Actor, writer, activist, and a Pulitzer Prize nominated tour de force artist, Kristina Wong  created a solo show born out of the pandemic. When her tour was cancelled, Wong found herself at home with her sewing machine and decided to start making masks to help people keep safe. What started out as an individual sewing project turned into a call to action with more than 800 volunteers comprised mostly of women who became  “The Auntie Sewing Squad.”

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Wong says this complex endeavor felt like the “most patriotic thing I could ever imagine doing.” She and her community of Aunties worked hard to provide masks free to under-served populations, including indigenous communities, farmworkers, asylum seekers, houseless individuals, incarcerated people, and Black Lives Matter protesters.  Soon hospitals and “actual salaried government worker” began calling her for orders (“as if we ere Amazon”) for masks which “hit her in a sore spot” because people were not getting they were risking their lives providing masks.

She says some people weren’t realizing “because they we are mostly women and women and color that our labor and time were valuable as well and needed to be respected.”  That incredible mission to provide masks bloomed a book of writings by the volunteers and a solo show Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord that won a Broadway run and a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

Her show is coming to Portland as a co-production of Portland Center Stage and Boom Arts opening November 5th to previews and Nov. 11th to performances through December 18th. Dmae Lo Roberts talked with her about her show, her pandemic experiences as an Asian American woman, and her community of Aunties. Also included are excerpts from “Sweatshop Overlord.”

ABOUT THE PLAY
Three days into the pandemic shutdown, performance artist Kristina Wong — driven to help make a difference in the world — began sewing masks out of bedsheets and bra straps on her Hello Kitty sewing machine. Before she knew it, she had recruited hundreds of volunteers to join her as the “Auntie Sewing Squad.”  This satiric tour-de-force looks at the early days of global change and offers a guide for community building and an inspiring path back into a healing world.

TICKET AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Shows are November 5 – December 18, 2022*
Preview Performances: November 5, 6, 9, and 10 at 7:30 p.m. Pay What You Will Performances: Sun., Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m., and Thu., Dec 1, at 7:30 p.m.
The People’s Party: BIPOC Affinity Night: Fri., Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Alll shows  are in the Ellyn Bye Studio at The Armory, 128 NW Eleventh Ave, Portland. Tickets prices range from $25 to $66.50 and may be purchased at pcs.org/kristina-wong-sweatshop-overlord. Or call 503.445.3700, or in-person from the box office.

Ticket Specials: Visit pcs.org/deals to view ticket specials, including Rush Tickets, Pay What You Will, Arts for All, Active Duty, Military Veteran, Student, Under 30, The Armory Card, Groups of 10+, and more.
Recommended for ages 13 and up,  contains adult situations and language, and drug use.

PLAYWRIGHT KRISTINA WONG
Kristina Wong is a performance artist, actor, comedian, writer, and elected representative living in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Wong’s works have been presented across North America, the UK, Hong Kong, and Africa. She’s been a guest on late-night shows on Comedy Central, NBC, and FX. As a published writer, Wong has been included in Routledge’s Contemporary Plays by Women of Color. She’s had artist residencies at MacDowell, Hermitage, Montalvo, and Ojai Playwrights Festival. Wong’s work has been awarded with grants from Creative Capital, The MAP Fund, Center for Cultural Innovation, National Performance Network, a COLA Master Artist Fellowship from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, nine Los Angeles Artist-in-Residence awards, Center Theatre Group’s Sherwood Award, and the Art Matters Foundation. She is currently developing a new work during her three-year artist-in-residence at ASU Gammage. Her projects include Wong Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Going Green The Wong Way, The Wong Street Journal, and Kristina Wong for Public Office. Other career highlights include the Visionary Award from East West Players, “Local Hero Of The Year” nominee from KCET/ PBS, Asian Pacific Honoree from Fuse TV, and “Best Of Arts” from LA Weekly.