PFP Announces its 2023 Season!!

Pork FIlled Productions is proud to announce its upcoming 2022-2023 season! We have a few projects lined up and can’t wait to get them ready for audiences. We have three staged readings as part of our Unleashed series, a fun collaboration with our friends over at Jet City Improv, and finally, a full stage production of Bloodletting by Boni B. Alvarez.

UNLEASHED – New Staged Readings for 2023

For 2023, Pork Filled continues Unleashed with three new staged readings. First is in January/February, with Night Parade by PFP Producer Kendall Uyeji! Stay tuned as we set reading up for summer and winter of 2023!

 JOY MARKET

In collaboration with Jet City Improv, Pork Filled will be revisiting some of its early roots in comedy this coming season! More info on this will come soon!

BLOODLETTING

PFP’s MainStage show will hit the stage at the Theatre Off Jackson in October 2023! Just in time for Filipino American History Month!

Siblings Farrah and Bosley Legazpi are forced to make a journey back to the Motherland. Their father’s last wish was for his ashes to be sprinkled in the newly minted ‘natural wonder’ – the Underground River of Palawan in the Philippines. During the tension-filled journey, the two must sort out their father’s affairs as well as their own relationship. When they discover that one of them is an aswang (a Filipino witch), 30+ years of feelings come to a boil. Is it easier to accept a sibling’s cruel nature if it is steeped in the supernatural?

She Devil of the China Seas has officially closed at Theatre Off Jackson, but it is not entirely over!! Pork Filled Productions is excited to announce our video-on-demand streaming run!

Big thanks to everyone who attended our live-run, both as patrons and volunteers! We even sold-out on our closing night!!

Whether you’d like to enjoy it again or you couldn’t attend the live-run, this will be your chance to watch it in it’s entirety.

Video On Demand will run: September 11 to October 2

Buy tickets here: pork-filled.ticketleap.com/she-devil-vod/

Tickets to access the video stream is $10! 

Plus an exclusive bonus! For our video-on-demand and closing night audience: a Marvel-style end-credit scene!

She Devil of the China Seas– Audience Guide Content

Environmental Considerations for She Devil of the China Seas

1. The performance takes place in the Theatre Off Jackson.  It is a smaller theater, seating about 140 patrons. There are two aisles in the theatre, both of which are used by performers during the show. 
2. The show is approximately 2 hours, 30  minutes in duration. The first act is 90  minutes, there is a 15  minute intermission, and the second act is 35 minutes.

Show Content Considerations for She Devil of the China Seas

1. She Devil is a pirate adventure tale. 
2. The aisles are frequently used for actors’ entrances and exits, as well as for sword fights.
3. The are many sword fights throughout the show. These fights include the clanging of swords as they strike each other, grunting of actors as they fight, and deaths of participants during the fights. 
4. There is a recurring theme of characters interacting with the ancestors during the show. The ancestors possess god-like abilities to interact and impact the lives of the living characters. 
5. There is a recurring theme of dark magic/energy in the show. 
6. There are moments of romance during the show.

