THE KUNG FU ZOMBIES SAGA RESOURCE GUIDE
GIVING CONTEXT TO THE KUNG FU ZOMBIES SAGA
BEYOND THE PLAY
CONTRIBUTORS: Morgen Chang (Programs Manager), Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay (Playwright), C. Meaker (Dramaturg), Lianna McLernon (Marketing & Comm. Director)
From the 1993 New Eyes Festival
Theater Mu (pronounced MOO) is the largest Asian American theater company in the Midwest. Founded in 1992, Theater Mu’s continuing goal to celebrate and empower the Asian American community through theater is achieved through mainstage productions, emerging artist support, and educational outreach programs. Mu provides an unparalleled resource for Asian American artists, introduces Asian American stories and issues to audiences of all backgrounds, and gives Asian Americans of all ages and ethnicities a place to connect and belong.
Awarded the Cultural Treasure title by the Ford and McKnight foundations, Theater Mu is also a member of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists as well as a member of the Twin Cities Theatres of Color Coalition, proudly standing alongside New Native Theatre, Pangea World Theater, Penumbra Theatre, and Teatro Del Pueblo.
MISSION
Theater Mu produces great performances born of arts, equity, and justice from the heart of
the Asian American experience.
PRIMARY ARTISTIC VALUES
To give voice and cultural profile to the Asian American community.
To offer opportunities for mainstream audiences to gain insight into and empathy for Asian American culture and heritage.
To provide professional development opportunities for emerging Asian American artists.
To promote awareness of and progressive action on issues of social justice and gender equality in society.
To move, provoke, and challenge our audiences to understand, embrace, and celebrate diversity.
THE MEANING OF MU
Mu (pronounced MOO) is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese character for the shaman/artist/warrior who connects the heavens and the earth through the tree of life.
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THE KUNG FU ZOMBIES SAGA is an anthology of stage plays. In chronological order:
KUNG FU ZOMBIES SAGA VS. SHAMAN WARRIOR: Arun, a young shaman, must save her sister Khwan from their maniacal former school teacher with the help of Hanuman, the Monkey King.
KUNG FU ZOMBIES VS. CANNIBALS: Sika, the lone survivor of her Lao American family, must bring their ashes back to Laos. She meets a ragtag team of Buddhists and a mysterious girl who is from the mountains.
KUNG FU ZOMBIES VS. SOUTHEAST ASIAN GIRL SCOUTS: Three Southeast Asian Girl Scouts are the ruthless leaders of Mount Airy, a government housing community turned thriving fortress at risk of invasion by outsiders. (This play is in development.)
What inspired THE KUNG FU ZOMBIES-verse?
I'm a big horror and sci-fi nerd; I love stories about monsters and demons and ghosts. I also love action movies and stories about heroes who have to overcome many things. And growing up, I wanted to learn more about my history and the reasons I brought my family here from Laos.
A lot of people in my community, we don’t have access to history books that tell our stories. ... And when I say that, it’s because in [school] curriculum, our stories aren’t part of it—we don't have chapters in these history books. So for me as an artist, I feel like I have this responsibility and gift to share our history, but in a way that’s accessible to people. And I feel like theater and music and movement and song, it gives people so many different access points to learn about our histories. And not just Laotians but everybody.
Was it difficult to blend all the genres together?
It wasn’t too hard to integrate all these genres ... because all of this is who I am. And it just feels natural to me to tell this type of story. ...
This type of story where it feels like it’s everything and the kitchen sink, I really love it. I love these combinations of things and making sense of it because I really want something for everybody. Plus, I wrote this story for people who don't always traditionally go to the theater—it's for people who historically have not been invited.
Did you know KUNG FU ZOMBIES would be a play cycle?
I did not know that it would be a play cycle. I thought it would just be KUNG FU ZOMBIES VS. CANNIBALS in 2013, and it would be done. But then I kept [hearing people questions about the universe and the characters]. And so I thought, oh, maybe this could be a zombie-verse.
And so [returning to this world to write SHAMAN WARRIOR], I know that mental illness and mental health is like a big thing in my community. ... We have our Western ways and our Western context of what mental health and illness is. But then we also have our very cultural ways and traditional ways of understanding that. And so even though these plays are both very funny and campy and action-packed, there are real themes, issues, and topics that I want people to feel good and okay to talk about. And so if zombies can do that for them, then good.
This interview has been edited for length, style, and clarity.
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, Theatre 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.
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What stood out to you when you first read the script?
