The oldest Asian American in the Pacific Northwest, Pork Filled Productions announces a season full of premieres, new works and surprises for its 2025 season.

     “Coming off our Gregory Award for our co-production of Vietgone with SIS Productions, we wanted to continue with strong, bold strokes,” says Executive Director Roger Tang. “We’re maintaining our partnerships and extending them in new and exciting ways.”

     First up is Instant Noodles! A 24 Hour Play Festival, March 8 and 9 at the Theatre Off Jackson. A co-production with SIS Productions, Instant Noodles! builds upon 2021’s Resilience festival as it draws upon actors, writers, directors and designers drawn from all five Seattle Asian American theatres (PFP, SIS, Repertory Actors Theatre, Pratidhwani and Yun Theatre) to create seven brand new plays in 24 hours to showcase Asian American artists and themes.

     Next is The Return of Joy Market, a co-production with Jet City Improv, at West of Lenin, May 1-24, 2025. Harkening back to PFP’s roots in Seattle’s first wave of sketch comedians,Joy Market showcases an all-AAPI cast will dive into the lives of vendors and use a combination of sketch and improv to create portals centered around AAPI voices and stories.

     June trumpets the return of Unleashed, PFP’s new play development series that germinates new pulp stories for the 21^st Century. Four new scripts from across the country, drawn from horror, SF, fantasy, steampunk and other genres will debut on the Theatre Off Jackson stage June 18 to 21. Eight previous scripts from Unleashed went on to full productions at PFP and other stages in the US–see which of this quartet will make it to the stage.

     September sees PFP’s Mainstage Production, teaming up again with SIS Productions to present the Pacific Northwest premiere of Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play by longtime Seattle favorite Keiko Green, September 6-20. It’s 1999, and Ami is an awkward, Japanese American high school girl, just trying to stay as invisible as possible. But her world comes crashing down with a terrible discovery: her family is responsible for manufacturing MSG, the poison spice getting all the kids hooked. Meanwhile, a mysterious new girl arrives from Japan. Her name? Exotic Deadly. She’s loud, she smokes, and she’s not playing by the rules. Who… or what is she? In this time traveling adventure, Ami vows to save the world from MSG and realizes what she’s capable of, if she would just stop being invisible.

     That’s not all! There’ll be additional staged readings from PFP throughout the year, bringing the best in Asian American theatre to the Puget Sound area (because Seattle theatres are so slow in doing Asian American shows though 20% of the population is Asian American!).

     For more information, check out the PFP website: www.porkfilled.com/wp or email PFP at porkfilled@gmail.com.

        The oldest Asian American theatre group in the Pacific Northwest, Pork Filled Productions centers Asian American artists to imagine fantastical, inclusive and FUN universes. Through genres of science fiction, noir, fantasy, steampunk and more, we envision bright universes informed by diverse experiences and perspectives, with larger-than-life characters, where everyone’s story can be told. PFP is supported by 4Culture, ArtsFund, ArtsWA, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

         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.

-30-

At the first in-person Gregory Award Ceremony for five years, PFP artists caused quite a stir, carting off four Gregory Awards for theatrical excellence, as awarded by Theatre Puget Sound at its awards ceremony Monday, October 21.

PFP producer Anamaria Guerzon won for Outstanding Performance in a Musical for her role in Reboot Theatre’s Anyone Can Whistle (Stephen Sondheim’s hidden gem).

PFP Producer Josh Valdez won for Outstanding Sound Designfor Yun Theatre’s heartfelt memory play June is the First Fall (making it Yun Theatre’s first Gregory).

Linus Guo won Outstanding Performance by a Musician in PFP’s and SIS Productions’ Vietgone (hurrah for band ninjas!)

And, to top it off, PFP and SIS Productions won Outstanding Production of a Play for Vietgone!  This marks the very first Asian/Asian American play to be named Outstanding Play at the Gregorys (Sara Porkalob’s Dragon Lady won Outstanding Musical in 2018).

