What a privilege to have the next three years to make art with brilliant, generous people and for the space to deepen and improve my writing.
Started my MFA in Playwriting at Brown University
Upcoming
2019 is about Dramaturgy
This year, I intentionally decided to put a pause on big playwriting projects in order to recharge and work on other aspects of theater. Like dramaturgy! I am working on two projects:
Black Sheep by Heidi Park
It has been a pleasure serving as a dramaturg for my friend Heidi’s play!
Synopsis: Ever since you were a child, have you felt like you were the black sheep of the family? Heidi has. As the only person of color in her white adoptive family, we follow Heidi through her unlikely success at the Minnesota State Fair and her heartbreaking journey in Korea to recover her roots.
Tickets available at https://18thandunion.org/black-sheep
Accessibility:
Everyone is welcome at our space. Our lobby space has no steps, and there’s one small step down into our theatre space, for which we have a ramp. We’re sorry to say that our bathrooms aren’t wheelchair-accessible. If possible, please use our contact form to let our staff know if you need any accessibility accommodations so we can do our best to make your time in our space as comfortable as we can.
http://18thandunion.org/contact
Dramaturg-ing for Kim’s Convenience!
RUN DATES: May 15 – June 22
AGE REC: 14+
PRICE: $27-50, dependent on day and time; fees may apply
NEW ROOTS NIGHT ON 5/24: A theatre-going group for ages 23-37
Enter Kim’s Convenience store and meet the Kims, a loving, if imperfect, Korean family making their way in Toronto. As they face an uncertain future Appa (dad), Umma (mom), their unmarried daughter Janet and disappointing son Jung learn to see each other in a new light. This hilarious and heartwarming story reminds us that family isn’t always convenient, but it might be the best deal out there.
Tix: http://taproottheatre.org/shows/2019/kims-convenience/
Untitled Play About Institutional Racism in the Nonprofit Industrial Complex – Staged Reading
Up next is a staged reading of my play Untitled Play About Institutional Racism in the Non-Profit Industrial Complex. I have extended this play from a 30-minute version into a full-length play.
SYNOPSIS: Does anyone know anyone on the funding committee? Who wants to participate in the office weight-loss challenge? Where are we supposed to print now that the copy room is for mothers to pump? Are there enough people of color in the brochure stock photography? And who keeps eating Antonio’s organic goat yogurt he has to buy on the other side town? These questions and more pepper this delightful, disheartening satire of non-profit life.
Dramaturged by Rachel Wolfe
Directed by Sara Porkalob
DETAILS
(Currently sold out but there’s a waitlist!)
Date: Sun, December 16, 2018
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM PST
LOCATION
Common Area Maintenance
2125 2nd Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
MEDIA
Summoning Frankie at Seattle Public Theater’s Education Program
Directed by Ana Maria Campoy
August 10-11
Frankie’s wizarding life has been completely mapped out. Attend the Mould Applemurg Academy, an underfunded public wizarding school in North America, and follow their parents’ picture-perfect plan. However, when a dark presence in the form of a malicious Education Minister threatens to take away all the school’s funding, Frankie and their friends of misfits must finally face their fears to discover that destiny and magic have a way to lead you to surprising destinations.
This play was developed with support from The Umbrella Project’s Writers Group.
Persimmon Nights at Cafe Nordo
Description:
Sara Porkalob (Madame Dragon) returns to Nordo to direct and star in the premiere of playwright Seayoung Yim’s sultry tale. Set during the first large scale wave of Asian American Immigration in The Persimmon Grove, a lurid nightclub, a brash young Korean immigrant rises to great heights in his ethnic enclave while balancing two lovers and many debts in the 1960s/70s. At the top of his game, he risks it all. Persimmon nights features pungent Korean food and the all-girl pop duo The Kimchi Kittens.
Starring:
Sara Porkalob
Mara Elissa Palma
Ray Tagavilla
Melissa Maañao
Annie Yim
Production Team:
Playwright: Seayoung Yim
Director: Sara Porkalob
Asst. Director: Josh Kenji
Food Designer: Erin Brindley with Corinne Magin
Lighting: Emily Leong
Sound Design: Erin Bednarz
Musical Direction/Performance: Nikki Dee
Set and Properties: Robin Macartney
Costumes: Natalie Shih
Stage Management: Nina Williams Teramachi
(Photos by John Cornicello. Pictured Clockwise: Melissa Maañao, Sara Porkalob, Annie Yim, Ray Tagavilla, Mara Elissa Palma)‘Persimmon Nights’ at Cafe Nordo plays out like a glossy movie melodrama, Seattle Times
‘Persimmon Nights’: Bulgogi and Buried Secrets at Cafe Nordo, City Arts Magazine
“Persimmon Nights” mixes theater and Korean cuisine, The Seattle Globalist
Look Ahead: The hottest Seattle events for July 2018, The Seattle Times
The 64 Best Things To Do in Seattle This Week: July 9-15, 2018, The Stranger
Recommended, Don’t Miss: Persimmon Nights, The Stranger
“Going Up” by Gemma Wilson, Interview for City Arts Magazine
Persimmon Nights staged reading
Graphic design by: @cellardoormerc
The staged reading of my newest work-in-progress, Persimmon Nights, directed by Sara Porkalob, during Pork Filled Productions’ (PFP) UNLEASHED Play Festival will be performed on Saturday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m. @theatreoffjackson
Plot summary: “Set during the eve of the first large scale wave of Asian American immigration, in The Persimmon Grove, a lurid nightclub, a brash young Korean immigrant rises to great heights in his ethnic enclave while balancing two lovers and many debts in the 1960s/70s. At the top of his game, he risks it all.”
The play is undergoing development with the amazing PFP team and my dramaturg, the brilliant playwright, Maggie Lee, as well as with my dreamboat director, Sara Porkalob.
Tickets available thru: pfpunleashed.bpt.me
UNLEASHED! New Pulp Stories for the 21st Century
A staged reading festival of seven new plays
Theatre Off Jackson, October 30 to November 4, 2017
From steamy nightclub noir, to sword and sorcery on the high seas, to imaginative science fiction exploring DNA technology and implanted memories, UNLEASHED gives playwrights of color a platform to tell the stories that break the tired expectations of “ethnic theatre.”
With a diverse selection of Korean American, Chinese American, Chinese Canadian, and African American playwrights, UNLEASHED showcases wildly creative and brand new outside-the-box stories.
PS–PFP is supporting the development of Persimmon Nights, which will be produced by Cafe Nordo in July 2018 for their season, featuring music by the Kpop girl group, the Kimchi Kittens and delicious Korean food.
Mirror Stage’s Expand Upon Reading Series
Click on date to get tickets: Saturday, October 21, 2017 @ 8pm | Sunday, October 22, 2017 @ 2pm at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre
