Auditions Open for Vietgone

Pork Filled Productions and SIS Productions present VIETGONE, by Qui Nguyen (RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, SHE KILLS MONSTERS and others). Directed by Mimi Katano. It’s 1975 and two young survivors (who may or may not be the playwright’s parents) meet in a Vietnamese refugee camp in Arkansas shortly after the fall of Saigon. Will this strange new land of burritos, hippies and bikers allow them to fall in love? VIETGONE irreverently flips stereotypes on their head, remixes history and culture and cooks up a sexy, funny and energetic romp that’s an origin story that can stand with cultural icons like Spider-Man, the X-Men and Batman. 

Pork Filled Productions is the theater offshoot of the long-running sketch comedy group, The Pork Filled Players. PFProductions grew from a desire to break stereotypes and challenge the expectations of what can be seen in theater. . SIS Productions centers the stories of Asian American women while providing opportunities for women in decision-making roles in theatre.  For more information please visit us at porkfilled.com and facebook.com/porkfilledproductions and https://www.facebook.com/sisproductions. To schedule an audition, please fill out this audition form: https://forms.gle/Y4BoFeFTaSHec5uK7 

Please review the character descriptions for appropriateness. Pork Filled Productions and SIS Productions are dedicated to casting appropriately and committed to representing our characters and stories truthfully. Actors of Asian descent are strongly encouraged to audition.

 This play will include movement and some action sequences and actors should be comfortable with dance, movement, and stage fighting, etc. Stage combat and movement experience is a plus. This play will also involve rapping; experience in rapping helpful but not required.

AUDITION INFORMATION

Audition/Interview Dates:
Sunday, February 18 @ 11am-6pm
Monday, February 19 @ 11am-6 pm 

Callbacks or second audition/interview?
Thursday, February 22 @ 5:30-9:30

Audition Requirements:
Please prepare a one minute contemporary monologue.

Rehearsals begin early to mid June
Load in July 29, 2024
Tech: Beginning August 2, 2024
Invited dress: August 6, 2024
Opening: August 8, 2024
Closing August 24, 2024

Actors will be paid a stipend of $600.

Character Breakdown / Project Needs:

Actors of Asian descent are strongly encouraged to audition.

QUANG – (M) A helicopter pilot in the South Vietnamese military during the Vietnam War. Adventurous, charming, rugged.
TONG – (F) A Vietnamese refugee. Strong-willed and fiercely independent.
HUONG – (F) Tong’s mother. Outspoken, surprisingly flirtatious, unpredictable.
NHAN – (M) Quang’s best friend. Also in the South Vietnamese military. Boisterous, loyal sidekick.
BOBBY – (M) American soldier. Naïve, earnest, sweet.

All characters are Asian.

Submit using the audition form at https://forms.gle/Y4BoFeFTaSHec5uK7

We offer the option to submit video auditions; email link to your audition video (along with headshot and resume) using audition form.

Audition Location:
562 1st Avenue S.
Seattle WA

Specific submission instructions: 

Submit a headshot and a resume (Please name your file RESUME_lastname_firstname.pdf or HEADSHOT_lastname_firstname.jpg)
You have the option to submit a video audition. Email the link to your audition along with your headshot and resume to oink@porkfilled.com.

Other details you need to know about these auditions: 

The entrance is to a secured building; please be on time, as you will need to be let in.

Journey of the Wind is an improvised theatrical play inspired by the films of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, The Boy and the Heron). The show is directed by Belinda Fu, and co-produced by Jet City Improv Presents and Pork Filled Productions.

Journey of the Wind tells the adventure of a brave young hero coming of age in a beautiful and brutal world where humans, nature, and magic intertwine.

This production intends to create an improvisational piece that feels like a scripted theatrical performance. We are looking for performers who improvise with sincerity, playfulness, and honesty, and who have strong skills in narrative storytelling and physical / movement-based improvisation. We will be casting an ensemble who will rotate with eight on-stage performers per night.

