2022/2023 Season
Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord
Pulitzer Prize Finalist
September 20 – October 16, 2022 Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre
Written and Performed by Kristina Wong
Directed by Chay Yew
On Day 3 of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kristina Wong began sewing masks out of old bedsheets and bra straps on her Hello Kitty sewing machine. Before long, she was leading the Auntie Sewing Squad, a work-from-home sweatshop of hundreds of volunteers—including children and her own mother—to fix the U.S. public healthcare system while in quarantine. It was a feminist care utopia forming in the midst of crisis. Or was it a mutual aid doomsday cult? With hilarity and boundless generosity, she invites the audience in on her work building community in isolation, while reflecting on what we’d been through and imagining what we wanted to become. Descripción en Español
Production Sponsor
Brian and Silvija Devine
Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord named a 2022 Pulitzer Prize Finalist!
WINNER! Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show
WINNER! Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance
WINNER! Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance
San Diego Union-Tribune Feature: Performance artist Kristina Wong riding high as a ‘Sweatshop Overlord’ and Pulitzer Prize finalist
View PDF | Read Online
“A spiky comic tonic…”
— The New York Times
“In the emerging genre of pandemic theater, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord is haute couture.”
— Timeout
“Wong [is] a compelling, irrepressible onstage presence”
— The Wrap
“A lively, fast-paced and very funny, audience-interactive production”
— San Diego Union-Tribune
“High energy…Delightfully acidic…Makes you laugh out loud for real…”
— Broadway World
ACCESS Performance (Audio Description): Saturday, October 8 at 2:00 pm
ACCESS performances offer American Sign Language interpretation for patrons who are d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing and Audio Description for patrons who are blind or have low vision. Inquire with Patron Services for available ACCESS subscription series (858) 550-1010.
Masks will be required indoors for all performances of Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord. Proof of vaccination or negative Covid-19 PCR test results are not required. For up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 safety procedures, please visit our Covid Safety Page.
Complete ticket flexibility! Purchase tickets today and if for any reason you cannot attend on your performance date, call Patron Services to discuss options such as exchange, refunds, gift certificates.
La Jolla Playhouse’s on-site restaurant, James’ Place, is open for dinner service at 5:00pm nightly (Tuesday – Sunday). James’ Place offers full bar service and a selection of specialty Asian fusion, steak & coastal cuisine items, per the menu below. Reservations can be made by phone as well as OpenTable. Indoor and outdoor seating options are available. Please note, James’ Place is not open prior to matinee performances.
Concessions opens 90 minutes before showtime at the bar of James’ Place. Come early to relax outside and enjoy a selection of beer, wine, cocktails, sodas and individually wrapped snacks. All food and drinks must be consumed before entering the theatre.
Approximate run time: 90 minutes
Content Warnings: Adult content, language, haze, strobe, and sound-tracked gunshots.
Cast & Creators
- Creators
- Cast
- Design
Chay Yew
Director
directed La Jolla Playhouse’s acclaimed production of CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND. His credits include Off-Broadway productions at The Public, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature Theatre Company, Rattlestick, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Playwrights Realm, National Asian American Theatre Company, Ma-Yi Theatre. Regional: American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Rep, South Coast Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Humana Festival, Kennedy Center, Mark Taper Forum, Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford Stage, Seattle Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Huntington Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Victory Gardens, East West Players, Round House, Teatro Vista, Cornerstone Theater, Singapore Repertory Theatre. Opera: Tanglewood Music Center, Los Angeles Philharmonic. Awards: Obie, Craig Noel, Drama-Logue awards.
Chay Yew Director
- Junghyun Georgia LeeScenic Design
- Linda ChoCostume Design
- Amith ChandrashakerLighting Design
- Mikhail FikselSound Design
- Caite HevnerProjection Design
- Jess SlocumStage Manager
- Topaz CooksAssistant Stage Manager
- Benjamin SeibertSenior Production Manager
- Becca DuhaimeProduction Manager
- Ryan MeisheidGeneral Manager
- Eric Keen-LouieExecutive Producer
Gallery
Venue Info
Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre
The Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre is a black box flexible theatre seating up to 450 patrons, and the centerpiece of the 6,500-square-foot Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center.
