EdFringe Talk: Perrin Pang – Here Lies

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“I love writing comedy and I suck at writing.”

WHO: Perrin Pang

WHAT: “2023 sees the debut of wannabe comedian Perrin Pang, as he performs his first written stand-up comedy musical bullshit that is nowhere as good as the top comedians in the field. Still, if you would like to see his struggle in this stand-up performance about the importance of lying down please come, it’s your funeral. Reviews: ‘What is stand-up’ (Mom). ‘This is a show where you simply have to sit through’ (My best friend Daniel). ‘Woof’ (Greg the dog while rolling on the floor).”

WHERE: theSpaceTriplex – Studio (Venue 38) 

WHEN: 20:35 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes it is my first time at the fringe.

As a wannabe comedian, my first experience at the fringe taught me a lot about how to make myself into an organised bitch. Organisation is key to making your show stand out. Finding the correct venue and time is hard because we have no experience in the fringe . After like 2 weeks here, we finally are able to pick up what we should have done but it’s too late. Oh well, it’s an experience. Marketing is also an element We are trying to learn, like what kind of flyers are you putting out, what kind of people are putting out (there’s literally a naked guy handing out flyers) etc.

Edinburgh is a fantastic architectural city, with amazing sunset and shitty rain. I do prefer this weather more than slimy hot humid Hong Kong however, as the cool breeze doesn’t make me sweat. The food is better than I thought, the shops are amazing, you can find icecream and cheese at the reasonable prize everywhere, that’s the dream.

I met a lot of people these past weeks maybe will turn into life long friends depending on how long I live. They are all nice people and not only they help with my production by directing people to my show, they also asked me to collaborate and make videos with them. I am blessed with meeting so many people from around the world and I hope the coming days I will continue to stalk them through my social media.

The fringe has gave me a chance to throw my life savings in the dumpster for a shot for fame within the theatre community. Or if no one comes, me and my backstage team.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’ve learnt mainly two things: I love writing comedy and I suck at writing.

Watching comedy had been my passion for a while now, but I just realised that I want to do this for life. I love writing it, I love sharing it, the only problem with it, is I believe my comedy need to be performed in a theatrical space with lighting and music, so it’s difficult to just bring a short set to a bar. ( also there are zero to none bars in Hong Kong that does English stand up comedy)

So, I began writing. And I suck. Which is fine. You gotta start somewhere. And I wrote and wrote draft after draft keep editing and editing and finally came up with a product I’m happy with. The performance I wish to perform is not only comedic, but also filled with stories and themes. I personally don’t prefer observational stand up comedy and prefer and storytelling approach. ( I do still have bits that seem like observational comedy in my performance but they are highly exaggerated situations that is surreal)

I’ve been a failure all my life according to my parents, but who’s to say I can’t be a good comedian. (They did say that)

Tell us about your show.

I, Perrin Pang, wrote, perform, and directed the performance, whilst I left the theatrical side to my expert friends: Timothy Tsang on Lighting design, Heyson Tsang on arranging music and Carrot Chan on Marketing designs. I also have a co director Sam Mak and a DSM Jasmine Tom. ( and my wife Phoebe Wong occasionally helps(yes I’m 25 and I’m married, sue me))

Every word on the script, every lyric and every note of the song is written by me in 2 years. After finishing it I asked them if they want to come along and assist me in this performance with minimum pay because I’m broke, and they said yes.

So what is the show about? Plot wise, it’s about an Asian stand up comedian who doesn’t want to tell jokes anymore. Theme wised it’s about the importance of lying down your emotional baggage. There are 7 original songs (Holy shit 7?!) all written and performed by me. My favourite song is called “I wanna be white” , the dream.

This performance premiered at Ed Fringe and I wish to be able to take it around UK afterwards if I have the chance, the only thing stopping me is my schedule and my wallet. Holy shit putting a show and travelling is expensive with a crew of 6. Even with some funding from the Hong Kong Government it’s hella expensive.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

There’s a lot of Hong Kong and Asian shows this year which I recommend: 4/4/4 about 4 Asians pretending to be white people, pretending to be fake Asians. I also recommend fall and flow, a movement piece from Hong Kong. Please check them out!

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