ABOUT THE SHOW
In 2010, May Lee-Yang brought you CONFESSIONS OF A LAZY HMONG WOMAN, a surprise Fringe Festival hit that became one of the top ten-selling shows by venues. This year, she returns in TEN REASONS WHY I'D BE A BAD PORN STAR, where she uses storytelling, on-site sex toy demonstrations, and some cultural competency training to explore marriage, porn, romance novel fantasies, and how to talk about sex in the Hmong culture (a definite no-no).

Fresh off a run at the Third National Asian American Theater Festival in Los Angeles, this is what people had to say about the show:

“That m*therf*cker has balls!”
- A playwright who claimed to have no balls

“A compelling storyteller who uses comedy effectively.”
- A blogger and connoisseur of theater

“Brave. Shocking.”
- A feminist

“She used the word ‘penis’.”
- A forty-year old Asian man

“May Lee-Yang helped me to recognize that I have an erogenous zone;
it’s called my penis.”
- Same forty-year old Asian man

“The guest hoes made me uncomfortable.” :(
- A prude


SHOW DATES:
Thu, Aug 4 - 8:30 pm
Sun, Aug 7 - 7:00 pm
Tue, Aug 9 - 5:30 pm
Sat, Aug 13 - 2:30 pm
Sun, Aug 14 - 7:00 pm


WHERE THE ACTION IS AT:
Intermedia Arts
2822 S Lyndale Av
Minneapolis, MN


ABOUT THE SUGAR DADDY:
This show was originally developed at the Illusion Theater’s Light’s Up Program and the Art Farm in Marquette, Nebraska through a grant from the Midwestern Voices and Visions Award.

Photo Credit: Alex Nok Phasy

May Lee-Yang
Role: Writer and Performer


May Lee-Yang is a playwright, prose writer, poet, and performance artist living in Saint Paul, MN. Despite no experience and bad acting, she got her first acting gig at eighteen. Her theater-based works include Confessions of a Lazy Hmong Woman, Ten Reasons Why I’d Be a Bad Porn Star, Sia(b), Stir-Fried Pop Culture, Sia(b), and The Child's House.

Her writing has been published in the following magazines and anthologies: Bamboo Among the Oaks: Contemporary Writing by Hmong Americans, To Sing Along the Way: Minnesota Women Poets From Pre-Territorial Days to the Present, Fiction on a Stick, Water~Stone Literary Review, Unplug Magazine, eye.d magazine, Paj Ntaub Voice, Jade Magazine, and others.

She is a two-time winner of the MN State Arts Board Artist Initiative grant, a two-time winner of the Playwright Center Many Voices Fellowship, a winner of Intermedia Arts’ Naked Stages performance art program, a Midwestern Voices and Visions Residency Award, and a recipient of a National Performance Network Creation Fund.

Saymoukda Vongsay
Role: Guest Actress


Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay is a Lao American poet, playwright, performance artist, and community activist. She was born in a refugee camp in Thailand.

She is the author of No Regrets, a collection of poetry and haikus/senyrus published by Baby Rabbit Publishing. No Regrets was released in the summer of 2008 during award-winning New York novelist Ed Lin’s book tour of his latest work, This Is A Bust, at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Her work has been published by Altra Magazine, The Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, Hmong Today, Lao American Magazine, and Bakka Literary Journal, to name a few.

She is the inaugural winner of the Alfred C. Carey Prize in Spoken Word Poetry (NY) in August 2010. Established by New York poet, playwright, and journalist Brandon Lacy Campos to honor the memory of his late grandfather, Alfred Charles Carey, the award carries a modest stipend.

Phasoua Vang
Role: Stage Manager


Phasoua Vang is from St. Paul, MN. Though born in Omaha, Phasoua spent most of her childhood in Visalia, CA where she got her first role. She played the Momma Pig in her first grade class' retelling of the classic, The Three Little Pigs. More recent performances include West Side on the South Side (West Side Theater Project), Hmoob-land (Kaotic Goods Production and The Center for Hmong Arts and Talent), Stir Fried Pop Culture (The Center for Hmong Arts and Talent) and Hmong Tiger Tales (Mu Perfoming Arts). When she is not acting she may be found at the library, tutoring, traveling or drawing on the sidewalk with her niece and nephews.