What stood out to me about THE KUNG FU ZOMBIES SAGA is just sheer imagination and force of creativity—like [Saymoukda] has created this world that is very singular and very detailed. ... And not only is it a fantastical, sci-fi world, but she also incorporates in that storytelling references to history and politics and social activism.
What has surprised you about this process thus far?
One thing that's been interesting in the rehearsal room is that we have a really diverse group of actors. Some are veteran actors that have been with me for a long time, and some are brand new actors who have never been in a theater production because they were brought on because they were incredible martial artists.
The Venn diagram of martial arts and acting doesn't always, like, overlap and so it’s been interesting directing a group of artists that is so disparate. And it’s also been exciting because we get to watch these veteran actors like Katie Bradley and Song Kim just, like, drive a scene. ... And at the same time, we’re seeing those martial artists lead the way in the fight room—where in fight rehearsals, they’re giving their expertise about how to move in that space.
Is there anything else you want to add?
A lot of the tropes of zombies and sci-fi and horror, those tropes are often reserved for the mainstream storytellers. And so if you see zombie movies and shows, they often don’t have a lot of BIPOC characters in them even though it’s the apocalypse, and the apoclaypse hits everybody.
What I appreciate about [Saymoukda] so much is that she’s taken the genres that have been traditionally reserved for the mainstream artists and communities, and [she] reclaims them for our communities. So she’s said, like, you all owned those genres long enough. Now we're writing a horror play, a sci fi play for the Asian American communities—and particularly for the Southeast Asian communities.
This interview has been edited for length, style, and clarity.
MEET THE SAGA DIRECTOR: Lily Tung Crystal (she/her) is an actor, director, and the artistic director of Theater Mu. She dedicates this work to her late mother Rita who made it possible for her to have a life in the theater. Lily’s recent productions include Lauren Yee’s CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND at Mu/Jungle, Mu’s live film-theater production of Susan Soon He Stanton’s TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY, and “The Humans” at Park Square (Twin Cities Theater Bloggers’ Best Play 2022). She also helmed David Henry Hwang’s “Chinglish” and “Flower Drum Song” and Leah Nanako Winkler’s “Two Mile Hollow,” all for which 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, Jungle Theater, Magic Theatre, Mixed Blood, New World Stages, Portland Center Stage, and Syracuse Stage. | theatermu.org, lilytungcrystal.com
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2011: KUNG FU ZOMBIES VS. CANNIBALS is shown as a work-in-progress at Theater Mu’s New Eyes play reading festival at Dreamland Arts in Saint Paul.
Kung Fu Zombies vs. Cannibals (2013). Photo by Michal Daniel.
2013: Theater Mu produces the world premiere of KUNG FU ZOMBIES VS. CANNIBALS, Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay’s first full-length play, as part of its 22nd season. L’Etoile Magazine names CANNIBALS the best production of 2013.
2014: CANNIBALS receives a reading at the annual Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists conference and festival.
2015: Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay is awarded a Minnesota State Arts Board grant to develop KUNG FU ZOMBIES VS. SHAMAN WARRIOR, the prequel to CANNIBALS.
2016: SHAMAN WARRIOR receives a public table reading at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis.
2017: The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center commissions Duangphouxay Vongsay to create a new version of SHAMAN WARRIOR, which was performed at its Culture Lab in New York City. The multi-media performance featured animation by Matty Huynh and music by DJ Kool Akiem (MF Doom, Rhymesayers), and Shroomcloud (son of GZA from the Wu Tang Clan).
2022: A version of SHAMAN WARRIOR, directed by Lily Tung Crystal with dramaturgy by C. Meaker, receives a workshop culminating in a reading at Theater Mu’s New Eyes Festival.
2023: THE KUNG FU ZOMBIES SAGA: SHAMAN WARRIOR & CANNIBALS, an amalgam of the two plays, is workshopped at the Playwrights’ Center. It makes its world premiere on Theater Mu's mainstage on July 22, 2023.
