Kristina Wong, actor, playwright and performance artist is a Doris Duke Artist Award winner, Guggenheim Fellow and the first Asian American woman to be named a Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Drama. She’s brought three of her solo shows to Portland. The first was “Wong Street Journal” for Boom Arts. Then she brought “Sweatshop Overlord” which was a collaboration with Boom Arts and Portland Center Stage. Now the two theaters are bringing her back to Portland with #foodbankinfluencer which runs May 26 through June 7 at Portland Center Stage.

This is the second co-production with the Boom Arts and PCS. This new show Kristina Wong, #foodbankinfluencer explores the emergency food system from a personal and nation-wide lens looking at America’s food insecurity. In a musical comedy structure (with karaoke pop tunes), Wong takes a deep dive into the macro structures of how food is getting or not getting to people. And it’s also a sharp look at funding cuts to programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) are affecting our most vulnerable communities.

This is also the third time Dmae Lo Roberts has interviewed Wong. They talked a day before Wong was about board a plane from her home in Los Angeles to Portland for a few days of tech rehearsals before opening her show.

In this podcast you’ll hear Kristina Wong talk about #foodbankinfluencer and why solo show…

“In all the shows I play a character named Kristina Wong, who is me. But…if I were to dramaturge my own work and study it, I’m consistently this character that very naively goes about making this show to explore this topic, and everything blows up in my face because everything’s way too complicated.”

–food systems that don’t seem to alleviate poverty…

 how do we get beyond just fixing hunger by throwing food at it? When do, you know, have we just totally given up that there are other ways to, to kind of…

“Why do we call it anti-hunger and not anti-poverty? Why aren’t we getting at the bigger legislation that is making sure everybody has enough so they can afford stuff? It’s just almost like all we can do is kinda deal with things in hindsight, deal with what seems like an immediate fix, which is feeding somebody today.”

–why she employs karaoke to get across big ideas and performing at Oregon Food Bank on June 4 at 6pm

“ If I just presented the information as I had it, it would, it would be interesting, but it would be like reading a paper to the audience. In some states, they redeem half the food stamps and if you look at their (Walmart) employees, they’re not allowed to unionize, right? Or they’ve been very much barred from unionizing, and a lot of them are relying on those same benefits. So it’s almost like instead of giving all this money to stop hunger, why don’t they just pay their employees more so they don’t have to go on food stamps, right? And so I filtered all these facts into a song set to Alanis Morissette’s ‘Ironic’.”

–and her work with AAPI former prisoners that she’s working with on a community show…

“ People think because of the model minority myth that Asians don’t go to prison, and we do. But I’ve been on the board of an organization called API Rise, and we support current and formerly incarcerated Asian Pacific Islander especially as they’re re-entering back home. For two years in a row in the pandemic, I did a virtual show with our cast who were both writing and talking about their own lives and making Zoom theater with it. And when I come back from Portland on June 8th, I will have three weeks to put together our first live new production.”

Kristina Wong (Writer/Performer) is a Doris Duke Artist Award winner, Guggenheim Fellow and the first Asian American woman to be named Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Drama. She’s a performance artist, comedian, actor, writer and former elected official who has been presented across North America and internationally. Notable solo shows include: Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Going Green the Wong Way, The Wong Street Journal, and Kristina Wong for Public Office. Her role in accidentally starting the Auntie Sewing Squad, a national mutual aid mask sewing network during the Covid-19 pandemic, was the subject Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord— a New York Times Critics’ Pick that premiered off-Broadway at New York Theater Workshop. 

SPECIAL EVENTS 

Pay What You Will Performance: Tuesday, May 26, 7:30pm (first preview). All remaining tickets will be available beginning at 2pm on the day of the show for as little as $1. Call or stop by the box office in person to name your price and reserve your seat. PWYW tickets are not available online. 

The People’s Party: BIPOC Affinity Night: Saturday, May 30, 6–7:15pm. Enjoy free live music, complimentary beverages, and local BIPOC before the 7:30pm performance of #FoodBankInfluencer. BIPOC Affinity Nights are a mindful curation of an environment that centers the experience of people who identify as part of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community. All people who identify as BIPOC, and their guests, are specifically invited to attend. Though no one will be turned away, it is encouraged that folks outside of the BIPOC community join us on another night! 

June First Thursday: Thursday, June 4, 6–7:30 pm. Enjoy pre-show karaoke, engage with the Oregon Food Bank and other local grassroots organizations, and experience an art exhibit from Izaya Golden in the PGE Gallery. First Thursday pre-show events are free and open to the public. 

TICKET AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
May 26–June 7, 2026
Preview Performances: Tuesday, May 26–Thursday, May 28 at 7:30 pm
Opening Night: Friday, May 29 at 7:30 pm
Closing: Sunday, June 7 at 7:30 pm
Where: On the Main Stage at The Armory, 128 NW Eleventh Ave, Portland, Oregon. 

To Purchase Regular Tickets: Prices range from $25 to $98, and may be purchased by calling 503-445-3700, online at pcs.org, or in person from the box office. Prices vary by date/time and are subject to change. 

Ticket Specials: Visit pcs.org/deals to view ticket specials, including Rush Tickets, Pay What You Will, Arts for All, Active Duty and Military Veterans, Student, Under 30, The Armory Card, Groups of 10+, and more. 

Accessibility: Audio-described performance on Sunday, May 3 at 2 pm; ASL-interpreted performance on Thursday, May 7 at 7:30 pm; Open-captioned performance on Saturday, May 9 at 2 pm. Learn more about accessibility options at pcs.org/access. 

Please Note: #FoodBankInfluencer runs 90 minutes, no intermission. Recommended for ages 13+. 

More about Boom Arts, a Portland-based presenter and producer of socially engaged performance. Our mission is to “imagine new social and political possibilities through performance,” believing that the arts provide a powerful platform for difficult dialogues and collaborative, positive change. Since 2012, it has brought artists from over 50 countries to the city, offering Portland premieres and often U.S. debuts in theater, dance, circus, and interdisciplinary work. At the intersection of arts and activism, Boom Arts amplifies underrepresented voices and creates opportunities for dialogue around urgent social and political issues. Through performances, workshops, and community events, it fosters cross-cultural exchange and inspires audiences to imagine more just and equitable futures. Beyond the stage, we deepen the impact of our work through complementary programming—workshops, classroom visits, and community events. By partnering with local nonprofits, we amplify our reach and create pathways for positive community change. 

About Portland Center Stage, the largest theater company in Portland, Oregon. Their mission is to create transcendent theatrical experiences and community programs that break down the barriers separating people. Established in 1988 as a branch of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the company became independent in 1994. PCS’s home is at The Armory, a historic building originally constructed in 1891.

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