戲曲代表著一個族群文化的展現，「三腳採茶戲」一直被視為是台灣客家人特有的劇種，也是客家人非常重要的文化資產，幾經時代的演變，現在傳統的「三腳採茶戲」已不多見，但是客家戲曲卻以外台酬神的方式一直存在至今。 過去關於客家戲曲的研究主要以「三腳採茶戲」為主，主要是因為其有文本可供參考。而外台戲的演出有口傳民間文學的特質，因為沒有固定的文本，反而鮮少成為研究的對象。 戲曲很重要的功能是給人帶來歡笑，對於那些教育程度不高的觀眾，這個功能尤其重要，本論文將從客家外台戲的發展，客家戲曲中笑科人物的設計，運用情節與結構產生的笑科，客家戲曲中的笑科語言來討論外台戲是如何引人發笑的。這些出現在「客家外台戲」中的笑科與客家人的生活、語言、價值觀習習相關，最重要的是本論文將目前還在演出的外台戲的影像資料完整地保存下來，並轉寫成可供閱讀的文本，提供給將來的研究者作為參考。 客家外台戲到目前為止，一直在台灣的客庄活潑地存在著，不需特別另外安排，研究者隨時可以一次性的接觸大量的客家話，值得有興趣的學者或相關研究單位加以重視。 ;The opera represents the expression of ethnic culture. The "three-legged tea-picking opera" has always been regarded as a peculiar drama of the Hakkas in Taiwan. It is also a very important cultural asset of the Hakkas. After several times of evolution, the traditional "three-legged tea-picking opera" has been less common seen, but Hakka operas still have been performed to pay the gods outside Taiwan. In the past, research on Hakka operas was mainly based on "three-legged tea-picking operas," mostly because they have texts for reference. The performance of the outdoor dramma has the characteristics of oral folk literature. Because there is no fixed text, it is rarely the object of research. The important function of opera is to bring laughter to people. This function is especially crucial for those with low education levels. This thesis discusses the development of Taiwanese Hakka outdoor drama, the design of harlequins in Hakka opera, and the use of plots and structures, and how jokes in Hakka operas make people laugh. These jokes appearing in the "Hakka outdoor drama" are related to the Hakkas’ life, language, and values. The most important is that this thesis ultimately saves the image of the outdoor drama that is currently performed and translates it into the readable texts is for future researchers as a reference. Hakka outdoor dramas have been lively in the Hakka area in Taiwan. No special arrangements are needed, researchers can contact a large number of Hakka dialects at any time, which deserves the attention of interested scholars or related research units.
