The Funny Asian Women Kollective Comedy Shows
Funny Asian Women Kollective (FAWK) will host two live comedy shows that center Asian women-identified performers, their stories, and their truths.
2022-2023 Cultural Heritage and Community Identity Grants - Spring 2022
1. We will reach between 200-400 live audience members for each show, which totals between 400-800 audience members total.
2. We will engage 2,000 people through our social media campaign.
3. We will hire 10 Asian women-identified artists to create and perform new work.
The goals for our project haven't changed but we had to shift the dates for one of our shows. Originally, we planned to host the Hmong-themed show in November of 2022 but the process of accessing funds delayed this. Our Hmong Show is scheduled for May 5, 2023 at Hmong House, a restaurant/community space on in North St. Paul. Our second show will be scheduled for June. The location is still to be confirmed.; Our goal was to curate two FAWK comedy shows, engage new performers in the process, reach 400 audience members in person, and 2000 through social media. We exceeded the goal. On May 5, we hosted a Hmong-themed show at a community banquet hall aptly named Hmong House. This event reached 402 attendees, some of whom drove in from Madison, Wisconsin specifically to see the lineup. The event included performers Kazua Melissa Vang, Tsuab Yang, Houa Moua, Mai Neng Moua, and See Vue Lee and was emceed by May Lee-Yang. Mai Neng Moua and See Vue Lee made their debut on the comedy stage. Prior to the show, performers also workshopped their sets and received critical feedback to shape their new material. The FAWK Roast was hosted on June 25, 2023 at Arbeiter Brewery, a Korean American-owned business. This event included 5 FAWK performers along with four new community members who joined our stage, Terri Thao, Phasoua Vang, Yeej Moua, and Tommy Sar. The event brought in 83 attendees. Through our ads and posts on Facebook, both events reached 47,886 people and engaged 5414 people. "Reached" is defined by the number of people who saw our posts. "Engaged" is defined by folks who reacted, comments, shared, or clicked on our posts. The overwhelming attendance and online engagement further validated that audiences want to hear more Asian women stories.
We received around $2,300 in ticketing sales to help cover the expenses.
Marlina Gonzalez, TPT (Twin Cities Public Television)Area of Expertise: community building, production, writing, humor, satire, cross cultural histories
Heather C. Lou, Voices for Racial JusticeArea of Expertise: community education, Asian American history, storytelling, satire
Maryanne Quiroz, Indigenous RootsArea of Expertise: community building, cultural production, storytelling, administration
Shelley Quiala, International Festival of Arts & Ideas, formerly with The OrdwayArea of Expertise: community education and enrichment
Levi Weinhagen, Team Dynamics, LLCArea of Expertise: storytelling, cultural production, performance, humor, strategist