Auditions for CJ: Seeking Deaf & Hard of Hearing and Spanish-speaking Actors

Pork Filled Productions is holding auditions for a staged reading of
CJ An Aspanglish Play by Mercedes Floresislas

To be presented online (either live or pre-recorded) July 31.

Pork Filled Productions, in conjunction with Ophelia’s Jump of Claremont, CA presents a staged reading of CJ An Aspanglish Play by Mercedes Floresislas, a tri-lingual play in English, Spanish and ASL. Southern Californian actors are especially encouraged to audition as they will be considered for the full production of CJ, to be produced by Ophelia’s Jump in November 2021.

Carolina Juarez, CJ, is a fifteen-year-old forced to live with her estranged Aunt Yoli and Deaf grandmother G when her mom overdoses again. During a tantrum, she destroys her grandmother’s childhood toy and the family’s comadre, Ana, conjures up a recipe to intervene as her personal Nahual. Two Aztec deities appear to her to give her a chance to change.

Please review the character descriptions as age, gender, and ethnicity are specifically stated. Pork Filled Productions is dedicated to casting appropriately and are committed to representing our characters and stories truthfully. We seek actors who are Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing who are fluent in ASL; in addition, we seek actors with strong spoken Spanish skills (again, see breakdowns for exact requirements for each character)

To schedule an audition, please email oink@porkfilled.com.

Contact Name Phone

Roger Tang 206-579-5486

Email
oink@porkfilled.com

Audition Form
https://forms.gle/xhMoN7n3KGYLPoaZ9

AUDITION INFORMATION

Audition/Interview Dates:

These auditions will take place via ZOOM

Saturday, May 29 @ 5:00pm-8:00pm

Sunday, May 30 @ 10:00am- 2:00pm

Sunday, May 30 11:00am-1:00pm is set aside for Deaf actors

Video submission is available, deadline is May 30, 9:00 pm

Audition Requirements:

Seeking actors of all body sizes, genders, and physical abilities.

Deaf and Global Majority (BIPOC) actors are especially encouraged to audition.

Please note there are specific needs in the script and we are working to cast as authentically as possible. Fluency with Spanish and ASL are a large part of this play.

Please email Pork Filled Productions your headshot and resume (or most recent photo and performing experiences) and what role you are auditioning for. hen fill out the audition form at https://forms.gle/xhMoN7n3KGYLPoaZ9. Sides (scenes or monologues) from the play will be provided upon audition confirmation.

Actors will be paid a stipend of $100.

Cast Breakdown

CJ – 15, Chicana/Latina

Carolina Juarez, 2nd generation Latinx, unplugged from her family, her history and herself. She’s a monolingual ‘Pocha’ and an ‘Emo.’ Her feelings escape her body, like air from a balloon. As fluent as possible with ASL; speaks “bad” Spanish but her skills improve over time

G- 60s, Deaf with strong fluency in ASL, Chicana/Latina

CJ’s grandma. Has dementia, we see her as a child, teen, young woman and old. She might as well be the ghost of La Llorona, their unvoiceable pain is the same. She may have been a dancer, but she was disabled by audism and lingualism.

YOLI – 30’s, Chicana/Latina

CJ’s aunt, compassionate to her niece and passionate about Aztec history, native ASL user (CODA or SODA), strong Spanish speaker, fluid code-switching across all three languages

ANA – late 50’s, Latina or Chicana

Mexican immigrant, native Spanish speaker (first language and fully fluent), dope in ASL (knows slang vernacular too), strong comfort level with code-switching across all three languages

TITO (Huitzilopochtli), Any Age, Deaf (or CODA/SODA),

Latine/x or Chicanx, GNC/Non-binary

God of the sun and war, fierce, cute, playful, and sexually fluid, CJ’s first guide.

