About this Event
“The Manicurist's Daughter: A Work-in-Progress Memoir Reading” is an experimental four-day reading from Susan Lieu’s forthcoming memoir, set to be published in 2023 through Celadon (Macmillan). But she isn’t reading the final draft—she’s inviting the community to help her write it! This is an in-person and virtual event.
As a stand-up comedienne, solo performer, and cultural worker, Susan has relied on audiences to workshop her work but has found the day-to-day of a memoirist isolating and with little feedback. Embracing her multi-hyphenate artist identity, Susan is looking forward to incorporating live feedback from theatre audiences into refining her next draft. During each “performance,” Susan will read one quarter of her draft, actively marking up her manuscript based on audience reaction and how the words sound as they come out of her mouth. After four shows, Susan will have read the entire draft out loud and will return to her laptop to complete the next draft.
Each reading will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A between the artist and the audience where they can share their favorite passages, and ask questions about the artistic journey, including how to transform trauma into healing. Questions will be taken from both the live and virtual audience. Produced in association with Theatre Off Jackson.
Book Premise
The premise for the book is based on Susan’s debut solo show, “140 LBS: How Beauty Killed Her Mother” which has been featured on NPR, LA Times, The Lily (Washington Post), American Theatre Magazine, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Watch an excerpt of the show here.
Two hours into surgery, Susan's mother loses oxygen to her brain and the plastic surgeon deliberately does not call 9-1-1 for fourteen minutes. Five days later, while in a coma, she flatlines. The surgeon is charged with medical negligence and her family falls apart; no one talks about what happened. Nineteen years later on her wedding day, Susan's mother's seat sits empty and Susan realizes she can no longer ignore what she's always wanted: to know who her mother was. Sifting through thousands of deposition pages and reaching out to the killer's family, Susan uncovers the painful truth of her mother, herself, and the impossible ideal of Vietnamese feminine beauty.
Artistic Innovation
This public reading of a memoir in draft form is a way to build a book with an audience. Typically the artist to community relationship is one-directional. This event pushes that notion for the two parties to have more of a symbiotic relationship where the audience plays a role in joining the artist in her journey to shape the final work. This effort cross-pollinates the benefits of a live theatre audience to refine the use of voice and humor in written form. It’s also a way for a community to support the internal and lonely journey for the writer. Admittedly, it’s also an accountability mechanism for Susan to have a real deadline to finish the next draft!
About the Artist
Susan Lieu is a Vietnamese-American playwright, performer, and author who tells stories that refuse to be forgotten. With a vision for healing, her work delves deeply into the lived realities of body insecurity, grieving, and intergenerational trauma with humor. She took her autobiographical solo theatre show “140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother” on a 10-city national tour with sold out premieres and accolades from L.A. Times, NPR, and American Theatre. Her forthcoming memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter, will be published in 2023 through Celadon Books (Macmillan). You can hear her talk about race, privilege, and parenthood as co-host of the podcast “Model Minority Moms.” Susan is an alum of Harvard, Yale, Coro, and Hedgebrook. Learn more on her website.
Sponsorship Opportunity
Susan is looking for $6000 in sponsorship for this event so if you want to offer a significant gift in seeding Susan as an emerging artist, please let her know via her website. Funding would go to venue cost, artist fee, annotator fees, and subsidized community tickets.
COVID Guidelines
Proof of vaccination (or a negative COVID test within 72 hrs) is required for entry. Audience members and staff must also wear masks throughout the venue. Read more about Theatre Off Jackson's COVID Safety practices here.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Theatre Off Jackson & Virtual, 409 7th Avenue South, Seattle, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 55.00