Colby Arts presents a keynote from Kristina Wong, a performance artist, actor, comedian, writer and former elected official in Koreatown Los Angeles. Wong will share about how she makes work that straddles the worlds of art, activism, and civic engagement. 

Following its highly acclaimed premiere at New York Theatre Workshop, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, was a New York Times “Critics Pick.” Wong was then named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Drama (2022). Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord also garnered a veritable awards sweep this year including The Drama Desk Award, The Lucille Lortel Award, and The Outer Critics Circle Award. Wong’s work has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Doris Duke Artist Award.

Wong’s other works have been presented across North America, the UK, Hong Kong, and Africa. She’s been a guest on late night shows on Comedy Central, NBC, and FX. As a published writer, Wong’s work is included in Routledge’s Contemporary Plays by Women of Color. Wong wrote the introduction for The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide To Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice published by University of California Press. She also had Artist Residencies at MacDowell, Hermitage, Montalvo, and Ojai Playwrights Festival. She's also received support from Creative Capital, The MAP Fund, Center for Cultural Innovation, National Performance Network, a COLA Master Artist