HOME / 2022-23 SEASON / THE Kung Fu Zombies SAGA: Shaman Warrior & CANNIBALS

Photo by Rich Ryan

AN APOCALYPSE GONE HIP HOP

The Kung Fu Zombies Saga: Shaman Warrior & Cannibals brings us to a world overrun by zombies—“and these motherf— know kung fu.” In the first act, shaman warrior Arun must fight the demons inside and out as she tries to rescue her sister with the help of the Monkey King. Then in Act Two, we return to an updated Kung Fu Zombies vs. Cannibals (2013), where Lao American Sika is on a treacherous quest to release her dead parents’ ashes in her motherland. Together, they're two halves of one epic saga.

“Lily Tung Crystal has harnessed every tool at her disposal to create a theatrical event unlike anything I’ve seen before and that fully realizes the ambitious script by Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay.” —The Stages of MN

“A fantastical, bad-ass journey that highlights women and the women that come before and after them.” —Minnesota Playlist

NOT ABLE TO SEE IT IN PERSON? WATCH THE SHOW ON DEMAND.

Scroll down or click the following links for event information; press features; the cast, creative, and production team; and ways to explore more. Read through a PDF version of the playbill here.

DATES

July 22 - Aug 13, 2023 (previews July 20 & 21)

• Captions are projected every Saturday evening.

• Audiences must wear masks every Sunday matinee.

• Post-show talkbacks are July 30 & Aug 6.

• Audio description is available July 30.

• ASL interpretation performance is July 26.

The Kung Fu Zombies Saga is recommended for those 16+ due to staged violence and gore, staged cannibalism, adult language, sexual harassment and grooming, and mention of trauma from the bombings. There will be strobe and flashing lights, as well as the use of prop arms.

PRICE

We strive to voice the stories of the Asian American community, and in order to bring performances to those communities whose stories they tell, we are committed to making them as accessible as possible. PAY AS YOU ARE pricing asks those who routinely pay $45 for theater tickets to choose to pay that amount; it is the actual fair market value of the ticket. If an audience member needs to pay less, they can choose to pay less—as little as $10 per ticket.

Want to see the show for free? Volunteer as an usher.

VENUE INFORMATION

The Kung Fu Zombies Saga will be at the Luminary Arts Center (formerly the Lab) at 700 First N St., Minneapolis MN 55401. A small paid lot and street parking is available, and the location is along the route of several public transit routes. Visit Minnesota Opera’s information page on the Luminary for more information.

Discover the history of the Kung Fu Zombie-verse and go behind the scenes of the show with our resource guide. Learn more.

Join us for Declassified: Southeast Asian Diaspora Weekend in the Twin Cities from Aug 11-13, alongside Mines Advisory Group, Legacies of War, the SEAD Project, Eastside Freedom Library, and TeAda Productions! Our part of the line-up is on Aug 12: a community talkback between Aleena Inthaly, chief of staff at Legacies of War, and playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay Aug 12. Free entry with a Kung Fu Zombies Saga playbill! Learn more and register.

Pair your Kung Fu Zombies performance with one of these nearby spots, thanks to our local business partners! Grab some Thai and Lao food from Flamin Thai, bring your playbill to Number 12 Cider to get two ciders and a pizza for $25, or head to Minneapolis Bouldering Project to get fit and survive the next zombie attack. Learn more.

Local artist hc lou has partnered with us and is offering a discount on Kung Fu Zombies-inspired flash tattoos now through Aug 31! Learn more.

Dress for success in the apocalypse with show-inspired Mu Merch designed by Connie Xiong of KNOCK, inc. Learn more.

Dive into the history that makes up the metaphors of The Kung Fu Zombies Saga with Voices from the Plain of Jars: Life Under an Air War and The United States, Southeast Asia, and Historical Memory, both available from Magers & Quinn. Learn more.

Photos

photos by Rich Ryan

MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT

SAYMOUKDA DUANGPHOUXAY VONGSAY (she/her) is a Lao American playwright. CNN’s United Shades of America host W. Kamau Bell called her work “revolutionary.” Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton recognized her and others with a Lao Artists Heritage Month Proclamation. She received an Ordway Center for Performing Arts Sally Award for Initiative for “strategic leadership undertaken by an individual ... that will have a significant impact on strengthening Minnesota’s artistic/cultural community.” Her work has been presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, Theater Mu, Theater Unbound, and elsewhere. Saymoukda is currently a Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow, a Mellon Foundation playwright in residence, a Jerome Foundation fellow in playwriting, a Center for Cultural Power fellow, and a recent writer-in-residence at Hedgebrook.

