\n<\/p>\n
Furthermore, identity as tied to militarization\u2014whether through occupation of land or as a chosen identity such as Dora joining the armed forces\u2014brought to mind the legacy of \u201cmixed\u201d children arising from military bases around the world, not just male soldiers with local women, but also nurses and healthcare workers forming relationships with locals, as well as refugees displaced by war migrating and putting down new roots. Hapa origins can often expose the geopolitical relations between countries. Mixed race children can be the living reminders of conflict and lost homes. In Pang Spa<\/em>, Dora\u2019s birth discloses three major pain points: Daniel\u2019s lost dreams of being an actor, his absence from Los Angeles during the uprisings, and Dora\u2019s yearning for family.<\/p>\n Hapas, it turns out, last longer than battles do.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Strictly speaking, the 1992 LA uprisings were not battles, but rather one of the greatest civil disturbances in American history, awakening the public to multiethnic, racial, and class injustice. No wonder they haunt not only the Pang family\u2019s dreams, but their waking moments as well. In their states of dementia, the elderly Avy and Tae are transported back to the chaos of 1992, so much so that at one point we slip into Avy\u2019s mind as red lights and frenetic city sounds engulf the stage (lighting designed by Xinyuan Li, sound by Austin Quan).<\/p>\n The allure of LA for those of us constantly traveling through liminal spaces\u2014hapa and artist and more\u2014is in its promise of resources for the imagination. Find your family and your people, and hopefully, you find yourself.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Yet the apartment courtyard where the Pangs\u2019 memories bleed into reality remains the same one where the \u201cspa\u201d is set up. Moments of delight, refreshment, and humor can be found here. Justin Huen\u2019s veristic set maintains an added layer of do-it-yourself aesthetic (prop design by Dana Schwartz) in the form of kiddie pools, a picnic bench turned bodywork table, and exfoliating hand cloths, as the Pangs enjoy an outdoor neighborhood spa day in the style of Korean spas with their specialized pools and massage areas. Though I find myself wishing for real water onstage, the steam coming from the showerhead feels like the most creative use I\u2019ve seen of a fog machine onstage, and the lack of water feels oddly appropriate given LA County\u2019s perpetual state of drought.<\/p>\n The set up of the spa is another visual image of double liminality that ties into the City of Angels\u2019 reputation as a myth maker, global cultural exporter, and dream factory. Except the Pangs aren\u2019t creating this fantasy for profit or influence, but rather for care of the elders and community. It\u2019s a moment that strikes a chord as something that I also recognized in Two Stop <\/em>and is uniquely LA: how the hapa characters\u2019 revelation and transformation of personal and collective identity is possible only through arriving and confronting it in Los Angeles. It resonates with the reason I came out here, even if I couldn\u2019t quite articulate what relationship I hoped to have with the city. The allure of LA for those of us constantly traveling through liminal spaces\u2014hapa and artist and more\u2014is in its promise of resources for the imagination and making art. Find your family and your people, and hopefully, you find yourself.<\/p>\n In that imagined promise, this city becomes a chassis for change.<\/p>\n \u201cI was overwhelmed\u2014especially in Koreatown\u2014and when I was in Hollywood for the first time,\u201d admitted Edward as we reflected on being Asian Americans who moved to LA from the mid-Atlantic:<\/p>\n You have these images\u2014the [Hollywood] Walk of Fame and all that\u2014and then you see what it\u2019s really like, especially when it comes to disenfranchisement and the houseless situation. And especially being a minority, trying to make it in the industry has made many interesting journeys, both good and bad. I would meet amazing people who would inspire me or open my mind. Then the bad, you find out the immense in-fighting that happens not only in your own community, but also historically underrepresented communities.<\/p>\n Pang Spa<\/em> articulates a hapa consciousness that makes me think beyond the boundaries of race and ponder my own roles as a writer in this city of creative possibilities.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The in-fighting reminds me of the way Pang Spa<\/em> took on intra-community racism, such as when Tae spouts off anti-Asian rhetoric. It\u2019s within the context of a Korean soldier reacting to Japanese invaders, and it serves to highlight intergroup conflict that emerges under the umbrella of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Furthermore, just like Tae\u2019s memory loss and insomnia, the angry language comes from a place of militarized occupation.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s one of the best parts of Pang Spa<\/em>,\u201d Edward shared, emphasizing how its portrayal of historical invasions resonated with contemporary turmoil:<\/p>\n There were some audience members who had no idea about the Japanese occupation [of Korea]. Younger people were asking, what\u2019s that about? And I was like, it sounds a lot like what\u2019s going on right now, like in Palestine. There\u2019s a line\u2014and David wrote this over ten years ago, but lines can have more relevance when a certain time comes\u2014one character says, \u201cThe story of occupation is everywhere.\u201d I really applaud David talking about that.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n In the final moments of Pang Spa<\/em>, Daniel lies on the picnic-now-massage table, Dora applying her hands to an acupressure point on his body. From my side of the stage, I couldn\u2019t see their faces, only their backs. Seeing only their bodies reminded me of all the times I have been in a similar position, feeling the pressure of a healer\u2019s hands or the pinch of the thin needle to unblock trapped qi<\/em>. It\u2019s an incredibly vulnerable moment for both the giver and the receiver, allowing pressure to give way to the flow of energy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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