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Confronting Sex Head On
by Bill McTeer Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Without being judgmental, this usually humorous look at sex relentlessly charges into topics often covered by a wink. Probably more than a few couples attending had serious conversations afterwards that they weren't expecting. Partly sex education, partly a look at cultural stereotypes, and partly an affectionate treatment of "you know", there is a lot to think about in this show.

Congratulations to May Lee-Yang for a completely committed performance.

Engaging performer, so-so material
by Will Weisert Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
I really enjoyed parts of May Lee-Yang's show but ultimately didn't get a sense the show was going anywhere. Was this a top ten countdown, a teaser for a sex toy party, or what? She's an adept storyteller -- I just think that there needed to be a bit more focus so that the material would gel.

A must see
by John Prince Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This is a seriously smart play, deeply funny, that grabs you immediately and then takes you on a roller-coaster ride of sex activist philosophy. Truly one of the best plays at the fringe festival. I have refrained from quoting May Lee Yang's plethora of one-liners. Yes, many are hilarious even out of context, but you need to hear them from her. See this show!

Fun!
by Laurie Mitchell Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This was a great little show, and it was obvious May is really, really eager to please the audience (not sexually, get your mind out of the gutter).

She is super cute, and fun, and not afraid to say anything. I loved that she was so open, especially on some topics that people can be, well, prudish about.

Some parts were spotty, like the rabbit doing porn exercises.

Touching at times, which I found to be pleasantly surprising.

Smart, witty, and edgy
by Elisa Korenne Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
May is a talented performer: natural and engaging, with worthwhile things to say that extend beyond the usual forget-it-the-next-day one-person-show subject matter. The show is well constructed and has some pee-in-your-pants moments. May makes excellent use of shock value. A shout out also for the polar bear exercise instructor and May's personal porn star tutor.

Muck with a message
by Rick Treece Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Enjoyable, thought-provoking, even educational. The most efffective scenes were those involving May's "mentor". The show could be strengthened dramaturgically by having her around more as a haughty detractor, sniping and commenting from the side as she buffs her nails endlessly, say.

Bad Porn Star/Funny Woman/Good Show
by Jeanne Burns Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
After last year's Confession of a Lazy Hmong Woman, I knew I had to get this show into my schedule. Like last year, she's on the stage early to encourage interaction. Be warned if you're a man or an Asian man, don't sit in the front row unless you want to be part of the show!

Also like last year, she's funny and also uses humor to shed light on social inequality and injustice. Her "voice" is stronger this year.

I'm not giving this five kitties because it's loose around the edges and because the balance of humor to serious reflection was off--she could have added more reflection earlier on instead of leaving it all for the last few minutes.

Still, don't skip this show. Especially if you did so last year.

Cheeks in Pain
by Kia Moua Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I truly left the show with my cheeks hurting from laughing so much. The writing was well thought out and hilarious. There was one lull moment during the end of the show but otherwise kept me entertained. I think this a show for you,even if you are not Hmong. Great fun with friends.

Funny and Educational!
by Michele Teichroew Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
This show was very hilarious especially the way it talked about how people view sex in todays world.

Some of the technical aspects of the show did not seem to work that well at my viewing, but I am sure it was just first night kinks. This is worth a view if your in the area!

Entertaining but spotty
by Roy Close Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
May Lee-Yang's take on traditional Hmong values as they relate to sex and sex education is both humorous and insightful, and her self-deprecating wit is charming. But the show moves along in fits and starts, and the projections need work. Better pacing and more attention to the fine points would make this a very solid show.

Great fun!
by Emily Smith Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Ms. Yang is smart as a whip and very funny. I found her most interesting and poignant when she spoke about her Hmong background, the topic of her show last year which also makes it into this performance.

Good show
by Jeffrey Brenner Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
A humorous exploration of Hmong and American cultural attitudes toward sex. I enjoyed her insights on many topics, but found the telling of some of her experiences working with at risk youth most interesting. I would have enjoyed a little bit more of this in the show.
The show seemed a bit disjointed at times as she jumped from topic to topic.
A good show with some laughs that will also give you a few things to think about.