Key to Symbols

Visual intensity       Auditory Intensity      Suspense      Emotional Intensity          

Show Moment in Chronological Order	Sensory Category	Description
Act I
Prior to the show		There is soft Asian-inspired music and water sounds before the show begins.
Scene I		There is a gong sound effect when the ancestors appear. This sound effect continues throughout the show whenever the ancestors appear.  There are lanterns in the audience that light up during the show at various moments. Hei and Tse appear running from pirates  Many actors enter the theatre in the House left aisle. There is a sword fight, ending in the death of an actor.     When Hei awakens she is in pain
Scene II		A market scene with actors entering and exiting through both aisles. Sailors enter through the house right aisle and accost Tse “Eh, just a rat…” Pirates enter the scene and attack Zhang Ngoi.  Zhang Nogi threatens a dying sailor to get information. The sailor   dies.
Scene IV		Red lights and a pirate song. The ancestors call to Tse in a dream sequence. Tse doubles over in pain during the conversation.  Jeong enters and taunts Tse. Zhang Ngoi and Tse practice sword fighting.
Scene VII		“I said the crew does reflect their captain.” Sounds of distant cannon fire, red lighting Pirates boarding the Leng-Pah enter the theatre through the house right and left stairs. There is loud sword fighting and death. Two pirates are taken captive. The female captive is leered at by the male crew. Jeong punches the male captive. The male captive screams as he is taken off stage for a gruesome ritual called “the deck”.  “He and the captain wore these…” Dark magic talisman are discovered. Zhang Boh touches one and has a seizure. Hei warns of the threat the dark magic represents.
ACT II
Scene III		A man with a bat stands in front of the car. Dad instructs Kenny not to make eye contact. Dad and the racist man interact. “Are you well, merchant?” A pirate and merchant appear in the house right aisle. A sword fight takes place in the house right aisle and the front of the stage with the death of several characters. Jeong and Pui are pinned down by a pirate with a gun. Tse stabs the pirate.  We hear a cannon blast. Jeong steps in front of the cannon ball and is mortally wounded.
Scene IV		Tse feels the weight of Jeong’s impending death on her conscience.  Jeong’s last moments are portrayed and he dies Zhang Ngoi talks to Tse about his first love, and her ultimate death by suicide.
Scene V		This scene opens with a funeral for Jeong Pirates enter throughout the house for the grand union. They remain in the house for the scene and they are somewhat loud.  Tse discovers that Lay Fong is behind the attacks on Zhang Ngoi. Lay Fong attacks Zhang Ngoi with a knife and slashes him. Tse and Lay Fong fight with swords. During the fight the Ancestor Moh appears, bringing dark magic. There is a thunder sound effect and lighting effects. Lay Fong and Tse both fight the dark magic. Hei enters, writhing in pain. Tse uses the amulet Hei gave her and fights off the dark energy.    Tse addresses the assembled captains of the fleet on the deck of the ship. Lay Fong appears to have his hands nailed into the deck of the ship and screams in pain.

You can use this link to buy tickets for the Relaxed Sensory Performance for She Devil of the China Seas, Sunday, August 21, at 2 pm.

pork-filled.ticketleap.com/relaxed-shedevil/

What Does a Sensory-Relaxed Performance Entail?

• Sensory elements, such as music volume, sound and lighting effects, are modulated, and the use of tablets/smartphones, fidget toys, and movement in the audience are permitted.
• A “social narrative” is available prior to the show so that audience members can familiarize themselves with the elements of the performance, know what to expect, and increase their comfort level with a new situation.

Read Our First Review!

“Putting the story on paper is, of course, only part of the challenge. It still has to be delivered, and that’s what this Pork Filled Productions cast does, and very well. Each actor embodies their characters with a good deal of honesty, and heart.”

Big shoutout to Greg Heilman, of Heilman & Haver, who provided a wonderful review of She-Devil of the China Seas! 

Read his full review by clicking on the image above!

A Message from Pork Filled Productions,

Dear Friends,

Due to complications from illnesses striking the staff and production problems, PFP has postponed the opening of SHE DEVIL OF THE CHINA SEAS from August 11 to August 13. The production will run 

Saturday                  August 13        8pm
Monday                   August 15        8pm
Thursday                August 18       8pm
Friday                       August 19        8pm
Saturday                  August 20        8pm
Sunday                     August 21        2pm
Tuesday                   August 23        8pm
Thursday                August 25        8pm
Friday                       August 26        8pm
Saturday                  August 27        8pm               Closing Night

If you had tickets for the 9th, 11th or 12, we’re sorry, those performances have been cancelled. Contact us to  let us know what performance date you would like to change your tickets for and we will make that change. Refunds are available if you are not able to attend.

Thank you so very much for your support of PFP. We look forward to seeing you at the theater! 

Presenting LIVE readings of 3 world premiere plays in Nordo, themed around Pacific Northwest Lore.

Mondays in March, join us for cocktail hour 6-7 PM before each new play reading in Nordo’s intimate venue in the heart of historic Pioneer Square.