OH ME (Ometeotl), Any Age, Non-binary/GNC

Deity of Duality, they are all genders, they are Destruction and Creation, alluring, funny, and knows how to talk to a teenager, strong fluency with Spanish and mad code-switching skills

MARI- late 30s-40s, Chicana or Latina

CJ’s mom, loves her daughter, trying to face her demons, an unmothered child in a perpetual state of traumatic sensing, no Spanish or ASL required

ARMANDO- 30’s, Deaf, Any race or ethnicity

Yoli’s friend, good sense of humor, loves a good story (also plays L, G’s lover. He knows true love when he sees it)

Acting Opportunity

A nonprofit organization called the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) isinvestigating anti-Asian discrimination in the Seattle/Tacoma and greater Los Angeles metro areas.

They will be hiring actors soon for a civil rights testing project. They will pay actors of Asian descent, and actors of other races, to contact local businesses and inquire about services. They’ll report back how they were treated, and thel’ll determine whether the businesses are engaging in discriminatory conduct.

Pay for each actor $85 for each assignment, which amounts to over $40 an hour for this work. All of the work will be done remotely.

They’ll be conducting trainings for interested actors via Zoom. The training for the Seattle/Tacoma metro area will take place on Monday, May 17th from 6 PM to 9 PM PST.

The training for the Los Angeles metro area will take place on Wednesday, May 19th from 6 PM to 9 PM PST.

Everyone who completes a training will receive $75 for attending the training, and they will then be eligible for assignments that pay $85 each.

Anyone who is interested should email a work resume to CivilRightsVolunteers@ncrc.org.

Please be aware that because of grant restrictions, they are unable to work with anyone who has worked for a real estate company or bank within the past 12 months, and they are unable to work with anyone who has ever been convicted of a felony or any crime of dishonesty.

Big Plans for PFP in 2021

We’re still in transition with new producers, but we still aim for the stars for 2021!

First is that PFP is teaming up with Intiman Theatre for a celebration of Asian American theatre artists. Join us in mid-May for a quartet of short plays from top Asian American artists in the Puget Sound (including PFP!), followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Head Hawg Roger Tang.

Next is our most ambitious undertaking yet: CJ An ASplanglish Play by Mercedes Floresislas, a tri-lingual play in English, Spanish and ASL. We’re co-developing with Ophelia’s Jump, a Southern California theatre we’ve been working with for the past year. 

We’re targeting a date in July for a reading, complete with ASL interpreters. Immediately, we’ll hand the play off, actors and all, to Ophelia’s Jump, who’ll present a full, world premiere production in Claremont, CA.

Carolina Juarez, CJ, is a fifteen year old forced to live with her estranged aunt and Deaf grandmother when her mom overdoses again. She has been disconnected from her Latino heritage and is not interested in getting to know her family including her grandmother who is Deaf and has dementia. During a teenage tantrum, she destroys her grandmother’s childhood toy and the family’s comadre conjures up a recipe to intervene as her personal Nahual. Two Aztec deities appear to her to give her a chance to change her life before it is too late.

After CJ, we plan a community wide get-together of the Seattle Asian American theatre community, to take stock (and maybe get a little more organized) and to take advantage of the changes to come in the wider, primarily white theatre community in the Puget Sound. Keep your eyes peeled for details (whether it’s online or in person!)

Finally, we’re planning a virtual, West Coast 24 hour play festival, teaming up Asian American talent in the Pacific time zone for a fun, concentrated theatrical experience in November!

Whew! This is just a warm up…wait till you see what we have planned in 2022!

