Bloodletting Program Bios

Boni B. Alvarez, Playwright, is a Los Angeles-based playwright-actor. His plays include America Adjacent, Bloodletting, Fixed, Nicky, Dallas Non-Stop, Dusty de los Santos, Ruby, Tragically Rotund, The Special Education of Miss Lorna Cambonga, Marabella, Driven, The Debut of Georgia, Emmylu, and Refuge for a Purple Heart.

     His plays have been produced at Center Theatre Group – Kirk Douglas Theatre, Echo Theater Company, Coeurage Theatre Company, Skylight Theatre Company, and Playwrights’ Arena. His plays have been developed/given readings at Chalk Rep, Moving Arts, Artists At Play, The Vagrancy, Los Angeles Theatre Center, EST/LA, The Blank, Pork Filled Players (Seattle), Theatre Rhinoceros (San Francisco), Second Generation (2g, NYC), InterAct Theatre (Philadelphia), and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has been a Semifinalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and a Finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Aurora Theatre’s Global Age Project, and Clubbed Thumb’s Biennial Commission.

      Alum of the CBS Writers Mentoring Program, CTG Writers’ Workshop, Moving Arts’ MADlab, Echo Writer’s Lab, Skylight Theatre’s Play Lab, and the Humanitas Play LA Workshop.  He is a Resident Playwright of New Dramatists. He holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, an MFA (Acting) from A.R.T./MXAT Institute at Harvard University, and an MFA (Dramatic Writing) from USC.

Zenaida Rose Smith, Director (she/her) champions local and Global Majority artists as a freelance director, producer, and actor. Directing credits include Matt & Ben (ArtsWest); a white haunting and Three Screams (MAP Theatre); Koala Lou, Maybe, and Trying (Book-It Arts Education Tours); PFP’s Unleashed Festival of new work (2020, 2021); and numerous other development workshops with Seattle area playwrights. She is also Production Manager at ArtsWest, a staff member at 18th & Union, a Producing Director for MAP Theatre, and a 14/48 Projects board member.

Jen-Ai Clinton, Farrah, (she/her), Jen-Ai’s venture into acting began unexpectedly during her time studying Film Production. While appearing as Jenny in the ThreePenny Opera and Letters Aloud (SCC), she discovered that her passion for working behind the camera couldn’t outweigh her newfound love for performing.

Now, with her first show with Pork Filled Productions, she is thrilled for the chance to collaborate with an all-Asian cast, bringing this production to life on stage. She thanks her parents for their support, eight siblings for teaching Farrah sibling love and friends for surviving it.

Matt Dela Cruz, Bosley, (he/him), is a Filipino-American performance artist and educator from Seattle. He is a graduate of Circle in the Square Theatre School in NYC, a UW Drama Alumni and recently completed his Masters in Teaching degree at SPU. Performance wise he got to play Tom Collins in Renton Civic Theatre’s Production of RENT and got to perform one of his solo shows, called Mr. D.C., through Pan Asian Repertory in NYC. Much love to the PFP crew, who took a chance on this “newbie” all those years ago. Without ya’ll, he wouldn’t be the performer he is today 🙂

Anna Mulia, Leelee, (she/her) is a Korean/Indonesian/Filipina interdisciplinary artist from Seattle, WA. She works in a variety of media including theater, puppetry, burlesque, and watercolor. Her work explores diverse themes, including identity, eroticism, grief, and the transformative power of playfulness. Most recently, her original work Nighttime Puppet Show: The Secret of Love appeared as part of 18^th & Union’s 2023 SpringShot festival. She’s excited to make her debut with Pork Filled Productions and would like to dedicate this performance to her mother and Lola whom she knows would both be very proud.

Sam Prudente, Jenry (He/They, Siya/Sila) encountered several aswangs as a child and survived thanks to Ginger. Growing up in Guam & Papua New Guinea, Sam is thankful his parents were supportive after he dumped Pre-med for Performance at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Sam now has a BA in Culture, Literature, and the Arts & an MA in Cultural Studies from the UW. They’ve done plays & musicals and worked in TV, film, and advertising. Member siya/sila ng Philippines’ Teatre Actors Guild and the 2023 Washington State Teaching Artists Training Lab Cohort. Ask him about Theatre of the Oppressed, Social Presencing Theatre, and why aswangs live so close to the airport!

