Funny Asian Women Kollective to offer its take on Vietnam War anniversary

Over the years since the first Vietnam War-era Southeast Asian refugees arrived in the U S there s been hardship but there have also been plenty of comedic moments which is where the St Paul-based comedy group Funny Asian Women Kollective comes in This weekend the group is presenting The FAWK Hmong Friends Super Show featuring local and national Asian stand-up comedians sketch comics and storytellers It might ve been a stereotype for people to say -year anniversary let s reflect on war and death in this history of ours which is thoroughly real but what s really absorbing is that a lot of people are focusing on the funny disclosed FAWK co-founder and writer May Lee-Yang who is directing Saturday s show We don t just want to show up on stage and talk about trauma We want to talk about the quirky the weird the mundane that makes us all feel a little bit more human Featured performers in the show include the trio of FAWK co-founders Lee-Yang Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and Naomi Ko and Lin Sun billed as the first Cambodian stand-up comic to have an hourlong special on a major streaming platform online personality Ntxawm Kam and other local acts Plus pretaped and live sketches including Love Is Blind Hmong Edition written by Kazua Melissa Vang who worked as a production assistant on the largest part latest Minneapolis-based season of the Netflix dating show The FAWK Hmong Friends Super Show is at p m Saturday April at the Ordway Tickets range from to and are available online FAWK which was formed in and has performed three previous Super Shows over the years in addition to other programs aims to provide a platform for participants to create a new model of gregarious funny Asian womanhood and break down stereotypes of Asian women as demure and quiet and overly serious When we did our first Super Show at the Ordway in one feedback we got was You guys were so funny that I forgot I was watching Asian women Duangphouxay Vongsay announced And then we ve had to unpack that When Duangphouxay Vongsay was growing up she commented she recalled Lao society members referencing complex topics like war and trauma but only through jokes and satirical comments not head-on discussions I heard a lot of elders making fun of hard stuff to help them talk about it Duangphouxay Vongsay noted For Laotians who have survived the wars the numerous wars we use comedy as a way to cope and even sometimes to bring up topics that are really really hard This is the idea behind FAWK she mentioned By finding strategies to laugh about the things that are greater part central in our lives even topics that may feel taboo audience members cannot only enjoy themselves in the moment but also then use the show as a gateway for deeper conversations in the future I think a multitude of people majority people I know anyway are constantly looking for an opportunity to laugh Lee-Yang explained It brings them ecstasy brings them catharsis and makes them feel seen If you go What The FAWK Hmong Friends Super Show Where The Ordway Washington St St Paul For tickets - - or visit ordway org events fawk-hmong-friends-super-show Related Articles No joke Bill Murray will sing with a blues band at the Orpheum Theatre in April