The PFP Response to the Atlanta Shootings

Stop AAPI Hate
Like all our fellow Asian American organizations and community members, we at Pork Filled Productions are shocked and saddened at the loss of life in the butchery of the Atlanta spree killings.
Delaina Ashley Yaun
Xiaojie Tian
Daoyou Feng
Julie Park
Hyeon Jeong Park are the names we know of as of now.
Say their names. Remember their names. They deserve the attention they did not receive in life.
But what also needs to be remembered is that this violence against Asian Americans is not an isolated instance. There has been a rising time of violence against Asian Americans, with multiple deaths and multiple injuries left in its wake.
And this rising tide is not, itself, isolated. It is just the latest cycle of violence visited on Asian Americans by a mind set that uses the twin tools of violence and racism to maintain a white supremacist society. The many lynchings of Chinese laborers in the 19th Century; the Chinese Exclusion Act; the lynchings of Filipino workers in the 20th Century; the World War II Incarceration of Japanese Americans; the KKK “greeting” Vietnamese fishermen in Texas; Vincent Chin in Detroit. All are a part of a centuries long pattern of violence (physical and political) against Asian Americans.
We at Pork Filled Productions oppose violence. We fight against this violence with our stories, with our words, with our efforts; the stories of a bright universe filled with hope is as potent an antidote as the marches, vigils and pocketbook support we lend to our kindred organizations in our own and other communities who also fight white supremacy and its racism. We urge you to join us in this struggle.
Here are some resources you can use:
Additional places to donate:
-NAPAWF (Nat’l Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum) supports Asian immigrant women, healthcare, & reproductive justice in Atlanta: https://www.napawf.org/donate
-Red Canary Song is a grassroots collective that supports Asian & migrant sex workers, organizing transnationally: https://www.redcanarysong.net/
-CAAAV is a Pan-Asian community-based organization that works to build power among low-income Asian immigrants & refugees in NYC, in broader movement for racial & economic justice: https://caaav.org/
-ButterflySW is a an organization that provides support, education and information to Asian and migrant sex workers: https://www.butterflysw.org/donate
-SWAN (Sex Workers Action Network) Vancouver supports Asian migrant women workers fleeing violence & exploitation: https://www.swanvancouver.ca/donate
-CPA (Chinese Progressive Association) in Boston and San Francisco re grassroots organizations organizing working class immigrant Chinese community to build collective power with other communities of color:
https://cpaboston.org/
https://cpasf.org/
-AIWA (Asian Immigrant Women Advocates) works with Asian immigrant women workers in San Francisco / Bay Area garment, home care, hotel, restaurant, assembly and other low-wage industries, & with Asian immigrant youth in Oakland: https://www.aiwa.org/about/
GoFundMe’s verified list of AAPI fundraisers: www.goFundMe.com/AAPI

PFP Partners with Seattle Asian American Film Festival for 2021

SEATTL E (February 8, 2021) – The Seattle Asian American Film Festival (SAAFF) proudly  presents its 9th annual festival March 4–14, 2021 entirely online in partnership with the Northwest Film Forum.

PFP is Community Partner for Curtain Up! available March 4. CURTAIN UP! follows elementary school kids in New York’s Chinatown as they prepare for the musical production of “Frozen Kids” and begin to discover their identities. Behind the scenes, they face Asian stereotypes, their families’ expectations, and uncertainties post-graduation. But it is through rehearsing for this American favorite that these kids grapple with their Chinese roots. Will they have to let something go? (Content Warning: Identity-Based Prejudice)

The rest of this year’s program will showcase some of the best in recent independent cinema by and about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The 123 films in SAAFF’s 2021 program demonstrate the talent of both veteran and up-and-coming filmmakers and the richness and diversity of AAPI storytelling. This year, SAAFF will offer 9 outstanding feature-length films and 15 exciting shorts programs, including a drive-in screening of martial arts action comedy THE PAPER TIGERS on March 6.

The 11-day festival include several limited time screenings:

● THE PAPER TIGERS (Centerpiece Narrative) makes its Pacific Northwest on Saturday, March 6 at 7:00PM PST at the Burien Drive-In (610 SW 153rd Street, Burien, WA 98166). It also screens concurrently online. Three childhood kung fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men who are now one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs and overcome old grudges to avenge his death.

● FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH and GOODBYE MOTHER will premiere in Seattle and will only be available March 8-14, 2021. FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH is the Centerpiece Documentary that follows one Chinese-American family’s complex ancestral roots to the historically segregated South. GOODBYE MOTHER is a family drama about a young man’s trip home to Vietnam after living overseas in the United States with his Vietnamese American boyfriend.

