Kristina Wong
Performer, Writer, Cultural Commentator and ‘Eco-Comedian’
Kristina Wong was recently featured in the New York Times’ Off Color series “highlighting artists of color who use humor to make smart social statements about the sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious ways that race plays out in America today.” She is a performance artist, comedian and writer who has created five solo shows and one ensemble play and has toured throughout the United States and UK. Kristina has been praised by the LA Times for her “stereotype skewering humor,” and by Bitch Magazine for her “politically charged art with unapologetic humor.”
Her new show debuted this summer to rave reviews, including the following from The San Francisco Chronicle: “Fiercely comic… the kind of politically focused theater that not only makes you think and question your own preconceptions but also have a great time doing it.” Her most notable touring show– “Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” looked at the high rates of depression and suicide among Asian American women and toured countless colleges and performing arts centers. It’s now a broadcast quality film distributed by documentary juggernaut, Cinema Libre Studios.
She’s been a commentator for American Public Media’s Marketplace, PBS, Jezebel, xoJane, Playgirl Magazine, Huffington Post and a guest on Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, FXX’s “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell,” Al Jazeera’s “The Stream” and AM Tonight on Fusion TV. Her work has been awarded with grants from Creative Capital, The Map Fund, Center for Cultural Innovation, the Durfee Foundation, National Performance Network, six Artist-in-Residence grants from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and a residency from the MacDowell Colony. Kristina has twice given the commencement speech at UCLA, her alma mater. On television, she’s been on General Hospital, Nickelodeon’s “Nicky Ricky Dicky and Dawn,” and Myx TV’s “I’m Asian American and Want Reparations for Yellow Fever.” Her newest solo show “The Wong Street Journal” navigates privilege and economic disparity and is currently touring across the US. She spent a month in Northern Uganda researching that show and recording “Mzungu Price” a rap album with local rappers. Kristina’s mail order bride website is www.bigbadchinesemama.com. She’s been a guest instructor at Cal Arts in the MFA Creative Writing Program.