Anyone here ever host/MC a show before?

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Syringer

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
19,333
2
71
I'm going to be hosting our school's annual Tet (Vietnamese/lunar new year) Festival in a few weeks, and right now I'm pretty frightened. I think it will be an amazing experience, and I am extremely excited to get the honor to do so..but to have to speak in front of at least a thousand people, in both English and Vietnamese, translate on the spot, improvise, etc. makes me really nervous. Sure the audience will most likely be kind and forgiving, but obviously they will be highly judgmental on my actions and everything I do that night

I've never done anything like it at all, but I will have a very detailed script of all that's going to happen..except for the translations part, in which I will interview pageant contestants in English..they fire back in Vietnamese and I have to translate back to English. I'm afraid I'll just blank out during one of their answers, not hear a response and not know what to say during translation.

My secret weapon then, will be some nice liquor before the show. Not enough to make me drunk obviously, but enough to relax me, and turn me into a seemingly very outgoing person. However there comes a fine line between relaxed and drunk, so I obviously have to be careful to keep a good balance through the course of the show. I'm thinking maybe 3 shots about a half hour before the show, which usually gets me into a nice relaxing mood but still having little effect on my thinking..that'll prepare me for the introductions, then an hour later when one of the shots are "gone", I'll take another one, and repeat for the duration of the show.

Anyone ever have experience with keeping a constant buzz feeling going? Any tips or whatnot? Would it be better to just take shots during the show, or constantly sip down a mixed drink? It'll probably be easier to conceal a mixed drink..e.g. vodka/coke..and possibly easier to "regulate", but a quick shot would be simpler and less time consuming..
 
W

Wanescotting

Diamond Member
Feb 4, 2004
3,219
0
76
How much do you weigh?
Do you smoke?
Do you dip?
Will you be dancing or just sitting or standing?


 
T

Trygve

Golden Member
Aug 1, 2001
1,428
9
0
Done it lots of times and it sounds like you've got one of the biggest advantages you can get: a full (or nearly full) house. Talking in front of hundreds or thousands of people, especially if the venue is fairly well-packed, is much easier than talking in front of a few people. When you're playing to a small audience in a large venue (llike when the show's on a weeknight and the weather is bad), it's a lot harder to keep the energy going. In a full house, there will always be *some* people who are "up" and who are into what you're doing, and the rest of the audience will feed off them and off the continuing energy.

I've never tried anything like your "secret weapon"; I don't drink alcohol myself, but my general experience is that being under the influence of alcohol only makes people think they're getting funnier, while to a non-drinking observer, they're getting less entertaining. Up to you. I've known a few MCs who thought they were hysterically funny all the time--with or without alcohol--even though their audiences found them duller than paste. Emceeing is really pretty easy, I think some people must work to make their performances as bad as they are.

Regardless, be high-energy yourself. Remember that you're on stage, so act like it's a stage performance, not like you're doing TV or talking to a friend three feet away. Don't stay put, try to create a sense of personal involvement and connection with everyone in the audience (even if you can't see them, you know where they are). Don't worry about making mistakes, having things go wrong, even saying the wrong thing sometimes. Treating problems that occur in a lighthearted, funny way (especially if you can come up with a joke on the spot about whatever goes wrong) is the fastest way into your audiences' heart. Even if nothing goes wrong, come up with some jokes about things in the room or something that you all had to deal with that day. Playing off that kind of shared experience will put them on your side--and if you can say what they wish *they* had said about it, they'll love you.

In a lot of ways, it's easier than standup comedy--your performance is broken up, it's true, but you have so much to work with that comes from the context that you don't have to carry your audience's attention for long distances by yourself.
 
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shopbruin

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2000
5,817
0
0
vcn?

how about a female cohost? she can cover if you blank out.

a bit of alcohol is good if you're a happy drunk.
 
S

Syringer

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
19,333
2
71
Originally posted by: freesia39
vcn?

how about a female cohost? she can cover if you blank out.

a bit of alcohol is good if you're a happy drunk.
Click to expand...

It's the Tet Festival. And I will have a female cohost who'll support me pretty well.
 
Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,918
2,157
126
Yeah, I had to do this back in my band days when our main singer lost his voice and we had a backup guy. he had a good voice, but was stiff as a board. I had to announce the songs and keep up the banter, which I accomplished by making fun of each band member in between songs (including myself) and it went over very well. Actually had me thinking about becoming a standup :D If you're comfortable in front of a crowd, you'd be suprised of the things that pop into your head to talk about heheh.
 
Chaotic42

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
34,230
1,388
126
I've done lots of radio shows, but I've never done anything on TV or at a festival.
 
P

PatboyX

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2001
7,024
0
0
WE LOVE YOU SPIDER!!!
(step on spider)

say funny things.
be interesting.
dont be obnoxious.
 
B

Brutuskend

Lifer
Apr 2, 2001
26,558
4
0
You could just talk about ATOT the whole time.

Like there isn't TONS of good material floating around HERE. ;)
 
E

Epoman

Platinum Member
Apr 15, 2003
2,984
0
0
Originally posted by: MrDingleDangle
just tell them the spider story the way you told us...you have kept a buzz going here for damn near a year
Click to expand...

LOL :D
 
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