PFP led an eye-popping parade of Asian American artists at the Gregorys as PFP alum Maggie Lee won Outstanding Original Script for her touching Once More, Just for You at Seattle Public Theatre,  Pearl Lam won Outstanding Performance in a Play for SIS Productions’ and Seattle Public Theatre’s Unrivaled and Robin Macartney won Outstanding Properties or Special Effects Design for Once More Just for You.

Give all of the winners a hand!

Unleashed 2025
New Plays for a New World

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!

Unleashed 2025 returns for a week-long festival of brand new genre plays by Asian Americans! Pork Filled Productions is sounding the call, once again, for one acts and full length plays that indulge in genre, upend expectations, and expand imaginations.  Deadline for submission is October 25^th 2024.

From Roger Tang, executive director of PFP: “We have more stories in us than oppression or identity plays. We want to give writers free rein to let loose their full storytelling potential on stage. And we want the audience to have fun and we get to tell our stories.”

If you are accepted, you will be given actors, a director, and a dramaturge. Private workshops, writing time, and a public workshop at Theatre Off Jackson in Seattle, W.A.

Please Submit your Application Here.

Key info

• Deadline for submissions – ​ October 25^th 2024.
• Send plays to – submissions@porkfilled.com
• All submitting playwrights must complete the accompanying application form
• We have a CAP of 50 eligible plays. We will close submissions early if we reach this mark.
• We are only accepting 4 Play at this time for workshop readings.

Questions? – info@porkfilled.com

Plays are not required to have specifically diverse casts or racial themes; however, Pork Filled Productions is dedicated to casting all of our shows with at least 51% actors of color, so please keep that in mind when considering your submissions.

Submission guidelines

​1 – ​We are looking for one acts (30-45 minutes) and full length plays (90+ minutes) by Asian American playwrights.

2 – ​We are specifically seeking bold,​ imaginative new work in genres such as noir, science fiction, fantasy, horror, action adventure, or any mashup in-between. We want your play to have FUN and FANTASTICAL universes and indulge in the idea of play! No living room drama plays please!

3 – ​Selected plays will receive a public staged reading in Seattle, WA. Local writers from the Pacific Northwest are strongly encouraged to submit.

4- We will prioritize local playwrights, but this application is open to a national call. If accepted, your play will have a private and public staged reading, but we are not able to offer accommodation or transportation to Seattle at this time.

5 – ​All submitted plays will be considered for a full production by Pork Filled Productions.

6– ​Deadline for submissions is October 25^th 2024.

7 – ​Only emailed submissions with a completed Application Form will be considered. Please submit all materials as attachments in MS Word or PDF format to submissions@porkfilled.com.

8 – Playwrights may ONLY make one submission, and the plays must not have had a professional stage production at the time of submission. Readings and workshops are not considered productions.​

9- If accepted will receive a stipend of 300$ for you time and dedication to your work

10- Winners will be announced Early January 2025

11- In Feb/March/April- Private readings will be had and the playwright will have time to rewrite the script and have feedback from actors, the director, and the dramaturge

12- There will be a public reading of the play at Theatre Off Jackson the week of 6/16/25  

Past Unleashed Scripts Receiving Full Productions

• Repossessed, by Greg Lam (Theatre Conspiracy, FL)
• Reparations, by Darren Canady (Sound Theatre, WA)
• She Devil of the China Seas, by Roger Tang (PFP, WA)
• Persimmon Nights, by Seayoung Yim (Cafe Nordo, WA)
• Utopia, by Angela Primlani (Otherworldl Theater Company, IL)
• I Wanna Fuck Like Romeo and Juliet, by Andrew Rincon  (New Light, NY)
• miku and the Gods, by Julia Izumi (ArtsWest, WA)
• Autocorrect Thinks I’m Dead, by Aimee Chou (Sound Theatre, WA)

“As an Asian American who grew up in Texas, it’s always refreshing (dare I say “novel”) to see Asian perspectives and representation on the stage. We’re not the “cultural other” in this story. Instead of Asian Americans speaking incomprehensibly, it was the other way around where the white American characters spoke weird broken English to depict their difficulty speaking Vietnamese. There were also many references in the play about living in a white-dominated society that many non-Asians wouldn’t understand. Additionally, it was a welcome change seeing the male romantic lead as an Asian man (Joshua M Erme as Quang) with sex appeal, muscular physique (Gurrrrl, look at that body!), and a masculine profession in the armed forces. This representation is still so important today even in the woke PNW where I know a half-Asian kid who literally expressed that they didn’t want their Asian features. Role models and goals!”
Shows I’ve Seen

