Sensory Audience Guide

Provided by Pork Filled Productions in conjunction with

Bloodletting Sensory Audience Guide

Environmental Considerations for Bloodletting

1. 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.
2. There are two aisles in the theatre, both of which are used by performers for entrances and exits during the show.
3. The show is approximately 1 hour, 40 minutes in duration. The first act is 40 minutes, there is a 15 minute intermission, and the second act is 60 minutes.
4. 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 Bloodletting

1. The plot centers on the presence of Aswang, mythical shapeshifting creatures who blend in with people by day and hunt their victims at night
2. Characters are attacked by an invisible force and experience extreme pain or other physical symptoms.
3. Characters physically attack each other.
4. Characters discuss miscarriages.
5. There is discussion of death, cremation and distributing ashes. An urn containing cremains is prominently displayed throughout the play.

Key to Symbols 

Visual intensity

Auditory Intensity

Emotional Intensity

Scene	Sensory Category	Heightened Sensory Moments
Scene I		–   When Leelee finishes chanting in her garden there are multiple claps of thunder and a flash of lightening followed by the sound of rain   –   Jenry experiences pain and frustration as Farrah talks about not being able to get in the river to place her father’s ashes   –   Bosely chokes as he recounts Farrah playing water polo   –   After discussing his father’s cremation Bosley experiences increased pain in his ankle   –   After Jenry toasts Bosely’s father, Bosely experiences an urgent need to go to the bathroom
Scene II		–   The scene opens with the sound of rain, distant thunder, and crickets. There is intermittent thunder throughout the scene.   –   As the scene progresses the cricket sounds get louder and louder   –   When Leelee exits the sound of crickets becomes quite loud as does the thunder and rain   –   Seeing that the moon is bloodred, Farrah screams in horror and is overcome
INTERMISSION		–   15 Minute intermission
Scene III In the restaurant		–   Farrah enters the restaurant with the sound of rain. She is very upset and tries to convince Bosley to leave immediately. Throughout the scene she remains in a highly agitated state.   –   Throughout this scene characters are attacked by invisible force from Leelee   –   When Leelee enters she trains her eye on Farrah and Farrah begins choking   –   After Farrah recounts how their parents really met Bosley experiences pain in his throat and runs for the restroom   –   When he returns for the restroom Bosley describes the pain he is feeling throughout his body   –   As Bosley realizes Jenry wanted him to have the bracelet for protection from Leelee and Farrah a mysterious force slams him towards the door   –   Jenry is overcome with pain in his chest   –   There is the sound of thunder as Bosley and Farrah exit
Scene III Outside the restaurant		–   Farrah sees in the moon that Gustavo cheated on Bosley   –   When Bosley tries to get Farrah to talk about her feelings he is overcome by pain in his throat   –   Farrah violently attacks Bosley when he says he’s glad their father is dead   –   When Leelee and Farrah are alone they attack each other   –   As the rains stops, Leelee discusses sucking fetuses from the belly buttons of expectant mothers to gain strength   –   Leelee discusses eating the organs of dead people
Scene IV		–   Jenry describes the violent attack that killed Leelee’s mother   –   After Bosley composes his prayer Farrah and Leelee enter. This startles Bosley and he screams.   –   Bosley talks negatively about his father. Farrah physically attacks him, and uses her powers and words to attack him causing extreme pain.   –   Bosley believes Farrah wants to kill him   –   Bosley begs Farrah to give him the aswang powers   –   Farrah wrestles with her feelings towards her father and that he made her an aswang like he was

Director

Playwright

Press/Media: Go to Bloodletting Press Page

Pork Filled Productions will be offering a Sensory Relaxed Performance of Bloodletting on Sunday, October 29 at 2pm.
Buy tickets at pork-filled.ticketleap.com/bloodletting-relaxed/

What’s a sensory relaxed performance?

A relaxed performance is designed to make the audience more comfortable.  We tweak the performance just a bit to  help people with disabilities, disorders, or differences. They get to enjoy the experiences along with other patrons.

“Relaxed” implies that the experience can be more casual. But overall is more welcoming.  

People who experience sensory overload are more likely to seek out a relaxed performance.  For example, did you know over 1/3 of the population is more likely to experiences sensory overload?

“Overload” refers to being overstimulated and overwhelmed.  As a result, sensory overload occurs when one or more senses are receiving too much stimulation, typically from one’s surrounding environment.

What makes a performance sensory relaxed?

Mainly, we’re adjusting light and sound cues to make them more friendly to folks who can get overloaded. We’ll keep house lights at 30% to let folks adjust.

We’ll also keep the back two rows on the left hand side of the theatre (when you’re facing the stage) for folks who need to stand up during performances. Folks who need to use electronic devices (speech to text, or reading lights to read a script along with the play) also will have seats on the left side of the theatre.

As well, we are developing a guide for Bloodletting for patrons to prepare themselves for what’s going to happen on stage. (Check out the guide we provided for She Devil of the China Seas).

Why have a sensory relaxed performance?

Theatre is for everyone! And all it takes is a little tweak here and there to make it for everyone. It won’t take away from the experience of anybody else who doesn’t have problems with sensory overload, so why not have a performance for those who do?

(Also, for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, printed scripts will be available at the box office)

Buy Tickets here
(Run time: two hours, including a ten minute intermission)

(For the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, printed scripts will be available at the box office)

Press:

Bloodletting Press page here

To show our commitment to the community, we are having an AAPI celebration night on Oct 24th catered by a local Filipino restaurant. We are inviting local AAPI artists to perform, sing, and dance. We will also be announcing our 2024 season and how much we raised! It is Pay what you can so please come by and celebrate this wonderful community with us. Please join us!!!

pork-filled.ticketleap.com/aapi-celebration-night

Peak Behind the Scenes!

Meet the Cast for Bloodletting

Unleashing, in association with Theatre Off Jackson, a staged reading of Good Enemy by Yilong Liu!

A father learns that closing the door to his past may mean shutting his daughter out in his future. When Howard makes a surprise cross-country trip to visit his college-aged, TikTok-loving daughter, he’s forced to confront the realities of their relationship and the rift between them—a rift caused by Howard’s refusal to face memories of his life as a young man in China.

“A mélange of a play about getting a second chance,  and being wise enough to grab it.”
The New York Times

Directed by Christie Zhao (Yun Theatre) and featuring Owen Yen, Lola Rei Fukushima, Yuelan, Mike Wu,Van Liu, Maile Wong, Gabriel Fitzpatrick and Karis Ho

(Staged readings are presentations where actors have scripts in hand and minimal staging)

Buy tickets at pork-filled.ticketleap.com/good-enemy/