Anamaria Guerzon, Understudy/Asst. Dramaturg, (she/they) is a mixed Filipino-American Theatre Artist, and is thrilled to be making her debut with PFP. They hold a Theatre BA from Pacific Lutheran University. Selected acting credits include: ‘Student’ (TRYING, dir. Zenaida Smith), Nancy (Yellow Fever (Centerstage, dir. Mimi Katano). They are also a playwright: their play SKIN has most recently been developed in a workshop/reading with The Playwright Realm’s Scratchpad Series (dir. May Adrales). When she’s not making theatre, she is playing music, reading, journaling, or rewatching Avatar the Last Airbender.

Omar Faust, Stage Manager, is a mixed race queer theater producer and stage manager. Before Pork Filled Productions, they studied theater at Bard College. You may have seen them lurking in the tech booths at Theater Schmeater, Annex Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theater, or Sound Theater. During the Pandemic, they served as Vice President of Evergreen Land Trust, where they worked to increase diversity amongst the co-op houses that they oversaw. Getting to now work in a theater that elevates AAPI voices is a true joy for them. Other joys are hiking (they’ve done two Caminos), Magic: the Gathering (used to teach), and legacy board games (yes, even the Risk one).

Alister Stern, Assistant Stage Manager (they/them) is a local theater professional, grown from SPT’s youth program of olde. Recently on a successful streak of stage management, AJ has worked with companies like Sound Theater Program, Reboot Theater in collaboration with Seattle Public Theater, and now with Pork-Filled Productions as Assistant Stage Manager. Soon to be taking on The Full Monty with Renton Civic Theater as their Stage Manager, AJ is excited to work on projects like Bloodletting where they can hone their skills and sink their teeth into raw, invigorating work.

Alyda Sorm, Production Manager (she/her) is a second generation Khmer American theatre artist, born and raised in King County. She is currently the Co-Production Manager at Sound Theatre, a producer at Pork Filled Productions and also works in stage management around Seattle. She’s worked in various capacities with Seattle Shakespeare, ACT, Intiman, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, The Williams Project and Seattle Children’s Theatre. Outside of theatre, she is working on a fantasy novel inspired by her Southeast Asian American background while her two bunnies, Choco and Latte, cheer her on. IG: @p.alydas and @chocolatte_buns (for some fluff and cuteness)!

Jessamyn Bateman-Iino, Props Designer, (they/them) is a Seattle area prop designer and stage manager. Past favorite shows include Cabaret (Reboot Theatre) and We’ve Battled Monsters Before (ArtsWest). They also make cute and creepy crafts, which can be found at mutinyhall.com.

Eloisa Cardona, Cultural Consultant and Outreach Coordinator, (she/her):  Eloisa is a 1.5 Filipina immigrant who migrated with her family as a nine month old babe-in-arms. She is a Seattle-raised and based Actress, Director, and singer who started out her artistic journey by watching and being entranced by the performance of the acclaimed Bayanihan Dance Troupe at the tender age of 3 (thanks Mom!), and dancing her first Filipino Folk dance at the age of 5 with Filipino Youth Activities under the direction of Dorothy Cordova, and continued her love of dancing with Fil-Am Barrangay Folk Arts under the direction of her late Aunt Dolly Castillo . She credits her deep appreciation of the artistic expression in all forms of other cultures to her deep and lifelong connection and involvement with her own.  As a first time dramaturg for Bloodletting, she is excited to share her knowledge, experience, and research of the stories, beauty and richness of Filipino folklore and culture with the cast, and audience members who come to watch.  Sige, Sige! Sulong! At maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.

Emily W. Leong, Lighting Designer, (she/her) has been designing lights for the better part of a decade, and is very excited to be back at her home theatre: TOJ. Currently on sabbatical to focus on her growing family, Emily endeavors to keep a toe in the theatre waters by taking designs when her schedule allows. (Like this show!) In 2015 – with many thanks to the beautiful & vibrant Seattle burlesque community – Emily was the recipient of The Gregory Awards Melissa Hines Impact Award. She would like to thank Will, Harper, (and soon-to-be-here, baby Arden) for their support, love, and patience.

Robin Macartney, Set Designer/Builder, (she/her) is an award-winning set and prop designer who has been fortunate to work with a large number of the theater companies in Seattle. She is the resident set designer at Theatre off Jackson, as well as the former scene shop supervisor for the University of Puget Sound’s theater department.

