Photo by: Robert Wade, Intiman 2017
Dragon Lady REVIEWS
“…A fierce, vibrant memoir.” -Seattle Times
“Porkalob succeeded by shattering the need of a strictly Aristotelian plot structure, and creating a space for a Filipino story so unique it envelopes every audience member regardless of ethnicity.” -Howlround
“…Sara Porkalob channels multiple generations of family history with charisma and brute force.” -Seattle Met Magazine
“Experiencing her remarkable show Dragon Lady is akin to taking a master class.” -Theatre Mirror
“Dragon Lady’s power lies partly in its existential authenticity, the power of the personal.” -Artsfuse
Dragon Mama REVIEWS
“A family’s turbulent life and times, brilliantly told…” -Boston Globe
“Deftly fusing comedy and tragedy, Porkalob intensely depicts a young woman’s odyssey to recover her lost adolescence amidst the sonic panorama of the late ’80s.” -The Harvard Crimson
“If Porkalob’s stories weren't so funny, they'd be completely tragic.” -The Artery
“It is rare to encounter female storytelling with such autonomy. Porkalob goes about her work with passion, directness and authenticity. There is no self-conscious bravado, no angry fist raised as these three Porkalob women battle against gender discrimination, sexual misuse, immigrant bigotry, abject poverty, parental abuse, denial of an individual identity. There is something so fresh and unfettered about the way she brings us into her world.” - Slow Muse
Dragon Lady
Directed by: Andrew Russell
Original Music by: Pete Irving
Produced by : Intiman Theatre
September 2017
60 YEARS. 3 GENERATIONS. 1 FILIPINO GANGSTER FAMILY. It is the year of the Water Dragon and the eve of Grandma Maria’s 60th birthday. By the light of the karaoke machine, fueled by pork dumplings and Diet Pepsi, she shares a dark secret from her Filipino gangster past with one lucky grandchild. Traversing 50 years of faulty family memories, Sara Porkalob portrays 32 characters from 3 generations in this hysterical, moving and new musical about what it means to be brown, poor, and newly American.
Photo by: Robert Wade, Intiman 2017
Dragon Mama
Directed by: Andrew Russell
Produced by : American Repertory Theatre
March 2019
How does a Dragon earn her wings? Maria Porkalob, Jr., yearns for a gayer, more POC-filled life than Bremerton, WA, can offer. When presented with an opportunity to make a quick fortune, Maria must make an important decision: leave her debt-ridden mother, four young siblings, and newborn daughter Sara for the wild unknown of Alaska, or stay close to home, family, and intergenerational trauma? Traversing 25 years filled with queer love in a barren land, Dragon Mama features ghosts, Filipino gangsters, and a dope 80s and 90s soundtrack.
