Past Performances: 1998
University of Houston
February 28, 1998
Cullen Performance Hall
Asian Law Alliance Fundraiser
Friday, March 6, 1998
Imperial Ballroom, Fairmont Hotel, San Jose
Asian American Repertory of Stockton Fundraiser
March 7, 1998
18 Mighty Mountain Warriors & Slant!
March 28, 1998
Japan American Theater, Los Angeles
Korean American Leadership Conference
April 4, 1998
Four skits: Dr. Bruce, John Woo, Blaine, World Cup 2002
Fundraiser for Kao Kuan Chung’s widow
Justice for Kao Coalition
April 8, 1998
La Pena Cultural Center
Arizona State University
Greatest Hits compilation
April 10, 1998
Pima Room
Part Asian American and Pacific Islander conference: “Empowerment and Self Identity; Shaping our Reality”
April 18, 1998
San Francisco State University, Rosa Parks Room, Student Union
“Asian Americans and the Performing Arts”
Feature presentation
April 28, 1998
San Francisco State University, Rosa Parks Room, Student Union
“Reorientating Representations of Asian Women” conference
Women of the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors presentation
May 1, 1998 6-7pm
Hensill Hall 155, UC Berkeley
Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Week finale
May 1, 1998
Freeborn Theater, UC Davis
Berkeley Asian Festival
May 9, 1998
University of Oregon
Greatest Hits show
May 14, 1998
Eugene, Oregon
Oregon State University
Greatest Hits show
May 15, 1998 Friday, 6pm
Corvallis, Oregon
Asian American Theater Company’s 25th Anniversary celebration
“The United States of Asian America” API Performance Festival
with the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and Canyon Sam
May 21-24, 1998
SOMAR Cultural Center, San Francisco
Fatty Cat Pippi Bites the Navel
July 23-25, 30, 31 August 1, 1998
Knuth Hall, Creative Arts Building, San Francisco State University
Show info:
Original score and rap: by Art Hirahara
Lights: Valiant Chow
Sound: Victor Kao
Box Office: Judy Hamaguchi, Kimberly Kajihara, Eileen Kong, and Nancy Wong
Video: Kimberly Kajihara, Eileen Kong
Concessions: Denise Ho & Tammy Ho
Skits:
Louie’s Oil Lube Laundromat Exterminator Video Shoeshine Chinese American Donut Deli Shop, M.D. by Todd Nakagawa and Rania Ho
Actors: Todd Nakagawa, Rania Ho, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Pete Wong, Pearl Wong
Mother on My Back by Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle
Actors: Pearl Wong, Pete Wong, Michael Premsrirat, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle
Harold Byun vs. Li Xuezhao by Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle
Author’s Note: This skit had it’s genesis when I discovered, while surfing the web, that Chinese women hold all the world records in women’s Olympic-style weightlifting. I thought it would be funny if Harold Byun challenged the smallest of these Chinese women (who, incidentally can clean and jerk 248 pounds) to a contest. Thematically, this skit is similar to Andy Kaufman’s wrestling escapades, particularly when he used to challenge female wrestlers to grappling matches.
Actors: Harold Byun, Rania Ho
The Dirty Nisei by Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle
Author’s Note: This skit was pulled from the lineup after Thursday, July 23. The skit was originally written as a takeoff on Vietnam war movies where we often see American GI’s negotiating with Asian prostitutes. In “The Dirty Nisei” I had Japanese American soldiers negotiating with a French prostitute (referred to as a “little white fucking machine,” which is a takeoff on what many American military personnel stationed in the Philippines call Philippino and Asian women: “little brown fucking machines”). The problem with the skit, and the reason I wanted it pulled, was that it set up the expectation that it was going to give some humorous insight about the Japanese American World War II experience. It didn’t. In this sense, “The Dirty Nisei” was a Part II skit, which might have been more appropriate if presented after a Part I skit dealing more substantially with JA soldiers. Another problem was that though the intention of getting revenge on Hollywood was a good one, in the end, the woman still ends up being exploited by men.
Actors: Harold Byun, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Todd Nakagawa, Pete Wong, Michael Premsrirat, Rhoda Gravador
Unhip by Rania Ho (inspired by Rhoda Gravador & Victor Kao)
Actors: Linda Chuan, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Rhoda Gravador
Paranoid or Political by Harold S. Byun
Actors: Harold Byun, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle
The Japanese American Sex Hour by Michael P. Premsrirat
Actors: Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Michael Premsrirat, Pete Wong, Rania Ho, Harold Byun, Rhoda Gravador
The Mad Acupuncturist by Harold S. Byun
Note: This skit was pulled after the Thursday, July 30 show (the July 30 version was a modified version of the skit).
