ST. PAUL, Minn. (Oct. 6, 2020) — Funny Asian Women Kollective, better known as F.A.W.K., will host “The Trunk Show” pop-up comedy from the back of a pickup truck in four 1-hour performances on Oct. 17 and 18 in parking lots throughout St. Paul’s Frogtown and East Side neighborhoods.
FAWK hosted “The Super Show” in October 2018, which brought over 700 audience members to The Ordway’s Concert Hall. Due to the pandemic, FAWK had canceled all in-person performances and talks, but “The Trunk Show” will be an experiment in performance during the pandemic.
The organizers of The Trunk Show said they will adhere to CDC guidelines pertaining to the pandemic while the performing outdoor performances. The performers will have personal protective equipment and are mandating audiences come ready to stand six feet apart in face masks.
“The year 2020 has been traumatic to our communities on so many, and people need to laugh, especially right before we hibernate in our homes for the winter,” said May Lee-Yang, a FAWK performer.
The lineup will include Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay who is a current Andrew W. Mellon National Playwright in Residence at Theater Mu; Naomi Ko, a filmmaker and comedian who was recently awarded a Bush Foundation Finnovation Lab Fellowship; Kazua Melissa Vang, a photographer, visual artist, and filmmaker; Tsuab Yang, an office worker by day and comedian by night, and May Lee-Yang, a playwright and performer.
Audiences can expect to see standup comedy that addresses the pandemic, xenophobia, civil unrest, and the elections. Because there are so many components to the pop-up performances, including four different sites, FAWK suggests audience members check out the FAQ page on their website, www.fawkollective.com, or follow them on social media for updates.
F.A.W.K. uses comedy and storytelling to combat the invisibility and dehumanization of Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) women. In addition to curating performances, F.A.W.K.’s work also extends to facilitating Clapback Workshops, which use comedy to combat microaggressions.
This project is supported by The East Side Funders Group and The Visual Arts Fund, administered by Midway Contemporary Art with generous funding from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, New York.