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ACT ONE: KUNG FU ZOMBIES VS. SHAMAN WARRIOR
ARUN - a Lao and Akha shaman-in-training
KHWAN - little sister to Arun
GRANDMOTHER/MAE THAO - grandmother to Arun and Khwan, a shaman
MARA - Laotian European, the village schoolteacher
SAENG - mother to Arun and Khwan
MOHN - father to Arun and Khwan
HANUMAN - immortal, the Monkey God from Buddhist stories
LOUANG KHAO - the village elder/mayor
LATIMER - a newly arrived French schoolteacher
NOY - an orphan raised by Louang Khao
ACT TWO: KUNG FU ZOMBIES VS. CANNIBALS
SIKA - Lao American woman on a quest
ARAHAN - an orphan living with the monks
GIRL - a young Laotian girl who has lost her family
PRINCIPAL BUTCHER - Sika’s high school principal
LOC - an ex-military man turned monk
SLIM - an ex-gangbanger turned monk
COMMANDER PHUC - Vietnamese ‘military’ leader
DEANNA - Sika's best friend
A CHORUS OF ZOMBIES AND CANNIBALS in both acts
Costume renderings by Mariko de Montalte, 2023
Set design by Mina Kinukawa, 2023
SETTING
Act I: Laos, across two decades
Act II: Between Minneapolis, Vietnam, and Laos, over five years
“[The set is] so streamlined and representative of the Akha and Lao world, and yet [Mina Kinukawa]’s given us everything we need to set this piece. Every scene has its place in her set, and it’s quite brilliant. ... I was really impressed with how comfortable the set is, given the extravagance of the show—that she could, in a very simple way with a very minimalist structure, house our really complicated show.” —Lily Tung Crystal, Mu artistic director
GIVING CONTEXT TO THE Saga
by C. Meaker
The history of the zombie is that of colonialism and slavery. Quite literally, the myth of the zombii began as a warning in Haiti. The story was shared among enslaved people: Beware becoming a zombii, a person hollowed out of their identity leaving only a desire to serve white masters. These stories, an art of warding and protection, served as rallying cries when they rebelled. Haitians, of course, were the only colonized people who successfully pulled off a revolt against their enslavers becoming the only slave-free (or zombie free?) nation by 1804. And the zombie story lived on well after that rebellion, as stories are wont to do, and as Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay knows well — the story is what’s powerful; sharing it brings people together as warning or revolutionary howl.
The zombie has taken on new forms since these beginnings. Not just a cautionary tale of terrifying outcomes if enslaved by White colonials, the zombie is quite versatile in a modern context coming to represent a myriad of horrors for society—capitalism, technology, ecological disaster, and of course, the ever-present fear of a general Other. The zombie has been taken up by all sorts of cultures in horror storytelling because, like the best kinds of story, its powerful metaphor can be adapted to innumerable situations and scenarios.
“The Walking Dead” used the horror of the zombie to focus on the real threat—other people we must now live with even if we’d rather not. “Girl with All the Gifts” is a modern interpretation where the zombie is a new generation of children meant to survive in an ecologically devastated world that the adults ruined. “Train to Busan” used the zombie throng to unpack the complexity of fatherhood, capitalism, and the divide of work and family. Horror master Jordan Peale used the zombie mythos in his brilliant film “Get Out,” literalizing its Haitian origins of a Black man being hollowed out, leaving only his body behind, for white people to control. And of course, George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” showed that despite being the most capable and selfless during an apocalyptic event, racism (and police) will still be the thing that kills the most cruelly.
All of which brings us to KUNG FU ZOMBIES and this brilliant playwright’s perspective on the monster. In this saga, the kung fu zombies become a metaphor for an unexpected death that ravished the countryside of Laos in the form of undetonated bombs (bombies) dropped by the United States during the Secret War. These unexploded bombs have been killing and wounding since they were dropped in the ’70s and have not stopped since. While this story isn’t revealed until part two of the saga, the threat of the zombie throughout Duangphouxay Vongsay’s play suggests the zombies with their kung fu skills are not the most horrific thing in this world. No, the trauma our characters carry through each part weighs them down (literally and metaphorically) and may prevent them from having the energy to thwart the ever-present villain—an unacknowledged violence enacted again and again by a country that is most comfortable seeing every nation as Other and mortally wounded against its active and passive assaults. In Duangphouxay Vongsay’s world, the real menace is the White imperialism that forged the zombie story—that of domination through unchecked power and the desire to conquer those believed to be inferior, and the wounds left by that power decades later. Haiti, while it successfully revolted, is still not healed fully from these imperialisms and neither is the United States or Laos.
While we don’t see an end to the kung fu zombies in her saga, we do see amazing women triumphing despite their trauma. Her characters forge ahead to protect others, honor their ancestors, and eventually find a way to exist in the new world without losing themselves. And while the terror of the zombie remains, our heroes (seen and unseen) do and will forge ahead against its tyranny, because our heroes also know motherf—ing kung fu.