“This show has everything: Stellar acting, incredible set design and music, and an outstanding and important message that needs to be heard now more than ever. I hope as many people as possible experience this show. It’s worth every minute.”
BroadwayWorld Seattle

“Pork Filled Productions and SiS Productions are two mighty, tiny companies that attempt such work. Their production of Vietgone is this kind of mighty effort and a huge “win” for our community because they have gifted us with the ability to see this play in person, again. ”

Seattle GayScene / Miryam’s Theatre Musings

Don’t forget the press features about Vietgone!

Seattle Times feature:
“Director Katano homed in on Nguyen and Tang’s shared love of comic books for this new production, using the graphic novel “The Best We Could Do” — another Vietnamese immigration story — as visual inspiration. She also replaced the recorded backing tracks with Yuelan’s live band for the actors to rap over.

“Having a live band ups the cool factor by, like, 85%,” Katano said.”

The International Examiner:
“To prepare to portray Tong, Huynh has been reflecting on the stories her parents told about their childhoods and journey to the U.S. “I think about how hard it can be for my family and family friends to discuss their experiences fleeing Vietnam, and their difficult journeys, fighting to achieve a better life,” she said. “There’s a shared generational trauma of facing and escaping a horrific war, in desperately fighting their whole lives to ensure their survival, in yearning for a home that no longer exists as it did in their childhoods.””

And from the Northwest Asian Weekly:
“1975, the year of the play’s action, was obviously long before either lead actor was born.

“I have our expert dramaturge, Anamaria Guerzon,” said Erme, “to thank for providing much of the historical context for not only the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, but also the real-life version of Quang Nguyen. When the play is dealing with the war, it is definitely treated with the appropriate level of seriousness.”

As of this morning, Friday August 22, the Friday and Saturday performances are sold out online, but if you email tix@porkfilled.com, your name will be added to the wait-list in the order received, and at 7:20pm, any tickets that have not been picked up will be released to the waiting list. We usually have a number of no-shows (5-10), so there’s a decent chance we can get you in.

VIETGONE – Sensory Audience Guide Content

 VIETGONE is an intense show from a sensory perspective. Emotionally intense moments include racism, physical violence, PTSD nightmares of war, permanent separation from family members because of war and other difficult topics. Production elements include projection screens on the top half of the set, and the entire set used for spiraling and scrolling lighting effects. Because these emotionally and visually intense elements are woven throughout the entirety of the show, it is not possible to create a fully “sensory sensitive” experience from a production standpoint. Audience members who are sensitive to emotionally intense themes and moving visual imagery should consider, based on the audience guide below, if this is an appropriate show for their unique sensory needs.

Environmental Considerations for VIETGONE

• The performance takes place in the Theatre Off Jackson. It is a smaller theater, seating about 140 patrons. The ceiling is low and all seats are close to the stage.
• There are two aisles in the theatre, both of which are used by performers for entrances and exits during the show.
• The show is approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes in duration. The first act is 1 hour, 10 minutes, there is a 15 minute intermission, and the second act is also 1 hour, 10 minutes.
• Part of the sound system is located under the seats in the right section as you are facing the stage. This causes intermittent rumbling sensations under those seats.

Show Content Considerations for VIETGONE

• This show is very emotionally intense including PTSD nightmares of war, physical fighting from both male and female characters, racism, swearing and sexual situations. As such, it is rated PG-14.
• The show is also very visually intense. The top part of the set features screens used for rear projections, and the entire set is used for spiraling and scrolling lighting effects.
  • The lobby is available as a quieter space with reduced lighting if patrons wish to take a break from the intensity of the show.
• This show has live music and loud sound effects. Noise reducing headphones are recommended for patrons who are sensitive to sound.
• The show is non-linear. Different scenes take place at different points in time, moving from present time in the main plot, to moments that occurred weeks or months earlier, then back to present time. Projections on the set help in understanding where the scene is located in time. These projections state the location of the scene and where it takes place in relation to the main timeline of the show.