“In the Kung Fu Zombie-verse, the zombies represent unconsciousness. They represent things that come back and haunt you. And to me, they represent the bombs that were dropped during the Vietnam War that did not explode—this period of nine years where U.S. pilots just dropped bombs on Laos in this secret, proxy war. I thought that this metaphor would be a good way to get people to talk about this legacy,” Saymoukda says. “This play was written for people who have a relationship to ancestral worship, shamanism, Buddhism, spirits, ghosts, and pasts that haunt them. This is a play written with Laotians in mind.”

MEET THE DIRECTOR

LILY TUNG CRYSTAL (she/her) is grateful to be collaborating with such talented and generous artists. In the Twin Cities, she has directed Jiehae Park’s peerless at Mu, MN Opera’s Art is a Verb (Harrison Rivers, librettist), Mu’s live film-theater production of Susan Soon He Stanton’s Today Is My Birthday, and the Jungle Theater and Mu co-production of Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band. Other shows include David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish and Flower Drum Song at Palo Alto Players, and the world premiere of Leah Nanako Winkler’s Two Mile Hollow at Ferocious Lotus. For all three shows, she was named a Theatre Bay Area Award Finalist for Outstanding Direction. As an actor/singer, Lily has performed at theaters across the country, including Cal Shakes, Crowded Fire, Magic Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, New World Stages, Playwrights’ Center, Portland Center Stage, SF Playhouse, and Syracuse Stage. She is a YBCA 100 honoree, named by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as a "creative pioneer making the provocations that will shape the future of culture." | lilytungcrystal.com

CREATIVE TEAM

*denotes member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

FEATURED REVIEWS

MPR - “The entire night of theater is a massive undertaking, and well-led by director Lily Tung Crystal. … Playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay has crafted a unique, deeply emotional set of stories.”

Pioneer Press - “It’s a whimsical and campy romp, sending up several cinematic genres, including martial arts movies, zombie horror and the kind of quests with spiritual undertones that used to drive the Star Wars movies. Yet playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay has considerably more substantial things to say than most action flicks offer.”

The Stages of MN - “Lily Tung Crystal has harnessed every tool at her disposal to create a theatrical event unlike anything I’ve seen before and that fully realizes the ambitious script by Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay.”

Minnesota Playlist - “A fantastical, bad-ass journey that highlights women and the women that come before and after them.”

Twin Cities Geek - “A strong cast keeps the storytelling by turns emotional and quippy.”

Talkin’ Broadway - “Both great fun and deeply affecting. Either is reason enough to see it. Combined, it climbs to the top of the list.”

Cherry & Spoon - “It's a wild ride, with fantastical elements and sci-fi mixed with real family drama and an exploration of grief, loss, and identity.”

Lettered in Theatre - “The playwright Duangphouxay Vongsay addresses some serious topics but finds an incredible balance to telling this story that is heartfelt, campy, endearing, and funny. Not to mention it includes an original hip hop soundtrack composed by DJ Kool Akiem, fantastically staged martial arts scenes choreographed by Allen Malicsi, and a killer cast (literally).”

Stone Cold Reviews - “The energy and commitment from each and every member of this team is what makes this show. Overall, the sheer fluidity and agility of this group is simply breathtaking. This is a fight-heavy show, and every single person SERVED.”

FEATURED PRESS

Sahan Journal - Learn about the historical and cultural context of The Kung Fu Zombies Saga, the intense design needs of this production, and why it matters so much to the Southeast Asian actors involved.

Star Tribune - Star Tribune spotlights The Kung Fu Zombies Saga on the front of the Variety section with a feature including interviews from Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, Hannah Nguyen, and Soudavone Khamvongsa.

Fox 9 Good Day - Playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and actor Hannah Nguyen talk about what audiences can expect, what it takes to pull off a show with more than a dozen fight scenes, and why the zombie apocalypse.

Filipino-American National News - Actors Michelle de Joya, Enormvs Muñoz, and Alyssa Taiber talk about the show on the July 30 episode.

MinnPost - Playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and cultural consultant Saengmany Ratsabout reflect on the play’s inspirations and what went into making it as representative and respectful as possible.

Steele Talkin’ with Jearlyn Steele - Starting at 11:50, playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and host Jearlyn Steele talk about what’s at the heart of this play and Saymoukda’s artistry.

DispatchMSP - Playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and director Lily Tung Crystal talk about how this play came together across genres and time.

Twin Cities Theater Chat - Playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and actor Michelle de Joya chatted about the show’s physicality, metaphors, the original Kung Fu Zombies vs. Cannibals, and more.

Hmong Times - Playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and acting fellow Houa Moua talk about the inspiration for the show, why representation matters, and why it has so much humor.

MPR - Playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and her play make the weekly Arts Brief.

Geeks without God - Playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay talks to the podcast about the show’s designers, her artist journey, and more.

KRSM Radio - Director Lily Tung Crystal—who is also Mu’s artistic director—and associate director kt shorb talk with Andrea Pierre of The Narrative.

Special Thanks

This play is made possible in part by support from Playwrights’ Center and the Mellon Foundation.

Season Sponsors

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