more emotive/

personable approach to writing this article. I would like to include his personal values which

influence his comedic practice and vice-versa – since within his creative process they’re both

so intertwined. As being a comedian is not his primary profession, it was interesting to note

how he related his experiences as a comic to everyday situations – situations which his own

audience (and my audience for my final article) would be able to relate to.

Demetri Martin – ‘If I’ Comedy Routine

I conducted research upon another comedian with similar creative practices. Lee spoke about

the importance of structure in his comedic practice and how his upcoming show explores a

single theme through following this structure – similarly, this comedy routine “If I” came to

mind. As I haven’t been to see Lee’s own show yet, this was a good exercise in observing

how comedy routines are constructed around the idea of communicating a single, overt idea

to audiences.


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Australian Comedy Reviews

Reading these two comedy reviews of Australian comedians (one who performed in Australia

and the other overseas and reviewed by The Guardian US) has been helpful in discerning

what are the more precise technical elements to be aware of when writing about comedy

shows. They particularly focused on how the comedian performs on stage, their relationship

with the audience, and comedic style.

Can Too & Sydney Fringe Comedy

Conducted background research upon two basic yet important elements of my final article –

Can Too (the charity which Lee is raising money for with his show) and Sydney Fringe

Comedy which is hosting Lee’s show. Although I will be writing about them in reference to

Lee, I want to ensure I am including accurate information.

The Venue – The Factory Theatre

This will be the venue for Lee’s first solo show. I have been to this venue before and included

brief notes about the space from my memory. I conducted further research in the form of

venue reviews and sourced some photos. Especially since it is his first show, I believe writing

about the venue as a space which holds both the performer and audience will be essential.

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

I researched the scientific relationship which laughter has with promoting health and

wellbeing. As my article will focus upon how the catalyst of Lee’s comedic practice is his

professional career, I would like to present an informed viewpoint (although not necessarily

heavy with facts/statistics) when exploring how laughter can act as therapy. My research

presents the general physical benefits of laugher, as well as ‘laughter therapy’ as a practice by

the Cancer Treatment Centre of America.

3. Further Research

I will be able to conduct further research in the form of taking field notes on location and

performance when I attend Lee’s show at the Factory Theatre this coming weekend (Saturday

September 26).


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Interview with Comedian – Victor Lee

[23:25]

G: Like how you were saying before, you have your friends who support

you, and you also said you found comedy as a way to help other people.

But, in any way, has this experience helped you so far develop as a

person?

V: Yeah, that’s a very good question because I keep saying to my family

and my friends that I’m so fortunate enough to be able to be up on stage

to do comedy. I’ve learnt so much from that. Like, I can still remember,

when I first started, I would always panic right before I went on stage.

Now, I still have it, but it’s not as much anymore. And I can even see…

before we used to write everything on a piece of paper, and then we’d

hopefully cram it all. Now, it’s a matter of understanding the audience in

the first place and being able to perform. It’s kind of hit and miss,

sometimes you miss it. To know my material well, to be able to make

people laugh, but also engage with the audience. What I’m trying to say

there is I learnt all these skills through comedy and I can transfer them to

my life. It’s to be able to talk to a stranger. To be able to make someone

happy. To be able to understand the situation there… how can I be able

to get myself out to them without coming across as negative? How can I

work with someone who I don’t enjoy the company of? Knowing what we

want and… having the capacity to walk away from some situations. Most

of the time in our lives we don’t have to get involved in an argument, and

it’s to know and appreciate how to handle them.


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But also on more superficial terms, I feel like my memory span has

increased, ‘cause now I can remember stuff from uni, and I’m able to

study better.

G: At the moment, with what your goals are as a comedian, what do you

find is the biggest challenge for you?

V: The biggest challenge is initially to… let me have a think. I have to

say that the biggest challenge – this is for myself – there are different

layers of challenge. I think the biggest challenge for myself is to step

outside my comfort zone. And the reason why I’m saying this is we might

put our material out there and think that it’s funny. But it’s not – it might

not happen all the time. So we have to get out of our comfort zone to

accept ourselves. Just, “Okay, this isn’t funny. What do I have to do?

Work on the material, or let the material go?” A lot of comics said to me

“First of all, you need to believe in yourself and believe in your material”.

Yes, there are ways to sharpen it. But a lot of the time, and this is what I

see, people come to the show… the audience is so smart. They can

sense it if you’re not confident in your material. They can sense it

straight away. And they won’t laugh because in their head they say “Is

that right? I’m not sure.”