JCI and PFP are committed to diversity and strive to embody a positive model of inclusion. As such, we encourage performers of all ages, ethnicities, and gender identities, as well as performers with disabilities, to attend our auditions. In keeping with the mission of Pork Filled Productions, we especially encourage performers of Asian or Asian-American background to audition; performers of all backgrounds are welcome.

Rehearsal & Performance Schedule:

Rehearsals will be held on Wednesdays from 6-10pm and Sundays from 2-6pm, beginning March 13. (Exception: There is no rehearsal on Weds March 20. Rehearsal will be held instead on Tuesday March 19 from 6-10pm.)

Tech and dress rehearsals will be April 28-May 1.

Performances will begin Thursday, May 2, 2024, and end on Saturday, May 18, 2024.

The performance schedule is:
May 2, 3, 4 (Th/Fr/Sat) evenings
May 5 (Sun) matinee
May 9, 10, 11 ((Th/Fr/Sat) evenings
May 12 (Sun) matinee
May 13 (Mon) Industry night performance
May 16, 17, 18 (Th/Fr/Sat) evenings

Performances will be held at Theater Off Jackson in the International District, Seattle.

Auditions:

Please submit your information via this form to sign up for auditions.

The deadline for submissions is January 29, 2024.

Auditionees will receive notification of their assigned one-hour audition slot by February 5, 2024.

Auditions will be held in-person, in one-hour small group workshops, on the following dates:

Sunday, Feb 11 from 6-9:30pm @ the Drama Room at the University Heights Center (5031 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105).

Monday, Feb 12 from 7-9:15pm @ West of Lenin (203 N 36th St #204, Seattle, WA 98103)

Of note, the audition venue at West of Lenin is accessed by stairs and is not ADA accessible; the audition venue at the University Heights Center has an elevator and is ADA accessible.

Pay rates:

ACCESSIBILITY / PRIVACY NOTICE: This questionnaire inquires about any accessibility needs you may have for a successful environment and experience. Only JCI/PFP staff related to this project will have access to relevant answers from this form, and only for the purposes of accessibility and administration. Please contact Michael Latham (Stage Manager, sctmike628@gmail.com) if you have any concerns or questions regarding the use of information on this form.

PFP Season 2024

• AAPI Open Mike Nights!
  If you liked our AAPI Celebration, with its wide variety of talents and content, you’ll like our Open Mike Nights, as we bring in the best talent in the AAPI community in a laid back, relaxed atmosphere to show off (in an informal way).
• Unleashed Staged Readings!
  Setting loose the talents of local AAPI actors, directors and playwrights, and letting them stretch in roles they can’t find at other theatres in the Puget Sound.
  On tap–
  The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G by Qui Nguyen (Raya and the Last Dragon),  June 28, UHeights Auditorium
  The thematic prequel to Vietgone, which features a rap battle between Qui Nguyen and David Henry Hwang!Coleman ’72, by Charles Oh, October 11, UHeights Auditorium
  Jenn, Michelle and Joey look back at the summer of 1972, when their Korean American family piled into the Buick for an All-American road trip—spontaneously orchestrated by their father. From Milwaukee to Los Angeles and back again, they hit the open plains, stocked with kimchi, banchan and lemon drops, rickety Coleman camper in tow. But Korean parents and American kids hold conflicting ideas of what they’re looking for and the real purpose of their journey comes to light. A funny and touching world premiere by an exciting new voice.

  Warrior Sisters of Wu, by Damon Chua, October 18, UHeights Auditorium
  It’s the Chinese classic The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, as written by Jane Austen, with an assist from the Dora Milajae!
  Romantic comedy, epic clashes with swordplay!

• Journey to the Wind (May 5-18)
  A Co-production with Jet City Improv
  At the Theatre Off Jackson in May, Journey of the Wind is a groundbreaking new improvised theatrical experience, merging the whimsy and depth of iconic Japanese animated tales with its own unique narrative supported by audience suggestions.
• Vietgone (August 8 to 24)
  A co-production  with SIS Productions
  A summer blockbuster at the Theatre Off Jackson combining romance, sex and coming to American, in a way that’ll make you look at the 1970s and Vietnam in an all new way!

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