Other festival highlights include some of our shorts programs:

● The No-Good Very Bad Terrible Longest Worst Year — 2020 COVID Shorts opening night spotlight program reflects on the pandemic’s varied and wide-reaching impacts on communities across North America, as well as the creativity that blossomed during lockdown.

● The Việt Kiều: Vietnamese American Shorts , Looking Past Paradise: Shorts From  Hawai’i , Haru Haru: Day by Day , and Southeast Asian Showcase shorts programs each speak to the unique experiences of their communities. Việt Kiều: Vietnamese American

Shorts includes NO CRYING AT THE DINNER TABLE, a short film that won the 2020 SXSW “Short Documentary Jury Award” and is a 2021 Academy Awards contender in the “Best Short Documentary” category. Looking Past Paradise: Films From Hawai’i includes the 2021 Sundance Film Festival selection THIS IS THE WAY WE RISE, as well as the 2021 Academy Awards short film contenders MOLOKA’I BOUND and KAPAEMAHU.

● The Grief Like No Other: Holding Space for Healing from Miscarriage, Stillbirth, & Infant Loss shorts program brings attention to the rarely discussed, yet widely experienced trauma of pregnancy complications. We invite you to join this free program and actively hold space with us during the live panel discussion on March 11 at 1:00PM PST with moderator Annie Kuo (RESOLVE Ambassador and Family-Building Advocate) and panelists Carol Gavhane (Family-Building Advocate and Owner, Asha Blooms), Haolu Wang (Director, THE PREGNANT GROUND), Sarah Surh (Writer/Actress, SONGBIRD), and Steven Nguyen (Director, BLAST BURN).

● The Closing Night: Collective Memory, Community Spaces shorts program will be followed by a live panel discussion on March 14 at 6:00PM PST. From the oldest Sikh temple in North America to the closure of an acclaimed New York restaurant, this program explores the histories, memories, and communities in cherished Asian American spaces.

Ticket Prices:

● General Tickets: $10 | $8 (Discounted) | $20 (Household)

● Festival Pass: $120 | Early Bird $100

● Shorts Pass: $80 | Early Bird $60

● Festival 6-Pack: $50

Other ticketing information:

● Early bird sales for festival passes will be available February 9–15, 2021.

● All ticketing will be available for purchase starting February 16, 2021.

● The Grief Like No Other: Holding Space for Healing from Miscarriage, Stillbirth, & Infant

Loss program and live panel is free.

● Tickets for CURTAIN UP! and the shorts programs SAAFF 4 Kidz and Lingering are

pay-what-you-can.

● Viewers will be able to start watching at any time during the festival dates (12:01AM PST

March 4, 2021 to 11:59PM PST March 14, 2021) after a purchase is made, and will have

48 hours to finish watching once they click play, unless otherwise listed.

Visit bit.ly/saaff2021 to purchase passes, browse the virtual catalog, and buy tickets. Most screenings will be followed by a pre-recorded Q&A with director(s) and/or cast and crew. For film screeners, interview requests, and press passes, contact kristina@seattleaaff.org .

About SAAFF

SAAFF showcases works by Northwest Asian American filmmakers, as well as films from across North America dealing with Asian American and Pacific Islander people, issues, and themes. SAAFF is the only film festival in Seattle to provide a space for Asian American voices, perspectives, and histories. For more information about SAAFF, visit seattleaaff.org .

Seattle Theatre Leaders Tackling Anti-Racism in Theatre

If you haven’t heard, Seattle Theatre Leaders (from small to large) have been meeting to tackle problems of racism in theatre.

Pork Filled has been in the midst of these discussions from the beginning, keeping our hands in as a POC and Asian American centering organization. The impetus is to create a working theatre ecosystem that centers the well being of all, and Head Hawg Roger Tang is making sure our voices are being heard.

Keep tuned for details and updates! (MOST particularly about Town Halls so folks everywhere can participate and for TIME TABLES of what’s coming next).