So how can we ensure that we’re comfortable with ourselves? Because

most of the time we aren’t. We might put ourselves into danger, or be

with someone who we don’t like. So what we need to do is step outside

of our comfort zones to share our love to the others. And that’s what I’ve

learnt from my life… to share, to be able to get ready to love others.

When we’re in that zone, we let ourselves go. It becomes easier. We


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don’t have our pride – it’s all about connecting. It’s all about being

united, being one.

That’s why I say it can be superficial, or it can be deep. Some people

can say the biggest challenge is promoting my show. Yes, it is. But on a

deeper level, it’s about how can I get myself out of my comfort zone to

show it to the others, to let myself go and say “hey, this is my show,

come over and see it!”. And that’s one of the challenges, to get out of my

comfort zone. Being on stage is one thing, like now I have mentally

prepared myself to be on stage because I know this is a show and I

have to believe that this is the show where I can share this love with

everyone who attends.

The audience, they come along, they might get a message from there

that they will pass along to other people so that they know how to

appreciate life in a happier way.

[32:01] V: A lot of comics they do it with a purpose as well. I truly believe,

I can’t speak on behalf of anyone, that they all want to make people

happy. And that’s the goal. Some of them, they might want to make

themselves happy, but at the same time the by-product is that people

laugh. When people laugh, it implies that they enjoy it. Like regardless if

it’s offensive comedy, dark comedy, as soon as they laugh, endorphins

go to their head, and it helps them enjoy life, their present stage, just a

bit more. We can see that when someone is happy, they can get through

things a bit easier.

Stand Up Comedy Show: “If I”, Demetri Martin, 2004


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49 min approx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU3vqkPFJi8

This show is based on a long

‘storytelling’ structure ie. the comedian dissects and reflects upon his entire life to better understand a central theme

His professional life (as a lawyer) was the catalyst for his comedy career

Is an example of how comedy routines can be structured in a way which involves the audience – ie. Demetri Martin is overtly guiding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU3vqkPFJi8


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the audience through a step by step process

Similar subject matter: existentialist ponderings searching for meaning in human existence (again, to spread this message to audiences)

As a performer onstage was relaxed and ‘sharing’ with audience personal experiences rather than ‘telling’ them conclusions

The following quote exemplifies how Martin takes a very structured approach in his routine to guide the audience through his thought processes – it is humorous as much as it is thought provoking.

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates said that, over 2000 years ago. And I agree with him. I would just add, “Man.” “The unexamined life is not worth living, man.” Because that hits me here. But when you do examine life, can you go too far? How much is too much, man? That’s the question I had to ask myself recently. Because in examining my life, I got carried away.

You see, some people are passionate about money, or power. Other people are into sex, or cats. While I like three of those things, my passion is for something less tangible. I love figuring things out. The process of exploring a possibility to discover something new, that’s my passion. That’s a simple pleasure I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid. But recently things got complicated. That’s what I want to talk about tonight.

This is a story about what happens when one man’s obsessive analytical mind goes too far and turns on itself. My story starts with one little word, ‘if’, and one medium sized person, ‘I’. If I this statement, if implying possibility. “I” implying Demetri. Because you see, it’s in the “if” that I seem to have lost and then rediscovered the “I”. To put it another way, I figured, since I don’t have a job, or a girlfriend, or much going on back in my flat, why not write an entire show about one word? “If”.


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Australian Comedy Reviews

Clark, L. (2015). Geraldine Hickey – Winner! | Squirrel Comedy. [online] Squirrelcomedy.com. Available at: http://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=9243 [Accessed 20 Sep. 2015].

This article was useful as it helped me consider:

How to describe the comedian as a performer on stage and ‘liveness’

How they interact with the audience, what type of relationship is created

Important to take note of interaction with hecklers, interruptions, non-responsive audiences etc.

“She’s an expert at putting the audience at ease, with relaxed funny banter and pertinent questions that engage, add to the concept of the show and help fill that time when people are settling in. When some audience members arrive really late she manages with ease, asking them what they would do if they won lotto and gradually brings things back to where she’d left off in her tale.”

Logan, B. (2015). Ronny Chieng review – a joyless journey through everyday rage. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/sep/03/ronny-chieng-comedy-review-soho-theatre-a-joyless-journey-through-everyday-rage [Accessed 20 Sep. 2015].

