The Bump
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. The competitive, cutthroat—but loyal and love-filled—world of Vang’s 20s is the setting for her newest work, Sixpack, opening May 31 at the Jungle Theater.
The Set
Hmong volleyball is similar to standard volleyball, but with more specific rules around faults and certain hits. Volleyball was wildly popular in Thai refugee camps, where many Hmong people were displaced during the Secret War, and its popularity grew as Hmong communities settled elsewhere.
“It reminds us of our stateless home,” Vang says.
Vang grew up playing and competed with teams around the country in her 20s. But she always saw Minnesota as the center of it all.
“Every year, thousands travel to St. Paul for the Hmong International Freedom Festival, where there’s a big tournament,” she says. “Even when I didn’t live here, we would make the trip. I was so scared of these Minnesota Hmong girls because they were so tough and ruthless—and then they recruited me to play for their team, Sixpack, and I became one of them.”
The Spike
The team showed her another way to be a Hmong woman—one that was a little louder and more assertive, and one that made her feel more like herself.
“They showed me so much I never thought I’d get to have,” she says. And even though Vang doesn’t play as much now, as is clear in Sixpack—an homage to the community and the relationships formed within it—her passion for the sport persists.
May 31–June 29, Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls., 612-822-7063