In the following guide, the performance is divided by scenes that contain moments of heightened sensory intensity.  

Key to Symbols

Scenes	Sensory Category	Heightened Sensory Moments
ACT I
July 1975		–   Moving projections on set –   Loud rapping, motorcycle sound effects
Saigon, 4 months earlier		–   Giai cries
Saigon Military Station, 3 weeks later		–   Loud explosion sound effects, flashing lights, comic word projections, yelling –   Saigon is falling, Quang must leave his family behind
Fort Chaffee, Arkansas		–   Scrolling lights on the set –   Tong raps about the pain of leaving her life behind –   Flashback to Khue refusing to come with Tong and their painful goodbye
USS Midway		–   Quang is told he can’t return for his family –   Quang punches Nhan –   Circular projections during Quang/Tong’s song –   The song is about the loss both feel as they try to make America home
Fort Chaffee		–   Racist signs outside the refugee camp
Oklahoma City		–   Loud music and motorcycle sounds –   A racist biker tries to run Quang and Nhan off of their motorcycle –   Videogame sound effects
Amarillo, Texas		–   Green projections of plants spiral and multiply, moving rapidly on the set –   Quang wants his memories erased
Fort Chaffee		–   A dream sequence. Tong thinks Giai followed her –   Blood appears on his shirt as if he had been shot and actors crawl across the floor as Giai proclaims that they are all dead. –   Khue asks why Tong left him behind as blood drips from his mouth –   Eerie music plays
ACT II
Amarillo, Texas		–   Quang raps about his anger and sadness over losing his family and country –   Blue and white projections scroll across the set
Fort Chaffee		–   Quang and Tong engage in acts of sexual intimacy –   Quang and Tong reenact scenes from familiar movies to prerecorded music
Flagstaff, Arizona		–   The racist biker finds Quang and Nhan at a gas station –   Stage lights blink and yellow suns spin on the projections –   Rock music plays in the background with other sound effects –   Quang, Nhan, the biker, and ninjas engage in humorous stage combat –   The biker draws a gun, which does not shoot –   Some of the ninjas play electric instruments
Fort Chaffee/Saigon 2 months earlier/Fort Chaffee		–   Khue and Huong say goodbye to each other –   Tong is very hurt that Quang is leaving –   As Tong raps, dots and hearts scroll on the set behind her
Oceanside, California		–   Nhan points out the hard truth of what will happen if Quang goes back to Vietnam. The two of them yell at each other. –   Quang realizes that he really can’t go back to Vietnam and be with his family. Overwrought with sadness and anger, Quang breaks the motorcycle, slams his seabag, screams in anguish and sobs.
El Dorado, Arkansas		–   Blue digital waves stream across the set –   Fireworks explode on the set behind Quang and Tong after they kiss
Time speeds by		–   Years flash on the projection screens, the band plays songs from various decades.
2015		–   An elderly Quang admonishes his son for saying the Vietnam war was a mistake and shares his point of view

Tickets sold at https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/vietgone/

JOIN US on August 15th after Vietgone for a post-show discussion with Susan Lieu, author of her new memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter!

Cover photo by Jenny Crooks. 

SUSAN LIEU is a Vietnamese–American author, playwright, and performer who tells stories that refuse to be forgotten. She took her award-winning autobiographical solo show 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother on a ten-city national tour, with sold-out premieres and accolades from the Los Angeles Times, NPR, and American Theatre. Her debut memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter, is an Apple Book of the Month, Apple Book Must Listen of the Month, and has been featured on The New York Times, NPR Books, Elle Magazine, LA Times, and The Washington Post. Creator of The Vagina Monologues, V (formerly Eve Ensler) calls The Manicurist’s Daughter “a stunning, raw, brave memoir that wouldn’t let me go.” She is a proud alumnae of Harvard College, Yale School of Management, Coro, Hedgebrook, and Vashon Artist Residency. She is also the cofounder of Socola Chocolatier, an artisanal chocolate company based in San Francisco. Susan lives with her husband and son in Seattle, where they enjoy mushroom hunting, croissants, and big family gatherings. The Manicurist’s Daughter is her first book.

