East West Players and Center Theatre Group present “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord” through March 12 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City.
Written and performed by Wong, director/deviser of “From Number to Name,” the show is directed by Chay Yew.
On Day 3 of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wong began sewing masks out of old bed sheets 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 fixing the U.S. public health care system while in quarantine. It was a feminist care utopia forming in the midst of crisis — or possibly a mutual aid doomsday cult.
This Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Lortel Award-winning Pulitzer finalist and 2022 EWP Visionary Award winner invites the audience in on her work building community in isolation, while reflecting on what we’ve been through and imagining what we want to become.
The last preview is on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m. Opening night is on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m.
Showtimes: Thursday, Feb. 16, 5 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 17, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 19, 1 and 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday-Wednesday, Feb. 21-22, 10:45 a.m. (student matinee); Wednesday, Feb. 22, 8 p.m. (stage talk); Thursday-Friday, Feb. 23-24, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 26, 1 and 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 28, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, March 1, 10:45 a.m. (student matinee); Thursday-Friday, March 2-3, 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 4, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, March 5, 1 and 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, March 7, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, March 8, 8 p.m. (stage talk); Thursday-Friday, March 9-10, 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 11, 2 and 8 p.m. (matinee with ASL and audio description); Sunday, March 12, 1 and 6:30 p.m.
Use code “EWP” for up to 55% off on single tickets Tuesday through Friday and Sunday evenings: https://www.centertheatregroup.org/Promo
See “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord” as an EWP Season 57 member. The season also includes “On This Side of the World” (May 11-June 4) and “Spring Awakening” (Oct. 26-Nov. 19). Offer ends Feb. 15. Secure your seats and the best savings to all three shows: https://eastwestplayers.org/season-57/
The Feb. 18 matinee will be a special benefit performance for EWP. Included with each ticket will be a swag bag, a complimentary drink vouche and a talkback with the Overlord herself. Each ticket will directly benefit the programs that make EWP an artistic home for bold, diverse storytellers like the Playwrights Group, a program that Wong herself has been a part of. Info: https://ewp.my.salesforce-sites.com/donate/?dfId=a0u3l00000feeldAAA&
For more information, call (213) 625-7000 or email info@eastwestplayers.org.