Bloodletting Awakens Aswangs
Add some spookiness to your fall as Pork Filled Productions dives into the world of aswangs–Filipino witches! Produced in association with Theatre Off Jackson, PFP presents Bloodletting, by Boni B. Alvarez, directed by Zenaida R. Smith, running October 19 to November 4, 2023 at Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave. S. in Seattle’s International District).
Under the watchful moon, estranged siblings Farrah and Bosley reunite in the Philippines to spread their father’s ashes in Palawan’s treasured underground river. They take shelter from a storm in a local café, where they open old family wounds and encounter an aswang, a Filipino witch, who awakens in Farrah an ancient, terrifying, and innate power. Will she embrace her new-found power? Or let it destroy herself and her brother?
Bloodletting is a Pacific Northwest premiere from PFP. Shows are at 7:30 pm, with a Sunday matinee at 2 pm. Tickets are Name Your Price scale and are available https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/bloodletting/ (note the hyphen!). Tickets for the relaxed senory performance on October 29 is http://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/bloodletting-relaxed/.
The cast features Jen-Ai Clinton, Matt Dela Cruz, Anna Mulia and Sam Prudente. Understudies are Anamaria Guerzon and Kendall Uyeji.
“Bloodletting is a rarity–a show set in the Philippines, focused on Philippine culture,” says PFP Executive Director Roger Tang. “Filipinos are the 2nd largest Asian group in Washington, yet you can count the number of Philippines-centred shows in the last 30 years on one hand.
“Local Asian American theatre has a rich history of Filipino artists, which includes Eloisa Cardona, who’s a cultural consultant for this show. PFP wanted to throw a spotlight on all this talent in the community. And PFP wouldn’t be where we are today without our Filipino members like Mona Leach Grife, Daniel Arreola and Sara Porkalob.”
The show is rated PG-13 for coarse language, homophobic slurs, and emotional/domestic abuse. For more information, contact PFP at oink@porkfilled.com, call (206) 486-0375 or go to their website, www.porkfilled.com.
Closed captioning will be available for all shows. As well, upon request, audience members will be provided reading lights and scripts.
The Sunday, October 29 performance will be a matinee at 2pm and will feature a sensory relaxed performance to increase access and equity by reducing intensity of lighting and sound to enable more audiences to enjoy the show.
The oldest Asian American theatre group in the Pacific Northwest, Pork Filled Productions centers Asian American and POC artists to imagine fantastical, inclusive, and FUN universes. Through the genres of science fiction, noir, fantasy, steampunk and more, we envision a bright universe informed by diverse experiences and perspectives, populated by larger-than-life characters, where everyone’s story can be told.
PFP’s season is supported by 4Culture, ArtsWA, ArtsFund and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.
Pork Filled Productions is fiscally sponsored by Shunpike, the 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that provides independent arts groups in Washington with the services, resources, and opportunities they need to forge their own paths to sustainable success.
Bloodletting Awakens
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