Head Hawg to Host CAATA’s December Virtual ConFest

Dec CAATA

Monday, December 7, 2020 (New York, NY): Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) announces its roster of speakers and performers for the fifth episode of its ongoing monthly ConFest Virtual Series, “From the Source, Seeds for a Myriad of Worlds,” on Monday, December 14, 2020 at 1PM HST, 2PM AKST, 3PM PST, 4PM MST, 5PM CST, and 6PM EST. The episode will be hosted by Roger Tang (Producer, Pork Filled Productions, Seattle; Board Member, CAATA).

“From the Source, Seeds of Myriad Worlds” will celebrate the rich tapestry of Asian American theatre throughout the country with presentations from Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston (Boston, MA), Bindlestiff Studio (San Francisco, CA), East West Players (Los Angeles, CA), Ma-Yi Theater Company (New York, NY), Pork Filled Productions (Seattle, WA), SIS Productions (Seattle, WA), and Theater Mu (Minneapolis, MN). The episode will be broadcast on Howlround and on CAATA’s Facebook page

The online event include archival footage from Bindlestiff Studio’s 30th Anniversary Gala and a short sketch comedy play from the show “HOEVID-19” by the all Asian American womxn comedy troupe Granny Cart Gangstas; excerpts from Pork Filled Productions’ 2015 production of The Tumbleweed Zephyr by Maggie Lee, as well as clips from their sketch comedy performances; and a visual history celebrating SIS Productions’ 20th year as a female-run Asian American theatre company. This episode will also feature presentations from Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston, East West Players, Theater Mu, and Ma-Yi Theater Company that focus on their histories and achievements as Asian American theatres as well as their transition into the digital space during COVID-19.

The CAATA December Virtual ConFest is a showcase featuring the richness of Asian American theatre across the country.

“From the Source, Seeds for a Myriad of Worlds,” is the fourth episode of CAATA ConFest’s Virtual Series exploring the theme of the upcoming 7th Asian American Theater Festival & Conference (ConFest) “Kuʻu ʻĀina, Kuʻu Piko, Kuʻu Kahua – Return to the Source” in Honolulu, Hawaii. The in-person ConFest will center the voices of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander theater practitioners, and feature the thriving theater community of Hawaiʻi, where Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander faces on stage are the norm, not the exception.

“Ku‘u ‘Āina, Ku‘u Piko, Ku‘u Kahua – Return to the Source” is a call to all theatre artists to reconnect with their foundations and their sources of knowledge: their land, their family, their center. The online series and its presentation of the wide diaspora of Pan Asian/Pacific Islander/MENA/Native/Indigenous American stories will be a vehicle through which both the audience and artists can ground themselves in their cultural knowledge and the many identities that we bring to our communities.

“Future episodes of the series will feature artists from across the country who represent some of the most groundbreaking work in American theatre, and includes stories from across the breadth of the Pan Asian/Pacific Islander/MENA/Native/Indigenous American diaspora, including Hawaii, Egypt, Vietnam, and more,” said ConFest Co-Chairs Leilani Chan (Founding Artistic Director, TeAda Productions) and Tammy Haili‘ōpua Baker (Associate Professor, Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Hawaii at Mānoa).

They added, “This series is not meant to be a replacement for the conference and festival, but is an offering to begin discussions around artists, topics and themes proposed by the field that we hope will culminate in celebration when we are able to gather in person again next year. Our goal is to also continue dialogue with other BIPOC networks of color and connect artists with current BIPOC movements.”

The ConFest Virtual Series is being produced in partnership with HowlRound Theatre Commons in Boston, MA, a nonprofit organization that operates as part of Emerson Collegeʻs Office of the Arts. HowlRound provides a free and open platform for theatre-makers worldwide that amplifies progressive, disruptive ideas about the art form and facilitates connection between diverse practitioners. The series will be presented on HowlRound TV, HowlRoundʻs global, commons-based peer produced, open access live streaming and video archive project.

