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| Sang Don Park / Courtesy of Curtis File Photography |
By Rory Kelly
A young man walks on stage for the talent show at an international school in Korea. He is expected to show off his beatboxing skills, as he has done in previous talent shows. The school is small ― there are only 40 in the boys' class ― and there is a sense of repetition to the talent show. Frankly, most of the school has already seen the boy's signature moves. He has other skills he could display; he can play several musical instruments, dance and sing. But this time, he has bought no musical equipment with him. It seems that there is to be more beatboxing. The boy raises the microphone to his lips and begins to impersonate his teachers. The crowd goes wild.
"When I did impressions of my school teachers that everyone was able to relate to, that explosive laugh ignited a passion inside me," stand-up comedian Sang Don Park, now an adult, told the Korea Times.
Born and raised in Korea, Park began beatboxing and dancing at age 12 and learned several musical instruments, before moving on to performing stand-up comedy as a teenager. This Saturday, he's going to headline his own show at Phillies Pub in Seoul, "One Night with Sang Don Park," performing a 30-minute set.
Park is deeply involved in Korea's English-language stand-up scene. He helps organize various open mic nights and comedy showcases throughout Seoul and beyond and performs regularly. He also maintains a strong online presence, vlogging and uploading videos of his act online.
He got an early inspiration for stand-up back in school when his world history teacher showed a clip from Russell Peters doing a comedy bit. He still lists Peters as an influence, along with other notables such as Patrice O'Neal and Bill Burr.
Park compares the rush of getting laughs to "smoking a menthol minty cigarette…so smooth and surreal that it can be addicting." He speaks of how comedy can make one more humble and more confident at the same time, with the possibility of bombing and the opportunity for ego-boosting sitting right next to one another.
Like many artists, Park takes inspiration from the world around him. "I usually get inspired by talking to people and…events that occur in my daily life."
Not everything makes the cut, though. "If I think about [a story] multiple times throughout the week…it is good enough to be tested out on stage. If I forget about it, then that means that it wasn't memorable enough to be a funny joke."
He says the real skill is in the delivery of the material and he believes "if you are talented enough, any strange event can be told as a funny anecdote or a joke on stage."
Does he want to be famous? "I would like to hone my craft and get better at it." Does he want to reach the heights of influence that some of his inspirations have touched? "If I just have loyal fans who enjoy my comedy and performance, that will suffice."
But it's not just the life experience of the comedian that matters. When performing comedy, one has to consider what is relatable to the audience. Park understood this from his very first show, mocking the teachers at his school for a room full of appreciative students. However, Park doesn't worry too much about the potential differences between himself and those listening, no matter where he goes in the world; "if you have good material, good jokes, and just work on making good material, it will work anywhere." He states firmly, "funny is funny."
Park plans to leave for the U.K. later this year to pursue his comedy career further. He looks forward to performing more internationally after moving and hopes to be able to do longer sets more often.
After a contraction due to the pandemic, comedy nights are popping up all over the city and beyond, featuring performers of all different backgrounds. Joining Park on Saturday night will be comedians Louie Cho, Kristen Pimley and Curtis File. The show will be produced by Arthur Minsu. A truly international show, featuring two native Koreans, an American and a Canadian, with an American behind the scenes, it reflects the multifaceted nature of the Seoul stand-up scene.
"One Night with Sang Don Park" will start at 7 p.m. at Phillies Bar in Haebangchon, near Noksapyeong Station on Seoul Metro Line 6. Tickets are 10,000 won and can be purchased at the door. Contact Sang Don Park at @thesangshow on Instagram for more information.
Rory Kelly is a writer, actor, improviser and stand-up comedian based in Seoul. He's also often spotted not quite winning pub quizzes in the Itaewon area. Find him on Twitter @rorywritesstuff.
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