HOME / 21-22 SEASON / MAN OF GOD

A FUNNY FEMINIST THRILLER

During a mission trip to Bangkok, the four members of a Korean Christian girls’ youth group discover that their revered pastor has hidden a camera in their hotel bathroom. Their communal rage and disillusionment fuel violent revenge fantasies amid the neon bubblegum sex-tourism epicenter of Bangkok. Anna Ouyang Moench delves into that moment when girls recognize the male gaze and decide they’re definitely gonna do something about it.

Content Warning: This show contains dramatized fighting and references to sexual abuse, eating disorders, drug use, and paedophilia. The show is recommended for ages 16+.

For more information, check out the show’s digital program.

GENERAL INFORMATION

DATES

Feb 18 - March 6, 2022, previews Feb 16 - 17

The show runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.

ASL interpretation will accompany the Feb 26 performance.

Other special performances include:

• Thursday actor talkbacks (Feb 24, Mar 3)

• Community Matinee (Feb 27) featuring a community conversation Asian Women United of Minnesota and ManForward.

• Student and industry Wednesday matinees, ft. a post-show discussion for youth, led by Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment and Transforming Generations.

TICKETS

We strive to voice the stories of the Asian American community, and in order to bring performances to those communities whose stories they tell, we are committed to making them as accessible as possible. PAY AS YOU ARE pricing asks those who routinely pay $35 for theater tickets to choose 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 pay less—as little as $5 per ticket.

Seating is general admission.

If a performance is canceled for any reason, audience members will be notified via email and will be offered a chance to reschedule, donate their ticket purchase, or receive a full refund.

Want to see Man of God for free? Sign up as a volunteer usher.

VENUE INFO

Man of God will take place at Mixed Blood Theatre, located at 1501 S Fourth St., Minneapolis, MN 55454.

For directions or parking information, visit Mixed Blood Theatre’s website. Upon arrival, patrons will be required to show either proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test result; mask use will be required throughout the venue, as well. Make sure to check our COVID-19 protocols before you go for the latest updates!

PRESS FEATURES

Minnesota Monthly - With Man of God, Director Katie Bradley weaves in personal experiences, professional experiences, and hope for more Asian American inclusivity in theater.

Steele Talkin’ with Jearlyn Steele - Director Katie Bradley and actor Louisa Darr delve into Man of God’s nuances with radio host Jearlyn Steele. Is it comedy? Is it a tragedy? Well, it’s a little bit of both.

Pioneer Press - Director Katie Bradley chats with the Pioneer Press about what it’s like going from actor to director and the accuracy of Man of God’s quick-talking teenagers.

Star Tribune - The Star Tribune chats with Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal, Director Katie Bradley, and Programs Manager Morgen Chang about how the production tackles tough topics through humor while still taking care of its audience and its company members.

Minnesota Daily - Director Katie Bradley and actor Janet Scanlon give some insight into the characters and what this “bullet train” of a play is saying.

REVIEWS

Minnesota Playlist - Besides talking to Katie Bradley about her mainstage directorial debut, Minnesota Playlist’s Kayla Hambek also reflects on the show’s message, “I could write 50,000 words about this play, and none of them would be sufficient enough to convey what it meant to me.”

Talkin’ Broadway - “The actors playing the four girls seem to have been born into their roles,” writes Arty Dorfman. “[Director] Katie Bradley has allowed each of these actors to be true to their characters, behaving toward one another not in service to the plot but as authentic young women.”

Twin Cities Geek - “Sometimes we are invited into the characters’ minds to see how they cope with their victimization. Other times we just sit alongside them. And what’s incredible, a sign of truly great theater, is that those emotions carry even more powerfully with silence. It shows every part of the production is working,” writes Ryan Sanderson.

Cherry & Spoon - “Katie Bradley does a great job in her first time directing, bringing out all of the sharp humor of the script, while allowing space for the varied and complicated emotions,” Jill Schafer writes.

The Stages of MN - “Man of God is a high wire act of a play that relies strongly on finding the correct tone in each moment and the perfect transitions between those moments. [Director Katie] Bradley finds the way to accomplish all of that,” writes Rob Dunkelberg.

Twin Cities Agenda - “While it’s hard not to leave the theater with a rock in your stomach, the show too offers a feeling of hope that cannot be extinguished,” writes Adrian Daniel Schramm.

Pioneer Press - “At a brisk 85 minutes, Man of God deftly balances ambition and expediency. It’s both universal enough for easy access and specific enough to offer distinct insights,” writes Dominic Papatola.

Star Tribune - “Man of God is smartly written, offering a critique of patriarchy by showing, not telling, and by deploying biting, jargon-free humor,” writes Rohan Preston.

Lettered in Theatre - “Each cast member brought a different energy to the show that was explosive together,” writes Erica Skarohlid. “Their timing was like a tennis match at times[,] bouncing back and forth in such perfect rhythm.”

RECOMMENDED READING

Want to keep exploring Man of God? We’ve pulled together nine books that resonate with its themes in some way, including real-life truths of an unjust judicial system, fictional coming-of-age stories, or poetry that speaks of beauty, bodies, and reclamation. Start updating your reading list now!

Cast

Understudies: Michi Lee (Jen, Kyung-Hwa, Samantha, Mimi) and Song Kim (Pastor).

Creative Team

* MEMBER OF ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION, THE UNION OF PROFESSIONAL ACTORS AND STAGE MANAGERS IN THE UNITED STATES

GALLERY

All photos by Rich Ryan.

MEET THE DIRECTOR

KATIE BRADLEY (she/her) makes her mainstage directing debut with Man of God. Previously, she has assistant directed at the Guthrie Theater (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner) and Theater Mu (peerless), and has directed a variety of play workshops and readings throughout the Twin Cities. Most of her professional career has been spent on the “other side of the table,” as an actor. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she has appeared in several theaters around the country including the Guthrie Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Repertory Theatre, and Wallis Annenberg Center in Los Angeles. She has also performed in numerous productions at Theater Mu. 

MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT

ANNA OUYANG MOENCH (she/her) is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. Her plays include Mothers (Playwrights Realm 2019); Man of God (East West Players 2019, InterAct Theatre Company 2020); Birds of North America (BETC 2017, Thrown Stone Theatre Company 2019, Theater With A View 2019); and Sin Eaters (Local Theater Company 2020). She is currently the 2019/20 Page One playwright in residence at the Playwrights Realm and has received fellowships from the New York Foundation of the Arts, the Jerome Foundation, and the Van Lier Foundation. Her awards include the Paul Stephen Lim Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center, Boulder Ensemble Theater Company’s Generations Award, and East West Players’ 2042: See Change Award. She is an alum of UCSD’s Playwriting MFA program, the Emerging Writers Group at the Public Theater, Youngblood at Ensemble Studio Theatre, and the Jam at New Georges. Anna is a writer on Severance (Apple TV+) and the recipient of a Gerbode Special Award in the Arts commission for a new play that will be produced at Magic Theatre in 2022.

MORE TO KNOW