Episodi
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My very first audition in theatre was a mess which I'm sure most folx can commiserate with. But what I chose to present that day was pretty telling in retrospect -- revealing who I was at that moment in time and the sense of belonging I was searching for. My artEquity friend and colleague, native Samoan, theatre artist, and incredibly badass human being, Kiana (Kiki) Rivera, joins me as we discuss how we navigate theatre and our relationship to America as non-Western European, non-White "outsiders".
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This week I reflect on a remarkable young man I mentored in South Philadelphia and the impact he had on my world perspective. Actor and MC, Brandon Young, joins me afterwards to catch up after 20 years, talking our shared love of Nas, the power of hip hop, The Wire, and navigating professional and personal identities.
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Episodi mancanti?
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In lieu of recent events, I am offering a short reflection...
Here we are. Gunman south of Atlanta guns down eight people, six of them Asian women working at massage parlors. I reflect on the escalation of violence, my internal struggle with accepting support from communities who've endured generations of trauma -- ones that I (and the larger Viet community) have not always shown up for, and ponder out loud what it will really take to end this hate and violence against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
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Episode 3 begins with a story about almost getting my ass stomped at a favorite NYC pub because I attempted to do the right thing. To help me fill in some gaps in my short, but impactful, time living in that city is my friend since middle school, my former Brooklyn roommate and present-day Los Angeleno, Dave Haddock (who also happens to be Narrative Director for Star Citizen and one of the founding members of Cloud Imperium Games). Together, we not only revisit that night but also our poorer days and some missed opportunities.
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Same day episode 2 dropped, my brother, Binh, reached out to inquire if I was doing a follow-up. If you haven't listened to episode 2, please do, but the Cliffs Notes version of it is that I chose to align myself with the fifth grade bullies over standing in solidarity with a new friend. I thought it'd be fun to hand the mic over to him and sit in the hot seat myself to take on whatever questions he had. We went down a rabbit hole, for sure, unpacking the notion of justice, the desire for safety and security, and the hope I have for future generations.
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Recounting a particularly ugly end to a new childhood friendship, I connect with my 12 year old son to learn how he navigates friendship in his tweenyears, made even more challenging by the pandemic, resurgence of a very vocal and visible white supremacy, and the continued fight for racial justice.
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Offering some reflection on my first foray into podcasting and the differences in how my siblings and I have internalized my parents' story of survival along with a helpful glossary of the Viet foods discussed in Exile in Caucasia.
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The premiere episode begins with a botched monologue about my parents last hours in Saigon in 1975 that leads to a conversation with my siblings (Philadelphia actor, BiJean Ngo, and rocker/bartender, Binh Ngo)exploring what of their survival story we inherit, where their story ends, and where ours begin. Music is from Binh Ngo and The Rememberables.