BOOK SUMMARY

An emotionally raw memoir about the crumbling of the American Dream and a daughter of refugees who searches for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery.

Susan Lieu has long been searching for answers. About her family’s past and about her own future. Refugees from the Vietnam War, Susan’s family escaped to California in the 1980s after five failed attempts. Upon arrival, Susan’s mother was their savvy, charismatic North Star, setting up two successful nail salons and orchestrating every success―until Susan was eleven. That year, her mother died from a botched tummy tuck. After the funeral, no one was ever allowed to talk about her or what had happened.

For the next twenty years, Susan navigated a series of cascading questions alone―why did the most perfect person in her life want to change her body? Why would no one tell her about her mother’s life in Vietnam? And how did this surgeon, who preyed on Vietnamese immigrants, go on operating after her mother’s death? Sifting through depositions, tracking down the surgeon’s family, and enlisting the help of spirit channelers, Susan uncovers the painful truth of her mother, herself, and the impossible ideal of beauty.

The Manicurist’s Daughter is much more than a memoir about grief, trauma, and body image. It is a story of fierce determination, strength in shared culture, and finding your place in the world.

BOOK ORDER LINK
https://www.susanlieu.me/the-manicurists-daughter

NATIONAL TOUR DATES
https://www.susanlieu.me/events

SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: @susanlieu, @celadonbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanlieuofficial

TikTok: @susanlieuofficial

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanlieu/

For the Deaf community Pork Filled Productions and SIS Productions is offering closed captioning for four performances of Vietgone by Qui Nguyen (author of Raya and the Last Dragon presented in association with and at the Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave. S., Seattle, WA).

This ribald, funny romantic comedy can be enjoyed by all audiences on theSaturday, August 10^thand Friday August 16^th at 7:30 pm and both performances on Saturday, August 17^th (2 pm and 7:30 pm). Patrons can use their personal devices (phone or tablet) to tune in to a special site for dialogue.

Deaf Audience members who are unable to make it those nights have other options. Upon request, audience members may use printed copies of the script along with a reading lamp and follow the action on stage. Both options will have special sections of the house so patrons can enjoy the show without being disturbed by the rest of the audience.

“Our experience with producing new work centering Deaf artists showed us the need for this,” says PFP Executive Director Roger W. Tang. “Many theatres are missing a vital part of the community by not providing for Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences and we wanted to bridge that gap.”

Tickets for all performances of Vietgone (running August 9^th to 27^th) are available at https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/vietgone. Patrons wanting printed scripts to follow along may request them in advance at porkfilled@gmail.com (Name, number of scripts and for which performance).

It’s 1975, after the fall of Saigon. Two young survivors (who may or may not be the playwright’s parents) meet in Arkansas. Will this strange land of burritos, bikers, hippies and pot allow them to fall in love? Flipping stereotypes and remixing history, Vietgone cooks up a sexy, funny romp (with live music!) that’s a secret origin story for playwright Qui Nguyen (author of Raya and the Last Dragon)!

The show is rated PG-14 for sexual situations, swearing, redneck racism, nightmares of war, and badass kung fu fighting. For more information, contact PFP at oink@porkfilled.com, call (206) 486-0375 or go to their website, www.porkfilled.com.

TheThursday, August 22nd  performance at 7:30pm and will feature a sensory relaxed performance to increase access and equity by reducing intensity of lighting and sound to enable more audiences to enjoy the show.

SIS Productions is a production company that strives to create, develop and produce quality works that involve Asian American women, their themes, and Asian American issues. SIS Productions encourages opportunities and support for Asian American women to be involved in all aspects of the production of artistic endeavors. SIS Productions is supported by 4Culture, ArtsWA & Melvin Inouye.

The oldest Asian American theatre group in the Pacific Northwest, PFP centers Asian American and POC artists to imagine fantastical, inclusive, and FUN universes. Through the genres of science fiction, noir, fantasy, steampunk 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, ArtsWA, ArtsFund and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. 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.