Maximiliano Urruzmendi-Mele will be the series Technical Director, and CAATA staff member Ariel Estrada will be the series Line Producer. A full schedule of broadcast dates for the ConFest Virtual Series can be found on CAATAʻs website at https://caata.net/monthly-confest-virtual-series/.

Tickets Now Available for Unleashed 2020!

Tickets are now available for Unleashed 2020: New Pulp Stories for the 21st Century. PFP’s staged reading festival features new scripts by playwrights of color, exploring the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy and mythology.

All tickets are available at https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com. All shows begin at 7 pm and will be streamed to a YouTube address provided to ticket buyers.

Pork Filled Productions is using a Name-Your-Price structure to work with our audience and what they can afford to give. Thank you for supporting local theatre and local theatre artists.

The lineup begins Tuesday, November 10, with I Thought I Was Safe, by Patrick Zhang, directed by Anna Ly, with dramaturgy by Daniel Rector. An amalgamation of the noir and horror genres, I Thought I Was Safe explores multigenerational immigrant trauma as it converges with decaying urban America.  Tickets for this show are available at https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/i-thought-i-was-safe/.

Next, on Wednesday, November 11, will be a night of shorts. The Golden Disc, by Greg Lam, directed by Gecia Leal Pardo, dramaturgy by Lydia K. Valentine, is about two friends who have their day interrupted by the sudden arrival of an alien object. For the Living by Chie-Hoon Lee, directed by Zenaida Rose Smith, dramaturgy by Lydia K. Valentine, introduces us to a world of scientific reincarnation, and asks profound questions of where one life ends, and another begins. Perennial PFP favorite Maggie Lee rounds out the night with a new version of her short The Sight. They always knew they must lose their sight to become true Oracles of the Goddess. But now that the day of Initiation has arrived, two young novice seers struggle with their choice to live in darkness in order to see the light within.. Tickets for these shows are at https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/a-night-of-shorts/.

On Thursday, November 12, PFP presents 100 Hungry Ghosts, by Jesse Jou, directed by Nabra Nelson, dramaturgy by Gavin Reub. Graham lives on the most haunted road in America. After multiple tragedies upend his life, he begins to see spirits, as his neighbors’ own painful histories surface. Will he learn to let go of grief or will he meet a grisly end at the hands of one hundred hungry ghosts? Tickets are at  https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/100-hungry-ghosts/

Friday, November 13 sees miku and the gods, by Julia Izumi, directed by Kiefer Harrington, dramaturgy by Stephanie Kim-Bryan. Miku wants to be a god. Ephraim wants to be an Olympian. Grandma wants to remember. And Shara wants people to just include him in the conversation, you know? miku, and the gods is an epic and small adventure that braids friendship, death, and power beyond what one could ever desire. Tickets are at https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/miku-and-the-gods/   

Finally, the festival caps off with a co-production with The Hansberry Project: Mustard Seeds, by Michelle Tyrene Johnson, directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, with dramaturgy by Martine Kei Green-Rogers. On the banks of the Missouri River, a group of researchers gather at a former site of the Underground Railroad where slaves fought for their lives and swam for freedom. Under a full moon, old friends and colleagues are at each other’s throats as they struggle to reconcile their past. Nearby, spirits watch, as spirits do, trying to make sense of these mortals and find a way out.  Tickets at https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/mustard-seeds/.

Festival passes for all shows are available at https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/unleashed-2020/

Graphic design by Kayli Putaportiwon

The oldest Asian American theatre group in the Pacific Northwest, Pork Filled Productions centers Asian American and POC artists to imagine fantastical, inclusive and FUN universes. Through the genres of science fiction, noir, fantasy, steampunk, horror, and more, we envision a bright universe informed by diverse experiences and perspectives, populated by larger than life characters, where everyone’s story can be told. PFP’s season is supported by 4Culture and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Unleashed receives support from the Hansberry Project.

