back when i had to do a show with an extremely difficult individual ... who also happened to be growing inside my body.
thank you to my @artistsatplayla fam and the company of "this is not a true story" for supporting me through that very unique experience. sending so much love to all the mothers, partners, friends & family members, caregivers, parent-artists who figure it out and make it happen doing our best to raise these littles as life keeps life-ing. i am one lucky 엄마.
sooooo late to the after party, but here are some photos of your new favorite KOREAN GRANDMOTHER. from "twink death of the universe" by @velveteen_fxggot , dir. @nico__pang , starring @leebaladejo as the titular twink, as part of the @joywholived festival. ✨️
it was in fact an absolute joy to play a small part in this story with such an exciting team of young theatremakers (which includes @emmetheprince ). bearing witness to their art, their passion, their professionalism left me inspired and hopeful for the future of theatre. please support/share their gofundme; link in my bio. 🎭
p.s. can't wait to be of actual grandmother age so i can look back on these photos and laugh at myself. 👵🏻
(photos courtesy of @hanncrews )
lucky to have seen @shengwangtime try out jokes from his new PURPLE special way back in late 2023 at the irvine improv. taking it back even fuuuuuuuurther ...
fun fact: sheng was my comedy troupe director when we were both part of theatre rice! the asian am theatre group on campus back at cal. found some pics of us from one of our sketches: this chestnut looks to have featured a role-reversal premise of fobby immigrants parents vs americanized/whitewashed kids. oh shenanigans! there was a brief moment before rehearsals started, sheng expressed a little doubt in his director role—to which my friend/castmate joyce and i reassured him he'd be great. he was, and he still is. CONGRATS, SHENG TO THE WANG! 🫰
p.s. may have embellished that last anecdote to take some credit for sheng's current success.
p.p.s. and PURPLE is my favorite color! coincidence?? (lol yes)
look at what these theatre bbs are up to! so happy that @nico__pang let me come play—and very grateful for the sweet reminders i'm just waaaay too young and too hip to be playing a grandma. 👵🏻
support if you can, buy a ticket and/or check out the fundraiser prizes being offered. (it almost makes me want to join grindr to have an oscar k.-penned bio!) all graphics and captions stolen from @velveteen_fxggot .
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fw ur left on read by the Ancestors 🙄🙄
tickets are on sale for TWINK DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE in the Joy Who Lived Festival on April 5! 🫧Twink is back & more unwell than ever—less Kim Petras & more Arca ⏰🍶💀
date: April 5 at 4pm PST
Written by: Oscar K.
Directed by Nico Pang
Co-produced by Emme Standerford & Oscar K.
CAST
Lee Baladejo
Julia Cho
David Brice-Miller
Alex Song-Xia
Elisawon Etidorhpa
Nico Pang
🎟️ (in-person + streaming): link in bio or bit.ly/twinkdeath
🧴 donate to our GoFundMe to help realize our vision! see prev. posts for cool prizes u can get by supporting trans AAPI art (script feedback, custom skincare consult, and more…👀👀)
GoFundMe: link in bio or https://gofund.me/b53549560
🇰🇷 TWINK DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE is a dark comedy that follows a Korean skincare-obsessed Korean American gay trans guy trying to outrun his twink death. Braiding together queer and Korean traditional funeral rites, the play follows Twink as he is forced to face his biggest fear: running out of time. Commissioned and originally produced by Celebration Theatre, Los Angeles, California.
happy birthday to thee one and only sara lee ... @sporkalob , that is. on *her* special day, this powerhouse performer gave *us* the gift of her storytelling and her artistry. DRAGON MAMA is the must-see second installment of sara's dragon cycle, but not to worry if you missed the first ...
this story of sara's mother is a standalone tale featuring a universe of specifically etched characters all embodied by one (very talented) individual. a true story spanning various times and locales, somehow contained yet fully realized on a small sparse stage. as epic and grand as it was to experience grandma's story, DRAGON LADY, in the larger geffen space, the intimacy of DRAGON MAMA in the audrey skirball theatre is so emotionally impactful. it had me laughing and weeping and feeling grateful for family and community—in the truest sense of the word.
my one complaint of an otherwise nearly flawless production is that i cried my entire face off and hadn't thought to properly set or refresh my makeup. but that's on me. sara porkalob is a bona fide star and i feel very lucky to hover in her orbit. 💫
It's Giving ... Artists at Play! We have an exciting season of theatre set for 2026, AAP's 15th anniversary. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to support the #AAPCommunity of storytellers and creatives. ✨ link in bio ✨
THANK YOU for another incredible year, including the world premiere of नेहा & NEEL in partnership with the Latino Theater Company at the LATC. Join AAP's efforts in presenting stories that explore the diverse APIDA experience. YOU make it possible for us to continue the work we do! #ItsGivingAAP
Featuring interviews with Nardeep Khurmi, Katie Bradley, Kurt Kanazawa, and नेहा & NEEL cast members Pia Shah, Achintya Pandey, Parvesh Cheena; interviews and broll footage filmed by Alfredo Garcia; select images courtesy of M Palma Photography, Grettel Cortes Photography, and Rion Nebreja; edited by Chris Miyasaki.
Music from #Uppbeat
License code: SPVQXET17WLFU7DG
#LAthtr #AAPNehaAndNeel #AAPI #APIDA #AsianAm #AsianAm #AsianAmerican #media #entertainment #AsianAmthtr #theatre #theater #GivingTuesday
Welcome to Theatre Producing! Come get ready with me as I go through all the glamorous duties of an @artistsatplayla producer before a performance of नेहा & NEEL. All the free labor you won't tell your loved ones about because you want them to think it’s totally worth it. See you at the theatre! 🤗 #content #lifechoices #questionable #theatre #artist #creative
Only 4 performances left of नेहा & NEEL! 🎟 link in bio
✈️ THURSDAY, November 13 | $10 Thursday
✈️ FRIDAY, November 14 | Pay-What-You-Can
✈️ SATURDAY, November 15 | Pay-What-You-Can
✈️ SUNDAY, November 16 | CLOSING
when you are revealed as your own social media intern! 😅
fellow @artistsatplayla producer @mariezpz capturing bts of me in "content creator" mode and poor @kacawcaw and @nicholaspilapil being forced to help. ANYTHING FOR THEATRE. join us for the final performances of नेहा & NEEL, our sweet mother-son college-tour road-trip comedy featuring a stellar cast.
and yes, cheers to the yummy themed cocktails at the lobby bar! "The Neel" is the mocktail version of "The Neha"—so clever, right? #AAPNehaAndNeel