Actors: Harold Byun, Pete Wong, Todd Nakakawa, Rania Ho
On & On by Rhoda Gravador (inspired by Chuck Slay)
Actors: Rania Ho, Harold Byun, Linda Chuan, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Rhoda Gravador, Pete Wong
A Chinatown of the Mind by Michael P. Premsrirat (apologies to David Ives)
Actors: Michael Premsrirat, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Pete Wong, Todd Nakagawa, Rania Ho
Hapaland by Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle
Author’s Note: This skit was originally written for the Hapa Theater workshop sponsored by the Asian American Theater. No production had resulted from the workshop when Fatty Cat was being written, so I decided to use the skit for an 18mmw production instead. The first weekend I had a slide of Meg Tilly representing the ideal Hapa woman. She didn’t generate much of an audience response, so the 2nd weekend I used a slide of Hapa porn star Asia Carrerra. She elicited more response from the audience, though Russell Wong received the biggest response of all as the ideal Hapa man. The idea for Kazakastan being the country of Hapas came from Rania Ho who, on one of her many excursions to Asia mentioned that the people in Kazakastan were beautiful and all looked Hapa. My interest in Central Asian countries was the result of meeting this woman from Kyrgstan (just below Kazakastan) who worked briefly as a student assistant in Ethnic Studies where I work. I borrowed her name, Cholpon, for this skit. I had no awareness of these “odd Asians” until this point, and then began investigating strange Asian countries like Tuva, Mongolia, Siberia, Nepal, etc.
Actors: Linda Chuan, Todd Nakagawa, Rhoda Gravador, Harold Byun, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle
Love by Harold S. Byun
Actors: Rhoda Gravador, Pete Wong, Linda Chuan, Michael Premsrirat, Pearl Wong, Todd Nakagawa, Harold Byun, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Rania Ho, Pearl Wong, Todd Nakagawa
Charlie Chan’s Angels by Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle (from ideas by Rhoda Gravador)
Author’s Note: I never thought this was a very well-written skit. It was written “on demand” after an idea brainstorming session. In that sense, it was good practice for TV writing in which a producer will often instruct writers to write a skit on a certain idea. It might be competent hack, tv writing, but not particularly inspired. In order to make the skit interesting for me and the audience, I filled it with several pop culture icons and had the Angel’s undertake a quest that was genuinely meaningful (force John Woo to cast more Asians in his American films). The ending was kind of a flop, so I incorporated a Harold Byun line at the end about “stockpiling weapons to kill people to combat the racist infrastructure.”
Actors: Harold Byun, Todd Nakagawa, Rania Ho, Pearl Wong, Linda Chuan, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Rhoda Gravador
First Experience by Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle
Author’s Note: This skit was cut from the lineup the Sunday before opening. Though I think many of the points of this skit were valid (that an Asian American man will sometimes be given one chance with a woman, and if that experience is bad, she will swear off Asian American men forever), I didn’t want the audience to think I was generalizing, because the skit refers to a certain group of women and frankly, there are women who will give Asian American men infinite chances. Additionally, this is not just an Asian American issue, but applies to all ethnic groups whose members give their opposite gender only one chance to make good, and I didn’t think that generality was conveyed. Lastly, I was tired of writing “Whiny Asian Guy” skits like I had the previous 2 shows (“Thank You!” and “2 Whiny Asian Guys”). Please note that the “bad Asian American male” character in this skit, Willy, was presented as crude, rough and uncouth.
Actors: Harold Byun, Pete Wong, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Pearl Wong
409 by Pete Wong, Todd Nakagawa, Rhoda Gravador, and Michael Premsrirat
Note: This skit was cut from the lineup a couple of weeks before opening. It was a take off on Asian American al capella rhythm and blues singing quads.
Actors: Pete Wong, Todd Nakagawa, Rhoda Gravador,
Michael Premsrirat
“Hatest Grits”
Greatest Hits show
October 3rd
Contemporary Asian Theater Scene, San Jose
Pan Asian Repertory Theater
Greatest Hits show
October 21-24, 1998
Pan Asian Repertory Theater, NY
“affirmative! action! adventure!”
The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and Campo Santo
December 3-21 1998
Intersection for the Arts