Transgender comedian Robin Tran to headline Vancouver’s Asian Comedy Takeover Show
Posted May 14, 2023 11:15 am.
Last Updated May 14, 2023 3:11 pm.
Transgender stand-up comedian Robin Tran is scheduled to headline the Asian Takeover Comedy Show at Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre on Friday.
In an interview with CityNews, Tran speaks about performing in Canada for the first time.
“I’ve never been outside of the U.S., so this is going to be my first time in Canada, so I’m excited about that,” she said.
Tran says her comedy is dry, dark, and autobiographical — adding it has evolved a lot over the past 11 years.
“When I first started I was Robert for the first three years it did stand-up, and I was kind of this little angry dude and I would yell a lot…and it was pretty funny — and then I came out as trans,” she told CityNews.
“I looked at everybody else who was doing it…. ‘I’m going to be a pretty trans girl and I’m going to just say the right thing all the time.’ It was like the complete opposite of Robert who would say the wrong thing all the time. And then I think when my depression went away, pretty recently now, I just try to say the surprisingly wrong thing. Like, I think I’ve settled into a nice medium with absurdity and silliness.”
Tran says she is working at breaking barriers in both the Asian and trans communities.
“My name is Robin Tran and I am transgender, and that is a coincidence,” Tran joked during a show. “Someone always thinks that I transitioned for one pun, and that’s not why I did it.”
In speaking about her comedy, Tran says it’s all about the art of misdirection.
“My comedy is kind of like, it sounds like I’m about to cross the line and then I don’t at the last minute…I feel like I have really loved the art of misdirection, which I feel like it’s a really lost art and comedy. I mean, the trick is to make the audience laugh before they had a chance to be offended. And that’s a lot harder than it sounds,” she told CityNews.
Her performance in Vancouver takes place during Asian Heritage Month, something that Tran says she plans to make the most of.
“I’m excited. Whenever I’m on an all-Asian lineup it’s really exciting for me because I feel like there’s still like this stigma that Asian people aren’t funny. There’s also a stigma that trans people aren’t funny. So, I lucked out by being two things that are known as not being funny,” she said.
“I feel that you get a very short window of white guilt when that happens. I just promote myself as much as I can,” she said. “I would say my favorite part is actually, I hate to say it, but it’s promoting myself.”
Robin Tran is set to headline the Asian Comedy Takeover at Vancouver’s Vouge Theatre. (Courtesy Robin Tran)
Tran has appeared on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle, and was featured on Just for Laughs “New Faces of Comedy” show. She has also appeared on That’s My Time with David Letterman.
“The David Letterman experience was so surreal while it was happening. I couldn’t believe it when I got the phone call that I’m going to be doing the show. Apparently, like handpicked by David Letterman. Six of us were hand-picked out of like hundreds or something like that,” she said. “It’s like, maybe my favorite thing of myself on film. I met David Letterman backstage before the show and I made such a great first impression because David Letterman and I kind of have the same vibe.”
The Asian Takeover Comedy Show is the sequel to last year’s sold-out comedy show celebrating Asian Heritage Month. Along with headliner Tran, the show will feature some of Vancouver’s well-known Asian-Canadians including Julie Kim (Just For Laughs, Kim’s Convenience), Yumi Nagashima (Comedy Central Asia), and Just For Laughs Vancouver star Tin Lorica.
To buy tickets to see Tran’s show in Vancouver click here.
With files from Emily Marsten