Further reading:
“Black Jacobins” by C. L. R. James
“Zombie Theory: A Reader” by Sarah Juliet Lauro
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1779-1893 SIAMESE RULE
Following the Lao-Siamese war, the Thonburi Kingdom of Siam conquered Laos. Tens of thousands of Lao people from the capital Vientiane and the surrounding towns were deported into Central Siam. It is estimated that two thirds of them died during the journey. While Lao royalties were settled in Bang Yikhan under the protection of the Siamese monarch, Lao migrants of the common class became war-captive slaves or chaleoi.
Between 1826-1829, King Anouvong rose as a rebellion leader among the Lao. Though the rebellion failed, he became the father of Lao nationalism, and a symbol of independence against foreign influence.
1893-1952 FRENCH COLONIZATION
After a brief armed conflict, Siam ceded Laos, and it became a part of French Indochina. After their conquest, the French lost much interest in Laos, and for the next 50 years, it remained a backwater of the French empire in Indochina. Few roads were built, no universities were opened, and there was little improvement in health care. The mountains posed a barrier to plantation farming, and the Mekong was not suitable for merchant vessels. In all of Laos, there were only a few hundred French people. The colonizers preferred to import Vietnamese to staff the administration while the Chinese engaged in trade, causing some conflicts between locals and the government. For the average Lao peasant farmer, however, life changed very little.
During World War II, Laos and French Indochina were occupied by the Japanese through an agreement with the Nazi-supported Vichy regime in France. After maintaining a low profile for most of the war, between March and September of 1945, Japan more aggressively occupied Laos, imprisoning or executing French administrators and dissolving their control.
1945-1952 FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE
After the surrender of Japan, the restoration of French control over the country was opposed by the newly established Lao Issara (“Free Laos”) movement, led by Prince Phetsarath. The protectorate was ultimately re-established in 1946, but not too long afterward, the kingdom was expanded to encompass all Laotian regions and given self-rule within the French Union as the Kingdom of Laos. The final dissolution of French Indochina came with the 1954 Geneva Conference.
1955-1975 LAOTIAN CIVIL WAR OR “SECRET WAR”
An offshoot of the Lao Issara, called Pathet Laos, created a resistance group backed by communist North Vietnam. When the French suffered a final defeat in Vietnam in 1954 and withdrew from Indochina, the United States started supplying the Royal Lao Government with arms. Civil war broke out between royalists and the Pathet Lao. This came to be known as “the Secret War” among the American CIA Special Activities Center as well as among other Southeast Asian veterans of the conflict.
Under the Geneva Accord of 1962, Laos was officially recognized as a neutral state in which no foreign military personnel might be stationed, but in practice this was ignored by all sides. During the 20-year war, Laos was subject to extensive aerial bombardment by the United States in an attempt to destroy North Vietnamese sanctuaries and rupture the supply lines known as the Ho Chi Minh trail. North Vietnam deployed more than 75,000 troops in Laos; whereas, for the Americans, Laos became almost exclusively an air war. It's estimated that more bombs were dropped on Laos than were used during the whole of World War II.
1964-1973: Operation Barrel Roll was the American CIA secret bombing of Laos and was responsible for 260 million of the bombs dropped on the country. Barrel Roll was one of the most closely held secrets and one of the most unknown components of the American military commitment in Southeast Asia.
Aug 14, 1973; The last American bombs are dropped on Laos. Of the bombs dropped by the US military, 30% remain undetonated, leading to casualties every year.
1975 THE FINAL FALL OF VIENTIANE
Toward the end of the wars, there was an attempt at a coalition government between the communist Pathet Lao and the royal government. However, after Saigon and Phnom Penh fell in April 1975, the Pathet Lao—still backed by North Vietnam—took control of Laos. On Dec 2, King Sisavang Vatthana was deposed, and the communist Lao People’s Democratic Republic was established. Today, it remains the only party. Buddhism was also removed as the state religion, and monks were harassed by cadres, though this led to great public opposition.
1980s-1990s A NEW BRIDGE
Encouraged by reforms in the Soviet Union and across Asia, Laos inaugurated a major reform in 1986 called the New Economic Mechanism (NEM), which helped encourage some political freedom and participation. The NEM introduced market incentives and began decentralizing government economic enterprise. Private and foreign investments were encouraged, and attempts at collectivizing agriculture were abandoned in favor of family-operated farms. There was also some enlargement of political freedom and participation. A new constitution was promulgated in 1991. Citizens were permitted to move about their country more freely and could even cross the Mekong to Thailand with fewer impediments. Buddhism experienced a resurgence and was reinstated as a way to promote Lao nationalism.