Note how show is structured What is expected by comedian of audience, how comedian and

audience relationship is pursued Cohesion of show in terms of subject matter – fluidity of each act Comedic style/technique

“For the first half of the gig, there’s minimal sense that this is a persona, a caricature of mean spirit. On the contrary, Chieng seems to expect us to laugh with rather than at him as he berates, more or less at random, Occupy protestors, the concept of Valentine’s day, and anyone concerned about data privacy. The repeated trick is to misrepresent things that “stupid” people might say…”


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Can Too

Can Too is the charity for cancer research, prevention and treatment which Lee is raising money for through his show. He has been involved with them over the past 3 years, most notably as a trainer for people who wish to fundraise through participating in events (ie. marathons, half-marathons).

Source: www.cantoo.org.au/about

Sydney Fringe Comedy

Fringecomedy.com.au, (2015). Fringe Comedy. [online] Available at: http://fringecomedy.com.au/ [Accessed 20 Sep. 2015].

Co-running event of Sydney Fringe Festival Largest independent arts festival in NSW Every September, annually Running for 6 years

All Fringe Comedy shows will take place at the Factory Theatre 1 Sept – 4 Oct 130+ shows

http://www.cantoo.org.au/about


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Venue: The Factory Theatre

I have been to this venue twice: once for a comedy show a few years ago, and again more recently in August when I attended a concert.

Most memorable details include:

Simple, small sized venue which creates an intimate atmosphere The small area outside where there’s a food truck, a beer garden

with fairylights hanging above, and a few bar tables and stools The heavy black curtain which creates a hallway and divides the

main concert room from the exits – this creates traffic as everyone tries to leave at the end of the night!

Couches which line the back of the room that were always full during support acts

Dim lighting, carpeted floor

I will take further field notes when I return for the comedy show.

The Factory Theatre Venue Reviews:

Palathingal, G. (2010). Sydney venues that rock your world. [online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/sydney-venues-that-rock-your-world-20101111-17p0m.html [Accessed 20 Sep. 2015].

Time Out Sydney, (2015). The Factory Theatre. [online] Available at: http://www.au.timeout.com/sydney/music/venues/224/the-factory-theatre [Accessed 20 Sep. 2015].

Venue is renowned for hosting local acts – typically music gigs and comedy acts

“Versatile spaces” “Feels a bit more like a big uni bar rather than a gig venue” Capacity: 350 seated, 800 standing


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The Factory Theatre: Inside the venue space, and the venue’s entrance. Images sourced from: www.au.timeout.com

http://www.au.timeout.com/


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‘Laughter is the best medicine’

Within my article I intend to explore the scientifically proven health benefits of laughing/ engaging in stimulating positive behaviour in relation to Victor Lee’s comedic practice and professional career. While I will not be focusing on statistics and data as such, I intend to enhance the angle of my article with background knowledge of the scientific links between health/wellbeing and comedy.

Smith, M. and Segal, J. (2015). Laughter is the Best Medicine: The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter. [online] Helpguide.org. Available at: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/emotional-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm [Accessed 20 Sep. 2015].

This health website listed the physical benefits of laughter:

Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

Cancercenter.com, (2015). Laughter Therapy: Cancer Treatment Centers of America. [online] Available at: http://www.cancercenter.com/treatments/laughter-therapy/ [Accessed 20 Sep. 2015].

The Cancer Treatment Center of America utilises ‘laughter therapy’ for their patients. It involves going through the physical processes of laughing (replicating sound and


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body movements) in order to produce the health benefits which laughter brings – the body cannot discern ‘real’ laughter from ‘fake’ laughter.

Key points of information:

“Laughter therapy, also called humor therapy, is the use of humor to promote overall health and wellness. It aims to use the natural physiological process of laughter to help relieve physical or emotional stresses or discomfort.”

“Over the years, researchers have conducted studies to explore the impact of laughter on health. After evaluating participants before and after a humorous event (i.e., a comedy video), studies have revealed that episodes of laughter helped to reduce pain, decrease stress-related hormones and boost the immune system in participants.”

…not on humor or jokes, but rather on laughter as a physical exercise. One group laughter exercise involves patients standing in a circle, with the leader in the middle. Patients put their fingertips on their cheekbones, chest or lower abdomen and make “ha ha” or “hee hee” sounds until they felt vibrations through their bodies. Dr. Puckett says during these exercises, it is hard for people not to join in because laughter is so contagious.

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