By Andrew Hamlin
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Photo by Seymoure Carnage Photography
When Susan Lieu, now Interim Executive Director of Seattle’s Theatre Off Jackson (TOJ), first stepped into the performance space, she wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
Lieu, who recently helped the Theatre celebrate its 20th Anniversary, “Big Damn Birthday Party,” remembers that night in June 2018.
She watched ‘A Night at the Forbidden City,’ co-produced by the [burlesque dancer] Shanghai Pearl.
Photo by Seymoure Carnage Photography
“I saw magician Nash Fung, dancer Moonyeka, actress Sara Porkalob, the Shanghai Pearl, and also the Grant Avenue Follies from San Francisco. It was a night of pure amazement because everyone onstage was Asian, entertaining, and proud. A friend had invited me to the event and I came on a whim to discover how little I knew about the Asian performing arts community and how much I longed to be a part of it.
“I had dabbled in stand-up comedy in San Francisco from 2011-2012 and then walked away from stand-up after a major heckling event in late 2013. Now in Seattle, I returned to the stage as a solo performer in 2017, making my return at the Pocket Theater with my first iteration of [one-woman show] ‘140 LBS,’ called ‘Dr. X: How I Avenged My Mother’s Death,’ and then had two more iterations in 2018 before seeing my first show at TOJ.”
She got suggestions from friends to apply to TOJ’s co-producer program, but didn’t think much of it. Later, with her solo performance “140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother” completed and ready to premiere, she turned back to the theatre.
Photo by Seymoure Carnage Photography
“They have a community curation process, and it turned out that I was the highest-rated applicant based on their values. I was completely shocked. I barely had any acting and producing experience, and yet, they believed in me.
“In February 2019, I had the world premiere of my solo show at TOJ with a sold-out, two-weekend run and then a follow-up sold-out July weekend encore run. Because of TOJ’s affordable rates, I was able to stockpile cash to seed my national tour, and this wouldn’t have been possible if the venues that rejected me actually accepted me.”
Lieu worked for TOJ as a co-producer, then consultant, then board member, before becoming Interim Executive Director.
“There are three prominent theater companies in Seattle who center Asian American stories and voices: SIS Productions, Pork Filled Productions, and ReAct Theatre. They all have co-produced at TOJ over the years, with SIS and Pork Filled doing a joint TOJ co-production recently last month with ‘Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play.’
Photo by Seymoure Carnage Photography
“Pork Filled Productions is also a TOJ Resident Company, producing many of their mainstage works and community events with us. These three companies have cultivated Asian American talent on our stage over the years and we couldn’t be more proud of them. Talent needs space, time, and community to incubate and these three companies do that in spades.”
When asked about her favorite TOJ shows, she admitted that the pandemic significantly slowed productions between 2020 and 2022—and becoming a parent in 2020 also cut down on her theater time. Still, she fondly recalled Salon of Shame, a show where people read aloud from their high school diaries.
“There is just something about your past, you thinking you were so damn smart. It’s hilarious. Every Christmas, I come to Scott Shoemaker’s ‘War on Christmas’ because it’s absolutely wacky, delightful, and incorporates alien probes for some reason.
“‘Vietgone’ from Pork Filled Productions was heartfelt and fierce. Both ‘AAPI Community Night’ from Pork Filled and ‘Talk It Up! Inspiring Asian Americans!’ from SIS Productions opened my eyes to all of the rich talent across different mediums in Seattle. I always make new friends there and get inspired personally as an artist.”
As for the future of TOJ, Lieu stressed her ongoing mission to stabilize TOJ financially.
“Our recently renovated Upstairs Project gallery space allows us to diversify our income so we can weather the storms of running an arts and culture organization. We are in preparations of listing our renovated office space (644 square feet) to a nonprofit as well as renting out our Upstairs gallery main hall with a focus on daytime programming.
“Since we have a noise bleed issue between our upstairs and downstairs event venues, we cannot run concurrent programming. However, there is a great opportunity for us to activate the upstairs gallery main hall during the day since theater programming usually occurs during the evening. We are open to anyone who would like to explore partnerships on both of these fronts!”
OMG I REMEMBER THAT 2018 SHOW produced by Shanghai!! What a memory.
That was your first night there, and that also was the first time I ever performed at TOJ.
Congrats on steering the ship at TOJ now Susan 🙂