This review of Shyaporn Theerakulstit's The Absolutely True Science Of Nerds at Drom was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 5 (2015) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
The Absolutely True Science Of Nerds
The Absolutely True Science Of Nerds
Created, Produced & Performed by Shyaporn Theerakulstit
Drom
85 Avenue A
New York, New York 10009
Reviewed 8/26/15
Shyaporn Theerakulstit is an actor, writer, lecturer, and new media content creator specializing in comedic video sketches, social media, blogging, and the occasional fake science lecture. The Absolutely True Science Of Nerds was first performed at the Nerd Nite lecture series at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, New York in 2009. It has since been seen at Global Nerd Nite at the 92nd Street Y, TEDx, C2E2, in Toronto, and as the closing presentation at the Smithsonian Institution's 2014 Future Is Here Festival. In this show, he has combined a comedic series of three "scientific" lectures on "How To Become Batman," "Star Wars vs. Star Trek," and "Godzilla," which are all presented with slides, video clips, singing, dancing, music, and Q&As. Shyaporn is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts acting program, where he studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory and the Classical Studio. Most importantly, he plays Lt. Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek: New Voyages. Shyaporn was a part of the very first Fringe Festival in 1997 and is proud to now have an entry in the 19th Annual New York International Fringe Festival. He is particularly excited because he has been told that "having a show at the Fringe Festival is a clear path to fortune and glory!"
The first lecture Shyaporn gave was "Batman: Origins and Training Secrets of the Dark Knight Detective." He required the audience to take a Batman Oath wherein they swore not to reveal what they were about to hear. Caught up in the moment, I took the oath so I cannot reveal any of Batman's origins or training secrets. All I can say is that Batman is Bruce Wayne, he is 6'2" tall, weighs 210 lbs., has an IQ of 192, and that, in a fight, he would kick the shit out of Superman. The second lecture was entitled Star Wars vs. Star Trek: Modern Perspectives of Past Future and Future Future Technology. Basically, the question presented was who would win if The United Federation of Planets and the Galactic Empire fought a war against each other? The technologies, size, propulsion, maneuverability, weaponry, robot technology and resources of each were examined in great detail, each earning a point when they had an advantage over the other. Even the powers of Yoda vs. the Q Continuum were compared, and in the end, the Federation won in a landslide. On a side note, Shyaporn told us that in the 24th Century, the Holodeck is used primarily for porn and prostitutes. The third and final lecture called Godzilla: History, Biology and Behavior of Hyper-evolved Theropod Kaiju goes into great detail regarding the origins, intelligence, and behavior of Godzilla and extensively quotes from reports issued by the Center For Advanced Hypothetical Kajiu & Mutant Research, as well as from the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center. The two most important things to remember are that "Godzilla is not the least bit afraid of you" and that you should never "trade Godzilla to aliens" because it will come back and bite you in the ass one day. The best countermeasure and defense is "to run."
Shyaporn sang a rap song and tap danced after every segment diligently taking questions from the audience and providing answers. The promised final exam was printed in the program for the show. The special surprise we were treated to was a rarely seen alien striptease act, during which Clara Coquette (as Admiral Ackbar), a vintage vixen, nimble nerd, and cunning chameleon who trained at the New York School of Burlesque, took it all off (minus pasties) before an amazed and appreciative crowd. After she completed her "guest lecture," Shayporn said, "Excellent Points Admiral! Thank you for your remarks and for your service!"
If you are a fanboy or fangirl interested in Batman, Star Wars, Star Trek or Godzilla, then this show was written and is being performed with you in mind! It is clever performance art delivered with deadly seriousness. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser with enough humor and current events included to keep even the partner of a sci-fi geek interested until the last boob is freed! For more information, visit www.shyaporn.com or www.scienceofnerds.com
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