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Wolves on the Fold by Dylan Elwood
Monday, March 14 at 7:00 PM

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Dylan Thomas Elwood, Turtle Mountain Chippewa, has been a member of Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theatre, located in Seattle, Washington, for sixteen years. He has acted in and co-written numerous productions and engaged with the Seattle Native community, culminating in the premiere of his production Killer Whale and the Black Rush at ACT Theatre in August 2019 as part of the ACTOne festival. He currently serves RES and YTT (Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow) as artistic associate.

ABOUT THE PLAY
Wolves on the Fold draws a lot of thematic and visual influence from the poem “The Destruction of Sennacherib” by Lord Byron, as an explosion of unexpected violence and uneasy peace that precedes and follows it. I drew a lot of tonal inspiration from narrative video games as well, cribbing themes of loneliness, isolation, and revenge from works like Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and The Wolf Among Us (based on Bill Willingham’s Fables Comic Series). This play began as a meditation on hope, and now stands as a monument to the idea that buried hatred is seldom forgotten.

FEATURING THE TALENTS OF
Nicole Suyama (Direction)
Kiefer Harrington (Dramaturgy)
Alissa Cattabriga
Heidi Cheyenne
Asia Gellein
Marion Jacobs
Sydney Maltese

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The Rainshadow Dispatch by Maggie Lee
Monday, March 21 at 7:00 PM

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT Maggie Lee is an award-winning Seattle playwright who creates diverse and imaginative new worlds on stage in genres like science fiction, fantasy, and horror, with productions in Seattle, New York, Seoul, Chicago, and San Francisco. Her play Sheathed was the recipient of the 2019 Gregory Award for Outstanding New Play, the 2019 Gypsy Rose Lee Award winner for Excellence in Local Playwriting, and a semi-finalist for the 2018 Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Her other plays include A Hand of Talons (2016 Gypsy Rose Lee Award nominee for Excellence in Local Playwriting), The Tumbleweed Zephyr (2016 Gregory Award nominee for Outstanding New Play), The Clockwork Professor, The Flight Before Xmas, and The Journey of the Bell. She was recently a 2021 Hedgebrook writer-in-residence, and currently the Resident Playwright at Macha Theatre Works, a board member of Rain City Projects (an organization supporting Pacific Northwest playwrights), and a member of the Dramatists Guild. Her plays are available on New Play Exchange and published by Mneme Press (mnemepress.org).

ABOUT THE PLAY
The Rainshadow Dispatch is a 3-part horror anthology that takes historical events and lore in the Pacific Northwest on a fantastical journey, peering below the surface of our familiar landscape into strange, dark places. Some influences include The Twilight Zone, Channel Zero, The Terror season 1, Stranger Things, the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Devolution by Max Brooks, Occultation by Laird Barron, and podcasts like Tanis, Limetown, Forest 404, and From Now.

FEATURING THE TALENTS OF
Gavin Reub (Direction & Dramaturgy)
Michael Blum
Christi Cruz
Pearl Lam
Alanah Pascual
Michael Wu

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Autocorrect Thinks I’m Dead by Aimee Chou
Monday, March 28 at 7:00 PM

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Aimee is a Taiwanese-American theatre multi-hyphenate. She recently performed in an outdoor pandemic production of Children of a Lesser God (Hope Summer Repertory Theatre), a green-screened Please Untranslate Me (IRT Theatre), and has understudied at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Offstage, she loves writing stories that meld imaginary scenarios with real-life elements. Writing credits include Thoreauly Zoomed Out (Ars Nova), Motherclucker! (Theatre Battery), Humanly Possible (Deaf Spotlight), and Plumb Crazy Pipe Dream (Deaf Spotlight and RIT/NTID Deaf Performing Arts). This Spring, you can catch her onstage as Nancy in Sound Theatre’s production of Gaslight (Angel Street). Fun fact: Aimee is squeamish about horror movies and wouldn’t be caught deaf watching them solo.

ABOUT THE PLAY
Genre-wise, I jokingly label my play “dumblecore mumblecore.” It has young adults who sit around yakking a lot, while coping with the fantasy/sci-fi elements intruding in their lives.

More seriously though, if you’re a fan of horror flicks, sign language, police procedurals, irreverent comedy, and the home invasion genre, this play is for you.