1994: The "Friendship Bridge" over the Mekong linking Laos and Thailand was opened.
1995: The United States lifts its 20-year aid embargo.
2016: President Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Laos. The United States commits an additional $90 million over three years to help clear unexploded bombs it dropped on Laos during the Secret War.
illustrated timeline by Fuechee Thao of Knock, Inc.
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NONFICTION
Voices from the Plain of Jars: Life Under an Air War by Fred Branfman
During the Vietnam War, the US government waged a massive, secret air war in neighboring Laos. Fred Branfman, an educational advisor living in Laos at the time, interviewed over 1,000 Laotian survivors. He urged them to record their experiences in essays, poems, and pictures. In this expanded edition, Branfman follows the story forward in time, describing the hardships that Laotians faced after the war when they returned to find their farm fields littered with cluster munitions explosives that still maim and kill today.
The United States, Southeast Asia, and Historical Memory by Mark Pavlick and Caroline Luft Branfman
This collection of essays sheds crucial new light on the epochal US interventions in Southeast Asia after World War II. The book includes works by anti-war activist Fred Branfman, Cambodia scholars Ben Kiernan and Owen Taylor, and others.
>> Get these books at Magers & Quinn at bit.ly/kfz-mq.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Dia's Story Cloth by Dia Cha
Dia Cha and her family experienced displacement. Born in Laos, Dia fled with her family to Thailand as a child, spending four years in a refugee camp before arriving in the U.S. As told through the story cloth made for her by her aunt and uncle, Dia's Story Cloth explores many aspects of the Hmong experience from peace and war in Asia to new beginnings in America. Through Dia's story, young children can see that the search for freedom transcends all cultures.
When Everything Was Everything by Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay
As a trans-generational narrative, When Everything Was Everything signifies a turning point for Lao American refugee stories. Artfully stitched together from the author’s own imaginings, reimaginings and memories as a child, this remarkable picture book is a love letter to survivors that is sure to resonate with readers of all ages.
Below you will find a list of local and national organizations that provide direct support and advocacy around some of the issues presented in the play. We invite you to reach out to these resources as needed.\
LAO ASSISTANCE CENTER OF MINNESOTA: Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota (LACM)‘s mission is to increase the capacity of the Lao American population in Minnesota by responding to community-identified needs with programs and services that promote the well-being of families and children. The primary thread of its programs is retaining the rich cultural heritage of the Lao community. | facebook.com/Laocenter.mn
LEGACIES OF WAR: Legacies of War is an educational and advocacy organization working to address the impact of the American Secret War and the conflict in Southeast Asia, including removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO). The organization raises awareness about the history of the Secret War bombing of Laos, provides space for healing the wounds of war, and creates greater hope for a future of peace. | legaciesofwar.org
MINES ADVISORY GROUP: The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a global humanitarian and advocacy organization that finds, removes, and destroys landmines, cluster munitions, and unexploded bombs from places affected by conflict. MAG’s vision is a safe future for women, men, and children affected by violence, conflict, and insecurity. | maginternational.org
MN8: MN8's mission is keeping Southeast Asian communities together through direct support, advocacy, community organizing, and leadership development for social and systemic change. | minnesota8.org
THE SEAD PROJECT: The SEAD Project (Southeast Asian Diaspora) is a community organization on a mission to be an accessible creative hub that provides streamlined workshops and tools to engage and share knowledge in Khmer, Hmong, Lao, and Viet diaspora communities. Through safe and welcoming spaces, it hopes to grow empowerment to plant the seeds of hope and possibility, locally and globally. | theseadproject.org
Aug 11-13, 2023
Join us for the De-Classified: Southeast Asia Diaspora Weekend in MN, an extraordinary series of free public events. In collaboration with Legacies of War, Mines Advisory Group, the SEAD Project, Theater Mu, TeAda Productions, and the East Side Freedom Library, we aim to raise awareness about the profound history and remarkable journey of healing and resilience within the Southeast Asian Diaspora residing in the Twin Cities.
This unique gathering will shine a light on the experiences of individuals from Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, and the stories of the past, present, and future that connect us in the United States. Through these events, we aspire to illuminate this shared history and forge a safer path for future generations of leaders. The De-Classified Weekend promises a vibrant celebration of resilience, featuring engaging activities such as advocacy discussions, captivating storytelling, captivating arts performances, enthralling theater productions, and delectable culinary experiences.
Mark your calendars and join us in commemorating this significant milestone of strength and determination as we come together as a united community. >> bit.ly/declassified-tc