All posts tagged: Zombies

Lao Science Fiction On the Rise

Lao science fiction is making its mark! This weekend in Bloomington, award-winning Lao American playwright and poet Saymoukda Vongsay will be one of the guests of honor at the MarsCon convention, presenting “Kung Fu Zombies vs. Shaman Warrior.” In her presentation, she will discuss the often taboo subject of mental illness. She notes that for many communities it is often explained as demonic possession. Beliefs like this stem from centuries of folklore about demons, ghosts, monsters, and witch doctors. “I want to talk specifically about refugee communities and the second installment from my Kung Fu Zombieverse anthology of stage works,” Vongsay said. It’s an important subject. There are reports that for many years, there have been only two psychiatrists in all of Laos. The MarsCon theme this year is Heroes & Wizards & Fae, Oh, My! Vongsay’s work has been published nationwide. Her play, Kung Fu Zombies vs Cannibals, was produced by Mu Performing Arts and named Best Production of 2013 by L’etoile Magazine. She is the inaugural recipient of the 2010 Alfred C. Carey Prize in Spoken Word Poetry, …

Review: Kung Fu Zombies vs. Cannibals is a play Lao Americans shouldn't miss

Kung Fu Zombies vs. Cannibals opened this weekend and Little Laos on the Prairie was on hand to see it! The new play by award-winning Lao Minnesotan writer Saymoukda Vongsay opened in the middle of the world’s largest zombie pub crawl and just before the season premiere of the Walking Dead. Its first weekend sold out almost a week in advance. So was it worth it? It’s been a two year journey to bring this play to the stage, an action-packed blend of hip hop, martial arts, Lao history, and buddhism to explore issues the Lao community has never had much chance to discuss all in one package. Is it bumpy? Is it rough in patches? It’s the Laopocalypse on stage. That’s to be expected. Kung Fu Zombies vs. Cannibals doesn’t require a lot of prior understanding or immersion in Lao culture to get an enjoyable experience out of it. Between zombies on stage, cannibals and a beheading, there’s enough to fascinate and terrify an audience. For Lao Americans, it raises some interesting questions all …