If you’re living in a Seattle technopolis yet (sometimes) pine for simpler analog days, you’ll probably relate to the storyline.

If you’ve ever wondered how the heck Deaf people live in a haunted house that goes bump in the night, then pull up a seat at Nordo. You’re about to find out.

RUNTIME: 1 hour 30 minutes with a 15-minute intermission

FEATURING THE TALENTS OF
Darren Frazier (Stage & ASL Direction)
Kayla Walker (Dramaturgy)
Jake Merz (Stage Manager)
Van Lang Pham
Brittany Rupik
Lindsay Welliver
Kai Winchester
Zerek White
Aaron Johnson (voice)
Jacque Larant (voice)
Malcolm Reed (voice)

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GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Pay-What-You-Will tickets are available for each reading, as well as festival-style ticket packages for all 3 plays.

Ticket Package for All Three

What is a Pay-What-You-Will ticket? You choose the price of your ticket. All ticket proceeds help us curate more events like this and pay our artists. Higher-tier tickets subsidize the ticketing fees for the lower-tier tickets. PFP thanks you for your generosity and collaboration in making new works accessible.

Questions? Email info@porkfilled.com

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ACCESSIBILITY

UPDATE: Due to some projector technical issues, each play’s text will be available via QR code to all audience members.

Autocorrect Thinks I’m Dead will also feature ASL/English interpretation for the reading and talkback.

Nordo’s space is wheelchair accessible. If you have specific questions about navigating the space, please contact the venue at info@cafenordo.com.

RESILIENCE! 

A 24-HOUR PLAY FESTIVAL FEATURING ALL AAPI ARTISTS   Through Covid and an ever-mounting tide of anti-Asian hate, Asian Americans have gone through the wringer in the past two years. Well, guess what—we’re still here, persisting and resisting all your efforts to stuff us into boxes to define us. We’re striking back with our whole voice, creating 7 new plays in 24 hours themed around resilience, representation and better, bolder futures. Live-streamed performance November 13, 2021 at 8:00 PM PST.

SLOW COOKER UNLEASHED! PNW LORE

UNLEASHED IS BACK! LIVE & CO-PRESENTED WITH CAFÉ NORDO   We’re combining our Unleashed program with Nordo’s Slow Cooker program for a festival of new works. We will co-present three brand new works by local playwrights of color, exploring Seattle myths, legends and folklore. These pieces will be presented in person at Cafe Nordo’s Knife Room space in February or March of 2022.

DEVISED SHOW: A SHOW CREATED BY PERFORMERS

JOIN OUR 2022-2023 DEVISED SHOW COHORT   We’re launching a devised theatre group, designed for writing, developing and presenting new work in a collaborative format. Recruitment and development of the devising cohort will begin in Summer 2022 for a public presentation in 2023.

MIKU AND THE GODS

CO-PRESENTATION WITH ARTSWEST JUNE 2022  PFP will co-present with ArtsWest the world premiere of miku and the gods in June 2022. This piece was developed in our 2020 Unleashed festival, and we brought this piece to the attention of the ArtsWest band of Associate Artists and the ArtsWest staff.

We will be participating in ArtsWest First Look previews (which will give a behind-the-scenes look at miku and the gods) and more!!

SHE DEVIL OF THE CHINA SEAS

FULL, IN PERSON PRODUCTION IN AUGUST 2022   We’re presenting a full, in person mainstage production of an original, full length show penned by our very own Roger Tang in association with Theatre Off Jackson in August 2022. This piece was developed in our 2017 Unleashed festival.

Synopsis:

Shih knows one thing in life: survival. She clawed her way up from refugee using every means to support her injured sister. But when China’s pirate lord offers her a chance at something more, the sorceress Wu and her dark forces gather to destroy her before she can even accept…and fulfill a destiny from the gods! 

Based on the real-life pirate who commanded the largest pirate fleet in history, SHE DEVIL is one part true history, one part action fantasy, and one Marvel comics, which equals full length fun on stage in the mode of SHANG CHI and BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, complete with pirate queens, swords and sorcery!