Corinne Park-Buffelen, Costume Designer (she/her), is a multidisciplinary theatre artist from Rochester, NY. Since moving to Seattle, Corinne has performed in Peerless (ArtsWest), Hotel Nordo (Cafe Nordo), Three Screams (MAP) and Scary Mary and the Nightmares Nine (Annex). She has costume designed many shows including Trevor, Do It for Umma, and A White Haunting. In 2020, she adapted Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw for ArtsWest and assistant directed the production. Corinne works full time at ArtsWest as their Relationship Manager and also as the Graphic and Web Designer for the 14/48 Projects. She’d like to thank Andy and Oh-Kon Park-Buffelen for being the coolest of dudes. During a live performance, what you witness can never be recreated again, in the same way, in the same company of friends and strangers, with the same tears, laughs, and silences, ever again. Savor the ephemerality. It’s so juicy.

Jasmine Lomax, Intimacy & Fight Consultant, is thrilled to work with Pork-Filled Productions! When Jasmine is not directing, they act, and build legos with their son Kayden. Some of their favorite credits include The Bonesetter’s Daughter (Assistant Director) with Book-It Repertory Theatre, and Or, (Intimacy Director/ Dramaturg) with Theatre22. For fun, follow them on Instagram (@jasmineissublime) for information on upcoming projects and to take a peek at their work with Delta Dental of Washington as the Tooth Fairy!

David Le, Assistant Director, (he/him) is a PFP producer and director based in Seattle and Los Angeles. He grew up in Beacon Hill and graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Theater. Cultural identity and family are often focal points in his work. He finds nothing more enjoyable than telling impactful stories that leave a lasting impression on people. He has previously worked with REBATEnsemble, UW Undergraduate Theatre Society, and Pork Filled Productions.

Linda Rigor, Social Media Coordinator, (she/her) is a freelance artist, designer and passionate community organizer and activist. She spends most of her time in Beacon Hill where she was born and raised and currently resides in. This is where she is found working with other Filipino youth and students in getting them involved in ways to support the community and raise awareness on issues that they care about. (Big shouts out to Anakbayan South Seattle and Kabataan Alliance <3) She still holds a deep love for theater and creative arts, especially when it comes to horror, when she’s not doing community work. A big shouts out to her parents and community for the opportunity to promote this chilling and important story to the greater Seattle Filipino community.

Josh Valdez is a Pork Filled producer, sound designer and educator in the Greater Seattle area. He has worked with numerous community theatre houses and filmmakers creating immersive soundscapes for new works. He also shares his skills through mentorship, an additional emphasis in his work, for BIPOC youth in the Southend/Othello area where he was raised and born. Aside from theatre, Josh works in higher education to provide college access/persistence support for first-generation youth. He is also an avid anime fan, hosts a community discord server (big shout out to the JR University fam), and enjoys DJing!

Kendall Uyeji, Understudy, Producer, is a theatre artist who graduated from Western Washington University in Theatre Education in 2016. Since then, he has been writing, teaching, producing, and performing all over the Seattle area. He is now a senior producer at Pork Filled Productions, the Education Coordinator at Jet City Improv, and runs a live Dungeons and Dragons improv show called Dndprov. Come see his shows and support Asian American theatre by donating to Porkfilled Production! https://porkfilled.com/wp/donate/

Roger Tang (he/him) is a veteran theatre artist of over four decades.

As a playwright, he’s written She Devil of the China Seas, The Jade Con, Shadowed Intent, and Truth and Lies. He’s worked with 14/18, penned numerous sketches for the Pork Filled Players and several pieces for SIS Productions’ Revealed series of site-specific theatre work.

As a producer, he introduced Northwest audiences to such writers as Qui Nguyen, Prince Gomolvilas, Carla Ching and Genny Lim and has produced numerous Northwest and world premieres of them and other authors like David Henry Hwang.

He has sat on the boards of ReAct Theatre and the Northwest Asian American Theatre (where he helped build the Theatre Off Jackson). Called the “Godfather of Asian American theatre” by A. Magazine, he is Secretary of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) and chairs the membership committee. He also edits the Asian American Theatre Revue, the web’s foremost resource on Asian American theatre (www.aatrevue.com)