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.

Pork Filled Productions and SIS Productions are pleased to announce that the August 22nd performance of Vietgone, by Qui Nguyen, at 7:30pm in association with and at the Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave. S., Seattle, WA) will be a sensory relaxed performance.

  Tickets for this sensory relaxed performance, as well as all others, are https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/vietgone-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 Vietgone for patrons to prepare themselves for what’s going to happen on stage. (For an example, 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?

We want to let you know about community events connected with Vietgone by Qui Nguyen, done at and in association with the Theatre Off Jackson. Running through August 24, this co-production between Pork Filled Productions and SIS Productions performs at the Theatre Off Jackson (409 7^th Ave. S. in Seattle’s International District.

Vietgone is a hilarious romantic comedy set against the Vietnam War, starring two Vietnamese survivors who romp through time and Viet and American culture, contending with burritos, bikers, pots and hippies to find love (and just maybe give birth to playwright Qui Nguyen, who also wrote Raya and the Last Dragon).

Event Highlights:

• Relaxed Sensory Performance

  Thursday, August 22, 7:30pm
  Tickets

  Relaxed Sensory Performance, Thursday, August 22, 7:30 pm.
  A sensory-friendly, relaxed performance enables children and people with sensory sensitivities to experience theatre with relaxed rules, such as the house lights staying on, theater doors remaining open, and a designated “quiet zone”. A guide to scenes will be available. Tickets for this show are available at https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/vietgone-relaxed/

• Closed Captioning Performances

  Saturday,  August 10, 7:30pm
  Friday, August 16, 7:30pm
  Saturday, August 17, 2pm
  Saturday, August 17, 7:30pm
  Tickets

  Closed captioning for Vietgone for Deaf and hard of hearing audience members on Saturday, August 10 (7:30pm), Friday, August 16 (7:30pm), Saturday, August 17 (2pm) and Saturday, August 17, (7:30pm). Follow along on a tablet or handheld mobile device! Printed scripts will be available for other performances.

• MEET Susan Lieu on August 15, 2024. Performer of the hit solo show 140lbs and author of The Manicurist’s Daughter (one of Elle Magazine’s Best Nonfiction Books of 2024) will do a post-show talk dealing with her artistic process to understand her immigrant parents.
• MEET community partner PeaceTrees Vietnam, Monday, August 19, 2024, at 7:30 pm. PeaceTrees Vietnam is a Seattle-based community group devoted to addressing the legacy of war by removing dangerous explosives, returning land to safe use, promoting peace and cultivating a brighter future for the children and families of Vietnam. For more information, visit them to https://www.peacetreesvietnam.org.
• SEE Kathy Hsieh in the role of Huong and others on August 22 at 7:30 pm! Part of PFP’s and SIS’ mission is to provide opportunities for local Asian American talent! This is a one-time opportunity to see Kathy in Vietgone. She is one of the lead producers for SIS and is one of the most noted performers in the Pacific Northwest, having performed at Portland’s PassinArt, 14/48, Seattle Shakespeare and many others.
• SEE Adele Lim in the role of Tong on August 18 at 2 PM! Part of PFP’s and SIS’ mission is to provide opportunities for local Asian American talent! This is a one-time opportunity to see Adele.  iAdele is a Chinese Singaporean actor/singer/mover based in Seattle who detoured to the veterinary, technology and climbing industries after studying Musical Theatre at the University of Washington (2017).
• SEE James lee in the role of Quang on August 17 at 2pm. Part of PFP’s and SIS’s mission is to provide opportunities for local Asian American talent.  James’s credits include Ivan Homeless in Dacha Theatre’s The Master and Margarita and Toby Liggett in Pony World Theatre’s Hotdish. He aspires to participate in works that strengthen communities and inject playfulness into our lives. Outside of acting, James loves freestyle choreography, classical violin, and short fiction writing.

The show is rated PG-14 for sexual situations, swearing, redneck racism, nightmares of war, pervasive loud music and badass kung fu fighting.

Please contact us for interviews, previews, press tickets or more at oink@porkfilled.com

PR Photos may be downloaded at https://porkfilled.com/wp/vietgone-press-page22/

Thank you!

The SIS Gals and the PFP Boys

Industry Night

Monday, August 19, 7:30pm
Tickets

Matinees

Sunday, August 11, 2pm
Saturday, August 17, 2pm
Sunday, August 18, 2pm
Tickets

Featured Guest Night

Susan Lieu, Thursday, August 15, 7:30 pm
Friends of Little Saigon, Friday, August 16, 7:30 pm
PeaceTrees Vietnam, Monday, August 19, 7:30 pm
Tickets

Arkansas, 1974, after the fall of Saigon. Two young survivors (who may or may not be the play-wright’s parents) meet in America. Will this strange new land of burritos, bikers and pot allow them to fall in love? Flipping stereotypes and remixing history, Vietgone cooks up a sexy, funny romp that’s a secret origin story for playwright Qui Nguyen (author of Raya and the Last Dragon)!

