Kristina Wong’s comedy often spoofs everyday life. She has paraded around San francisco’s Chinatown in a “Miss Third-Runner-up” pageant queen’s outfit; has spoofed an over-educated graduate student’s presentation at an arts conference; created a fake Asian mail-order bride website, and here she pokes fun at the formal glamour photo that never seems to go out of style. (Contributed photo)

By SAYMOUKDA VONGSAY
AAP staff writer 

Kristina Wong is a Los Angeles-based powerhouse renaissance woman who writes, acts, educates, and makes films among other monumental endeavors.

Wong is a recipient of the Creative Capitol Award for Theater, a PEN USA Rosenthal Emerging Voices Fellowship, and a Creation Fund from the National Performance Network to create her solo-show, “Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

She has written essays for Playgirl Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, the anthologies Yell-oh! Girls and Catching a Wave, and has contributed to numerous online publications.

Continue Reading

May Lee-Yang will be presenting her show “Ten Reasons Why I’d Be a Bad Porn Star” at the 2011 MN Fringe Festival from August 4 –14, 2011 at Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Avenue, Minneapolis. Ten Reasons is a comedy that uses storytelling, on-site sex toy demonstrations, and cultural competency training to explore porn, relationships, and how to talk about sex in the Hmong culture (a definite no-no).

Continue Reading

Arj Barker

Comedian Arj Barker is scheduled to perform July 7 – 9 at Acme Comedy Company, 708 North 1st Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Barker is everything smart comedy lovers adore. He starts with simple observations and then takes a clever angle that make other comics mumble, “Why didn’t I think of that?” No one is sure just how he thinks up the things he does – but his audience is sure glad that he does.

Barker is an American stand-up comedian with Sikh-Indian and European heritage. He is developing a huge following in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and all over the world.

Barker calls himself a mini star. His fans and critics think he will soon be a comedy and film mega star. His credits include HBO’s Flight of the Conchords as “Dave”, co-writer for The Marijuana-Logues, appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Glass House, Comedy Central Presents and Premium Blend. He has appeared in feature films including: Shooting the Past (1998), Purpose (2002), Carbabes (2005, role of Jimmy), Electric Apricot: The Quest.

Showtimes are Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. and Friday-Saturday at 8:00 and 10:30 p.m.   Tickets are $15 for the show and $30 for a dinner and show package. Make a reservation at 612-338-6393 or www.acmecomedycompany.com.

The Baha’i celebrate Ayyam-i-Ha with donations to help Asian Women United of Minnesota (AWUM) this past Sunday morning, February 27, 2011 at the Baha’i Center of Minneapolis. (Photos by Nancy Wong)

MINNEAPOLIS (February 27, 2011) – The Ayyam-i-Ha celebration of the Baha’i faith was held this past Sunday at the Baha’i Center of Minneapolis. Ayyam-i-Ha, which occurs each year from February 26 to March 1, is a time for Baha’i is to perform acts of charity, give gifts to friends and family, and attend social gatherings. This period is also a time for preparing for the annual Baha’i Fast from March 2-20.

Continue Reading

By TOM LAVENTURE
AAP staff writer

Margaret Cho brings a different kind of comedy tour when her “Cho Dependent” Tour comes to State Theater in Minneapolis on October 15. The tour is inspired by Cho’s new CD release “Cho Dependent”, and said to be hilarious stand up comedy, mixed with live performances songs. www.margaretcho.com/content/tour. Ms. Cho responded to questions about the tour and her career.

Continue Reading

Los Angeles-based Comedian Amy Anderson will be in the Twin Cities to perform at The Joke Joint, in the old Thunderbird Hotel at 2300 E American Blvd in Bloomington the weekend of April 22-24. Anderson is a Minnesota native and a Korean adoptee. (Photo by Bill Devlin)

By TOM LAVENTURE

AAP staff writer

Amy Anderson waited until after college to following a calling to stand up comedy – something she said was central to her life all along – but did not consider it as a vocation until her ‘now or never’ moment came after college. Now, 14 years later Anderson is at the top of her game and her act has changed to reflect her life as an Asian American woman, a Los Angeles based entertainer with roots as an adult Korean adoptee from Minnesota, and as a mother to a beautiful 3-year-old daughter.

Continue Reading