Pork Filled Productions is fiscally sponsored by Shunpike, the 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that provides independent arts groups in Washington with the services, resources and opportunities they need to forge their own paths to sustainable success.

PFP Announces Directors and Dates for UNLEASHED

Unleashed 2020 Directors

Pork Filled Productions has set directors and dates for its third Unleashed festival, a celebration of new plays by POC playwrights. These scripts push past the bounds of conventional theatre to tell exciting new BIPOC-led stories in genres like horror, science fiction, fantasy and beyond.

Unleashed: New Pulp Stories for the 21st Century will take place November 10 through 14 as an online festival. Directors include Anny Ly, Grecia Leal Pardo, Zenaida Rose Smith, Nabra Nelson, Kiefer Harrington and Valerie Curtis Newton. Shows are at 7 pm.

The lineup begins Tuesday, November 10, with I Thought I Was Safe, by Patrick Zhang, directed by Anna Ly, with dramaturgy by Daniel Rector. An amalgamation of the noir and horror genres, I Thought I Was Safe explores multigenerational immigrant trauma as it converges with decaying urban America.

Next, on Wednesday, November 11, will be a night of shorts. The Golden Disc, by Greg Lam, directed by Gecia Leal Pardo, dramaturgy by Lydia K Valentine, is about two friends who have their day interrupted by the sudden arrival of an alien object. For the Living by Chie-Hoon Lee, directed by Zenaida Rose Smith, dramaturgy by Lydia K. Valentine, introduces us to a world of scientific reincarnation, and asks profound questions of where one life ends, and another begins. Maggie Lee rounds out the night with The Sight. They always knew they must lose their sight to become true Oracles of the Goddess. But now that the day of Initiation has arrived, two young novice seers struggle with their choice to live in darkness in order to see the light within.

On Thursday, November 12, PFP presents 100 Hungry Ghosts, by Jesse Jou, directed by Nabra Nelson, dramaturgy by Gavin Reub. Graham lives on the most haunted road in America. After multiple tragedies upend his life, he begins to see spirits, as his neighbors’ own painful histories surface. Will he learn to let go of grief or will he meet a grisly end at the hands of one hundred hungry ghosts?

Friday, November 13 sees miku and the gods, by Julia Izumi, directed by Kiefer Harrington, dramaturgy by Stephanie Kim-Bryan. Miku wants to be a god. Ephraim wants to be an Olympian. Grandma wants to remember. And Shara wants people to just include him in the conversation, you know? miku, and the gods is an epic and small adventure that braids friendship, death, and power beyond what one could ever desire.

Finally, the festival caps off with a co-production with The Hansberry Project: Mustard Seeds, by Michelle Tyrene Johnson, directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, with dramaturgy by Martine Kei Green-Rogers. On the banks of the Missouri River, a group of researchers gather at a former site of the Underground Railroad where slaves fought for their lives and swam for freedom. Under a full moon, old friends and colleagues are at each other’s throats as they struggle to reconcile their past. Nearby, spirits watch, as spirits do, trying to make sense of these mortals and find a way out.

A seventh show, CJ: An ASpanglish Play, by Mercy Floresislas, directed by Ana Maria Campoy and dramaturgy by Melanie Queponds, is being prepared for a special presentation in 2021.

Anna Ly is a Seattle-based director and a graduate of WWU. The current Directing Associate for Macha, she has also worked locally with PFP, REBATEnsemble, Mount Baker Repertory Theatre, Village Theatre KIDSTAGE, Evergreen Middle School and Foundry10. She is also a member of the 2018 Directors Lab at Lincoln Center Theater.

Grecia Leal Pardo graduated from the University of Washington in Drama and Classics in 2019. Previously, Grecia has directed Aesop’s Fables: a Devised Piece and The Penelopiad through UW’s Undergraduate Theatre Society. Grecias is also a stage manager, who’s gotten to work with Pratidhwani, eSe Teatro, and Off-Road Shakespeare.