Tickets: pork-filled.ticketleap.com/vietgone/
(For the Relaxed Sensory Performance go to
https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/vietgone-relaxed/ )

Rated PG-14 for sexual situations, swearing, redneck racism, nightmares of war, and badass kung fu fighting!

Press page here!

The Playwright

Get ready for PFP’s Vietgone  (coming in August!)

It’s been 10 years since Agent G has last been in Vietnam where his family and friends were all viciously slain. He’s now come back looking for answers and a good bit of revenge, however forces are at hand trying to stop him as well as the playwright from finishing this brutal task…

AND….It’s also about playwright Qui Nguyen writing about a playwright named Qui Nguyen, struggling to tell his family’s story. He may have found it, too (check out Vietgone in August). But first…he’s going to have to survive a rap battle with David Henry Hwang, the planet’s greatest Asian American playwright….

Featuring Justin Tran, Karis Ho, Seranine Elliot, Kaughlin Caver and Jonna Nguyen. Directed by David Le, assistant director Weiyu Guo, sound design by Saleh Matt.

Tickets at https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/agent-g/

“Qui Nguyen’s play is an ambitious entertainment about modern identity wrapped inside an exploitation drama about what used to be called the `inscrutable Orient’. It gleefully mocks countless movies. In an impressive feat, the Vampire Cowboys become serious without giving up any of their silliness. A Critic’s Pick!”Jason Zinoman, The New York Times

$10 million awarded to 811 Washington state arts and culture organizations through the Community Accelerator Grant program 

Following a successful $10M pilot in 2023, the second year of the program sees 93% of pilot grantees reapplying and nearly 30% increase in total grantees. 

SEATTLE – May 21, 2024 – Today, ArtsFund and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announce $10M in funding to 811 grantees through the second year of the Community Accelerator Grant program. This builds on the program’s 2023 pilot investment in Washington’s arts and culture sector that provided $10M in funding to 671 organizations.  

Pork Filled Productions was one of those organizations, receiving funds from ArtsFund and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. The new round of grants range from $2,500 to $25,000 in response to ongoing needs of arts and culture organizations. The unrestricted $10M in funding will boost organizations’ abilities to invest in their missions and essential roles serving communities across the state. 

“ArtsFund is grateful for the second year of partnership with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation on the Community Accelerator Grant,” said Michael Greer, president and CEO of ArtsFund. “Our ability to distribute $10M of unrestricted funding to such a wide and representative group of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations throughout 37 counties in Washington will add resources to groups whose work creates a better quality of life for communities across the state.” 

Grants were awarded to every eligible nonprofit organization that applied. Approximately 70 percent of grantees reported annual budgets of less than $500,000 and average awards were $12,330. This year’s distribution includes organizations in 37 counties throughout Washington, representing 99.8% of the state’s population. The top five disciplines represented in the grantee pool include music, cultural heritage, multidisciplinary, theatre, and visual arts. 

“From the Olympics to the Palouse, every corner of our state is brimming with diverse and rich cultural activity, and we are incredibly heartened by the extensive reach and continued impact of this program,” said Lara Littlefield, executive director of partnerships and programs for the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. “We are proud to partner again with ArtsFund and the Community Advisory Panel, who have continued to administer this novel, community-driven model that distributes capital quickly, equitably, and efficiently to these organizations that are so essential for building our vibrant and healthy communities.” 

The Community Accelerator Grant prioritizes resources to communities who are underrepresented in other funding programs – specifically, those in rural communities, and for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities. The application was designed to be low-barrier, with the goal that no organization would find it too complicated, or the information requested too cumbersome. We believe that the ease and efficiency during application and distribution of this community-driven model is one of the major reasons that 93% of grantees from the pilot reapplied for this second year of funding.  

Applicants were asked to what degree they felt this grant might positively impact their ability to build capacity and increase their sustainability: Organizations anticipate raising an additional $3.60 for every $1 of their grant, resulting in a potential program impact of $36 million. This year, the program saw an increase in priority communities on staff and boards as representation continues to be an important consideration. Half of the total grantee pool has more than 25% of staff identifying as BIPOC. The program also distributed funds to 10 out of 29 (34%) of Washington’s federally recognized tribes. 

Thank you to our incredible GiveBIG supporters! You’ve raised $3471 to tell Asian stories on Puget Sound stages. While this falls a bit short of our goal, this generosity still matters. We could not do even a fraction of what we do without you, featuring actors and characters other theatres have been overlooking.

If you were unable to give during GiveBIG (or want to help fill in our deficit), it’s not too late! You can give at

https://www.wagives.org/organization/Porkfilledproductions or https://www.poweredbyshunpike.org/c/PBS/a/porkfilled