SIXPACK
By Katie Ka Vang
Directed by Sara Pillatzki-Warzeha
Featuring Ashley Horiuchi, Megan Kim, Dorothy Vang, Phasoua Vang, Pagnia Xiong, Dexieng “Dae” Yang
May 31 - June 29, 2025
Pam and Jou used to be best friends. Promising star athletes on their volleyball team, they both had big dreams of moving away from Minnesota and playing in college. Jumping back and forth between their teenage years and adulthood, we see how the tensions of family, culture, and ambition shape these young women and their friendship.
With a backdrop of the competitive world of Hmong volleyball, SIXPACK explores if a friendship can withstand the harms, betrayals, and messiness that happen when you feel your life pulling away from the future you envisioned.
CREATIVE
Scenic/Prop Designer Ursula K. Bowden
Costume Designer Khamphian Vang
Sound Designer Erin Bednarz
Lighting Designer Claudia Errickson
Stage Manager Miranda Shunkwiler
Choreographer Sandy Agustin
Volleyball Consultant Yvonne Freese
Cultural Consultant Kathy Mouacheupao
Volleyball/Cultural Era Consultants Vang Xiong and Sakura Koumarn
Assistant Director Faith Barrett
Assistant Scenic/Prop Design Jacelyn Stewart
PRODUCTION TEAM
Production Manager Kathy Maxwell
Technical Director John Lutz
Scenic Charge Artist Jeni Raddatz Tolifson
Head Electrician Ray Steveson
Production Assistant/Crew Charlene Holm
Head of Costume & Wardrobe Ash Kaun
Dresser Becca Michelle Clayton
Light Board Operator Shannon Elliott
Overhire Scenic Heidi Larson, Kate Schifler, Macaria Meza, Erika Soukup
Carpenters Kat Hunter, Halle Pelfrey, Jesse Crouch, Dom Minor, Brianna Mae, Julia Reisinger, Whitley Cobb, Jonah Eslinger, Tim Tolifson, Emerson Stenbeck
Electricians Spencer Arevalo, Samantha Brown, Wesley Cone, K.D. Deutsch, Paul Epton, Andy Glischinski, Bevibel Harvey, Alyssa Kraft-Campbell, Allana Olson, Ellie Simonett
FROM THE PRESS
“A funny, absorbing and very rewarding 90-minute theater piece that chronicles the friendship of two St. Paul girls... 'Sixpack' entertainingly explores the ties that bind six women together...” — Read more from Pioneer Press
"Local playwright Katie Ka Vang is no stranger to weaving her life’s stories into her work. 'It’s the way I understand the world, and it helps me make sense of myself,' she says. Everything from her cancer diagnosis to stories about immigration and displacement is on the table. But until recently, she’d never been able to figure out how to write about her passion for Hmong volleyball—one of the largest sports in the Twin Cities that many have never even heard of..." — Read more from Mpls.St.Paul
Art by Cassandra Xiong ; @cassandrafication
PAY AS YOU ARE TICKETS
PAY AS YOU ARE pricing asks those who routinely pay $45 for theater tickets to pay that amount; it is the actual fair market value of the ticket. If an audience member needs to pay less, they can choose to do so. Likewise, by selecting to pay more than the market price, you help cover the cost of someone else’s ticket and welcome more audiences to the Jungle Theater.
PAY AS YOU ARE tickets are available for $15, $25, $35, $45 (Market Value), $55, $65, $75, $85, $95
Phone: 612.822.7063
PLEASE NOTE: Online ticket sales will close 2 hours prior to performance day of. Please check Jungle Theater socials or come to theater for walk-up tickets.
May 31 - June 29, 2025
PREVIEWS
May 28-30 | 7:30pm
The Jungle Theater is continuing our commitment to providing accessible tickets to our community. For preview performances, our first two rows will be available for patrons at no cost.
Previews are an essential step in the development process. Because it could be the first time the play has been on its feet in front of an audience, the creative team could still be making changes to the script, design elements, or acting choices.
ACCESSIBILITY PERFORMANCES
Audio Description June 18
ASL June 19
Open Caption June 14
SPECIALTY NIGHTS
Industry Mondays June 9
Monday performances added for theater/ service industry
FlexPass Preshow Reception June 12
Pre-show reception for FlexPass ticket holders and guests
40 & Under Night June 5
A more approachable performance welcoming younger audiences to come be together in our theater space, includes special pre-show reception for 40 & Under FlexPass
Jungle BASH Night June 20
NEW! Jungle BASH Nights are special expansive experiences that keep the party going with SIXPACK themed drinks and food while benefiting the Jungle. Learn more/purchase tickets.
Post-show Talkbacks Sundays
Sunday Post-show Talkbacks will feature a variety of speakers exploring the themes of the show.
TALKBACK DATES & GUESTS:
6/1: Sara Pillatzki-Warzeha and Vang Xiong
6/8 : Sheng Elizabeth Lor (The Social X Change Project)
6/15: Sara Pillatzki-Warzeha and Sakura Koumarn
6/22: Sheng Elizabeth Lor and Rep. Kaohly Vang Her (District: 64A; Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore in the Minnesota House of Representatives)
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RUN TIME
90 Minutes, no intermission
CONTENT WARNINGS
Adult language and themes. Some depiction of smoking.
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Concerns about COVID-19 are top of mind for everyone, and when joining the Jungle for a performance, we want you to feel confident in your time with us. As protocols to protect against COVID-19 continue to evolve, the Jungle Theater is committed to caring for our people – that includes our artists, our audiences, and our staff.
For our 2024/25 Season, masks for audience members are optional but strongly recommended. Additionally, masks will be required for all Wednesday 7:30pm performances. Please note that this policy is subject to change.
Please click here to learn more about our response to the coronavirus.
This project was made possible by the Helen Gurley Brown BOLD Theater Ventures Fund.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Our upcoming production FAST FWD MOTIONS has a new title: SIXPACK.
As playwright and Jungle Cohort member Katie Ka Vang developed the script over the past year, the previous title felt like a vestige of drafts she had moved beyond. She discovered that the title SIXPACK fit the piece better, as it evokes multiple meanings that all apply to the play. In addition to connotations that viewers will uncover within the play, the term references the six players that are on a volleyball court as well as slang that is used to articulate the spinning sensation a player gets after being hit in the face with a ball while blocking.
The playwriting process has many steps: research, writing, workshops, and many hours of rewriting and editing, and we're proud to have watched the work grow and develop over the year. We cannot wait to share the final piece and world premiere SIXPACK with you on May 31.