It's my first International run!
My show Going
Green the Wong Way is being presented by CalArts Festival Theater this August
2012 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland-- the world’s largest fringe
festival. This show looks at the hilarious trials and tribulations of
sustainable living, most notably, my experiences of running a car on vegetable
oil, and subsequently, living in Los Angeles without a car. I have a good
track record of touring my shows nationally, but this will be the first time
I’ve ever brought a show overseas. It’s a huge opportunity to reach
international audience, share my hilarious experiences in sustainable living
with the world, and get dialogue going about the impact each individual has on
the environment.
“Going Green the Wong Way might be one of the most ridiculous shows we've ever seen, and we mean that in the best of ways…. Wong took a seemingly overworked topic like sustainable living and turned it into a surrealist, hilarious ride.” -- Miami New Times
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will change my art, work, and life forever. I’ve been wanting to go to this festival for years but the 25k production budget estimates were prohibitive. I was also weary of navigating a festival I was not familiar with alone and still managing to do a successful run. Having endured the stress of being a self-producing "one woman band" before and vowing to not do that again-- Edinburgh seemed an unideal situation for me to show my best work.
However, with an invitation to join the 2012 CalArts Festival Theater Company I have a great opportunity! With their help on a bulk of the producing and by taking advantage of shared costs between the other shows being produced, it puts my Edinburgh debut in reach! We will be able to cover all our design and crew by joining the CalArts Festival Theater company. AND I will also be able to have the support of my director Paul Tei ("Barry the Money Launderer" from TV's "Burn Notice") at Edinburgh. Without this help, this show could easily cost over 25k to produce and look a lot less slick.
What your contribution will cover
Despite the assistance
from CalArts Festival Theater, we are still responsible for our travel,
housing, production, and living expenses for August. Unfortunately, this
amount is still far beyond what we are able to pull out of our own pockets. We are
humbly asking our friends, families, audiences, and supporters to help.
We are attempting to raise an unprecedented $16,000 to cover expenses related to travel, housing, production, and administrating this Kickstarter campaign (watch the video for the itemized breakdown)… beyond the help we get through our presentation by CalArts Festival Theater.
See the show in Los Angeles before we leave for Edinburgh!
This Kickstarter campaign is also a way for us to get the word out
about the Los Angeles run of GGTWW at the Bootleg Theater June 28- July
22. A donation of $35 or more will secure general admission seats for
the run of the show and help us get to Edinburgh! (See details on your
right!)
Why this show?
I have been at this "making a living doing theater" game for over ten years and I'm still standing. I've been waiting for a break like this festival my whole life. I know Edinburgh is the opportunity I have been waiting for to really show the world what I got and catapult my career onto a worldwide stage. I also believe this is a timely show that injects the green movement with a much needed sense of humor. I hope that Going Green the Wong Way will surpass the success of my last show Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which tours into its 5th year, became a concert film, and continues to provide communities with a way to dialogue about depression and suicide.
More About Going Green the Wong Way:
In her lifelong quest for sustainable living, Kristina Wong purchased a
1981 pink Mercedes that ran on vegetable oil, and endured a nightmare of
never-ending car repairs and near death pursuits for the used cooking
oil to fuel it. When the car finally burst into flames on an L.A.
freeway, Wong lost the largest line item in her monthly budget, and
gained the inspiration for this premiere production. GOING GREEN THE
WONG WAY brings our contemporary urban environment to life, revealing
just how tricky it is to "do the right thing." Based on Wong's
true-life adventures, but elevated to surrealist heights, the production
takes us from Kristina's confrontational 6th grade science project, to
her wandering years as a missionary of recycling, to her true calling as
Los Angeles' patron martyr of carbon-free living.
Going Green the Wong Way was originally produced by Mad Cat Theatre Company in November 2010 and premiered at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, FL as an ensemble piece. It premiered as a full length solo work in San Francisco last summer (produced by Mad Cat Theatre Company and Circuit Network). It's also played at the Comedy Central Stage, Upright Citizens Brigade, South Coast Rep, and the Contemporary Art Center's "The Off The Strip" Festival in Las Vegas.
MORE Press Quotes to further convince you of my legitimacy!!
“Kristina Wong is a funny -- no, make that an extremely funny -- performer with a wildly imaginative, sometimes raunchy sensibility." -- Miami Herald
“Kristina Wong is a terrific physical comedienne whose love of dry humping, scrambled TV porn, reusable female necessities, scatology and vegetable oil make her highly qualified to be an ecological martyr.” -- Miami Art Zine
“When things go wrong for
performance artist Kristina Wong, you know it’s going to be a
spectacular mess… There are hundreds of ways to go wrong when attempting to go
green, but going Wong can only ever be
right.”
-- San Francisco Bay Guardian
“While her hilarious tales of being a "missionary of recycling" might make her audience laugh, the sustainable schtick isn't just an act. Wong is serious about practicing what she preaches.” -- Good Magazine
COOL WEIRD PERKS YOU GET FOR DONATING!!!!
A thank you call from my famous parents! At $250!
A postcard from 11 year old Kristina Wong! $20!
Personalized handsewn dolls! Made with my own hands! $100!
Vag Puppets! These will be collector's items one day! $100 and they can be made to look like you!!
DVD copies of Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest! My last show! I can even sign them. $51!
Hey Burn Notice Fans! My director Paul Tei (who plays "Barry the Money Launderer" on TV's "Burn Notice") will make you videos, mix-tapes, teach you acting, etc. Look to your right!
Make a $5000 donation and receive Kristina's Cambodian glamour shots on a large canvas for your home. Only four of these will ever be made. EVER.
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ
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Funding period
- (60 days)