Zenaida Rose Smith is Producing Director for MAP Theatre, Asst Production Manager & Casting Associate for Book-It Repertory, a freelance actor and a director. Directing credits: co-produced workshop of The Way Back; In the Grey City (Asst), Young Playwright’s Festival (Schmeater); selections of Spoon River Anthology (North Seattle College).

Nabra Nelson is a theater creator from Egypt, Nubia, and California. She is also the Director of Arts Engagement at Seattle Rep. Directing credits include: BLISS (or Emily Post is Dead!) (Renaissance Theaterworks), 26 Miles (UW-Milwaukee), Rep Lab (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Exile From The Land Of Gold (Tessellate Festival).

Kiefer Harrington (he/him) is excited to be back with PFP! Last time he was here, Kiefer got to direct the virtual reading of She Devil of the China Seas. Kiefer was also involved with UNLEASHED 2019, working with Kendall Uyeji on his play Old & New. Other credits include: Hitchhiker (By the Seat of Your Theatre Company), Snow White (Assistant Director, Seattle Children’s Theatre).

Currently the Head of Directing at the University of Washington School of Drama, Valerie Curtis Newton serves as the Founding Artistic Director for The Hansberry Project, a professional African American theatre lab. She has worked with professional theatres across the country including: The Guthrie Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Seattle Rep, Playmakers Repertory Company, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, New York Theatre Workshop, and Southern Repertory Theatre among others.

Since 2006, The Hansberry Project is a professional black theatre company dedicated to the artistic exploration of African American life, history and culture. From initial sketches to fully-realized productions, the Hansberry Project promotes and supports black theatre artists of diverse interests and disciples, speaking on a range of themes and working in a variety of styles.

The oldest Asian American theatre group in the Pacific Northwest, Pork Filled Productions centers Asian American and POC artists to imagine fantastical, inclusive and FUN universes. Through the genres of science fiction, noir, fantasy, steampunk, horror, and more, we envision a bright universe informed by diverse experiences and perspectives, populated by larger than life characters, where everyone’s story can be told. PFP’s season is supported by 4Culture and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Unleashed receives support from the Hansberry Project.

Pork Filled Productions is fiscally sponsored by Shunpike, the 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that provides independent arts groups in Washington with the services, resources and opportunities they need to forge their own paths to sustainable success.

 

A HAND OF TALONS Redealt

Return to the Fortuna Mews for the final play in the New Providence trilogy! A Live Video presentation on the PFP Facebook page and the Northwest Arts Streaming Hub Facebook page and YouTube channel!
For generations, the Yao clan has ruled the criminal underworld in New Providence with an iron fist. But as the family empire threatens to crumble, Wilhelmina Yao must do whatever it takes to win at in a high-stakes game of power and betrayal. Descend into the hazy underground gambling den of the Fortuna Mews to explore the dark world of steampunk noir in this thrilling third installment of the New Providence series.
Written by Maggie Lee, directed by Amy Poisson, and featuring Stephanie Kim-Bryan, Ben Burris, Mariko Kita, Jenn Ruzumna, Sean Schroeder, Tim Gagne, Kenna M. Kettrick and Abhijeet Rane.
stage manager – Michael Massey
assistant stage manager – Maile Wong
set / prop designer- Brandon Estrella
costume designer – Jocelyn Fowler (Gregory Award winner)
lighting designer – Tess Malone
sound designer- Joseph Swartz
fight choreographer – May Nguyen
poster design- Phil Foglio
production photography – Joe Iano Photography
Gregory Award Winner, Outstanding Costume Design by the amazing Jocelyne Fowler
Nominated, Gypsy Award, Excellence in Set Design
Nominated, Gypsy Award, Excellence in Lighting Design
Nominated, Gypsy Award, Excellence in Performance in a Play as a Lead Actor (Female): (Small Theaters): Stephanie Kim-Bryan
Nominated, Gypsy Award, Excellence in Production (Small Theaters)
Nominated, Gypsy Award, Excellence in Local Playwriting

An Asian American Theatre Company